The Results Are In For My Pothole Survey
Throughout January and February 2026, I conducted a pothole survey across Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket, and surrounding villages. My thanks go to the 406 residents that responded, providing a clear snapshot of public experiences with road conditions and pothole reporting.
Condition of local roads
The results make for sobering reading - they show widespread dissatisfaction with the condition of local roads:
• Around 91% of respondents believe their local roads are in poor or very poor condition
• 219 respondents rated road conditions as ‘Very Poor’
• 151 rated them as ‘Poor’
• Only 36 respondents rated roads as ‘Fair’, ‘Good’, or ‘Very Good’
Reporting and response
Despite these disappointing statistics, residents’ engagement with pothole reporting is high:
• 218 respondents said they have previously reported potholes to Suffolk Highways
• 165 said they have not
Among those who reported potholes, outcomes were mixed but largely negative:
• 139 respondents said no action was taken
• 76 said action was taken
This indicates that, where residents do report issues, repairs are more often not carried out than completed.
Public support for action
Support for stronger action on potholes is overwhelming:
• 398 respondents (approximately 98 per cent) support Dr Peter Prinsley’s campaign to ensure councils use all available government funding to fix potholes
• Only 8 respondents do not support the campaign
Engagement and evidence
• 269 respondents provided an email address to receive updates, showing strong ongoing engagement.
• 30 respondents also submitted photographs of potholes to support their reports.
Overall, it is clear to see that the survey highlights very poor road conditions across the area, low confidence in pothole repairs, and overwhelming public support for stronger accountability and better use of funding. Residents want to see faster repairs and visible improvements to local roads, as do I.
The Government has more than doubled national funding for road repairs and has provided Suffolk County Council with a record multi-year settlement, including an additional £11.7 million last year specifically to address the pothole problem. Despite this, the Council has recently been given a red rating for its pothole performance, reflecting the experiences that many residents, including yourself, continue to report.
I have written formally to Suffolk County Council to challenge its poor performance and to urge it to accept further Government-funded capability and planning support, backed by the RAC, to help improve how repairs are managed and delivered. I will continue to monitor closely how the Council uses this funding, as residents quite rightly expect to see a tangible improvement.
Finally, I will also be sharing the findings of my survey with Suffolk County Council in the expectation that this additional evidence will further persuade the council of the urgent need to take residents’ concerns seriously, and of their obligations to maintain our roads.
The campaign to improve our roads begins here - lets work together to progress towards the change we all desperately want to see.
