Fife Council reports improvements in roads maintenance

Councillors at Fife Council's Environment, Transportation and Climate Change Scrutiny Committee have heard of significant improvements being made in repairing the Kingdom's roads.

The Roads Maintenance Performance Report for 2024/25 shows a 33% increase in pothole repairs compared to 2022/23, with over 12,000 defects fixed across Fife’s 2,500km road network.

The council categorises road defects by priority, from P1 (critical) to P4 (low). In 2024/25, 91.8% of P2 defects were repaired within target timescales, up from 59.3% the previous year. P1 repairs also saw a an improvement, with 81.8% completed on time.

As of April 2025, there were  2,253 outstanding repairs with the majority in lower-priority categories. The council continues to monitor and address these through regular inspections.

Fife Council allocated over £8 million in revenue funding for structural repairs, with the largest share (£4.38m) dedicated to permanent patching. Staff training remains a priority, with inspectors certified through national programmes and supported by regular operational reviews.

Third-party claims related to road defects have dropped.. Carriageway-related claims fell by 54% in 2024/25, while footway claims reached a four-year low. The council attributes this to timely repairs and increased investment in preventative maintenance.

Fife Council has rolled out a suite of digital enhancements, including real-time email updates for pothole reports and improved data integration between customer service and asset management systems. Residents can now subscribe for updates on existing cases, reducing duplicate reports and improving service efficiency.

Looking ahead, the council plans to expand digital capabilities to cover gully cleansing, signage, and street furniture maintenance.

Commenting on the report, vice convener of the scrutiny committee, Cllr. Gavin Ellis, said:  "While I welcome the investment and improvements made, more needs to be done to improve signage. The scrutiny committee will continue to monitor the work being done.”