Hole solution

Your report (5 May) highlighted the shortfall in the Scottish local authority roads maintenance budget, with the implication that we would have to put up with potholes as the price of the necessary shrinkage in government spending.

But when the maintenance of trunk roads was transferred from local authorities to private contractors the costs halved. There is no reason to believe that this could not be achieved again with local roads. We could, in this area, obtain the savings necessary to reduce the government deficit and maintain or even increase public services.

DAVID HOGG

Glanville Place

Edinburgh