Roads In Caithness Will Get Worse Caithness Area Committee Admits As Funding Is Inadequate For 2024/25

30th January 2024

The Council at the Caithness Area Committee agree the roads budget for 2024/25 with exactly the same amount as for 2023/24. Clearly with rapidly increasing costs this will come nowhere near to maintaining the roads to even the poor condition they are now in. Roads will get worse unless more funds are received from Scottish Government.

The council in its paper 29 January 2024 admits -
This report recognises that the local road network serves both strategic traffic and local access to remote communities. Road improvement schemes are selected on both the strategic and local importance and the extent and severity of defects. Noting that funding falls short of addressing all of the known defects, low volume and rural routes may be disadvantaged as prioritisation of limited funding dictates.
Item 7 https://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/4921/caithness_committee

For 2023/24 the council had a similar statement 6 February 2024 when the budget for roads was set -
The level of investment across Highland falls short of the budget requirements to maintain a steady state condition of the road network. Deterioration of the overall network will occur with a corresponding risk to the travelling public. An increase in damage claims can also be expected, as the road defects develop.[/b]
6 February 2023 Item 8 https://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/4739/caithness_committee

Members of the Caithness Committee today (Monday 29 January) agreed a list of prioritised programme of works for structural overlay/inlay works and surface dressing schemes which will be funded out of the Capital Budget allocation for 2024/25.

The actual 2024/25 capital roads budget allocation for Caithness is still to be finalised but based on previous financial years and analysis of road condition survey results it is expected to be £594,452 in total, consisting of £335,065 for overlay/inlay works and £259,387 towards surface dressing schemes.

Caithness Committee Chair, Cllr Ron Gunn said: "It has been well reported that the roads network across Caithness are currently in poor condition, making driving conditions for both residents and visitors challenging.

"It is important that as a committee we take every opportunity to raise the scale of the challenge before us. We know that we don't have all the funding we need to do everything we want, but by agreeing the capital roads' priorities for the coming year not only helps us allocate funding according to priority but sets out a clear work programme for our staff.

"We will continue to do the best we can with the resources we have."

Works for the Caithness area are identified based on a prioritised ranking. The ranking is informed by:

Scottish Road Maintenance Condition Survey (SRMCS) data;
safety inspections;
service inspections; and
input and feedback from Ward Members

The list of prioritised projects approved along with the report presented to the committee is available from the Council's website - https://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/4921/caithness_committee (Item 7)

Should the approved 2024/25 budget differ from previous budgets then the programme will be adjusted appropriately.

The next item on the agenda was a report on the Annual Area Roads Capital Programme 2023/24. The Area Roads Manager provided members with details of the works on the prioritised list completed to date and details of the additional works identified and prioritised throughout the year.

Cllr Gunn wishes to thank the local road teams for their hard work during the recent wintery weather. He said: "On behalf of the Committee I would like to thank our roads operations teams who have been out in all hours during the recent very challenging bad weather conditions to clear the snow, ice, and debris from our roads. They have been terrific and have worked so hard to keep routes open."

This report on the roads should be considered against the background of huge cuts to capital funding to council and health boards by the Scottish Government.

The Highland council full budget will be announced in February but already there have been statements on the dire state of funds for spending across the council. Cuts in a range of services are expected for 24/25. The paper on 14 December 2023 said "In the finance report to Council in October 2023, Council Officers projected a three year funding gap of £108 million." Item 7 at https://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/4905/highland_council