Scottish Government Leaves The North To Crumble And Dumps The Blame On Councillors Handling Their Budget

1st February 2024

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, says the SNP Government is leaving the North to crumble.

The MSP again raised the issue of the condition of the roads in the Highlands with the Scottish Government as she highlighted that the roads backlog for repairs in the Highlands this year stands at a staggering £233million.

Minister for Transport, Fiona Hyslop, responded that in 2024-25, Highland Council will receive £582.1 million to fund all local services, which equates to an extra £26.7 million to support vital day to day services, an additional 4.8% compared to 2023-24. The Minister advised that in addition all Councils will receive their fair share of the currently undistributed sum of £365.3 million.

Rhoda Grant said "Hot on the heels of the Scottish Government telling health boards to pause any capital building projects, the Transport Minister tells me that the Council's total annual budget for this year is little more than twice that which is required to fix our roads.

Mrs Grant was advised by Highland Council in December that the 2023 Headline Backlog for road repairs in the region is £233,631,000 with the 2023 Steady State being £33,990,000.

The MSP continued "My plea to Government was that the repair figure had increased from last year's figure of £200million and, with Highland Council having the longest road network in Scotland, it stands to reason that they require proportionate resources to allow for the necessary repairs needed.

"I asked the Minister to give the matter consideration and provide Highland Council with the resources they need to carry out the required repairs to the region's roads before someone gets seriously hurt travelling on roads that are not fit for purpose.

She concluded "I have been ignored as has every driver who is dodging potholes in the region. It's simply not good enough. Vehicles are being damaged by the potholes and it will only be a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt, or worse, driving on our crumbling roads."

Mrs Grant met with Caithness Roads Recovery (CRR) in August last year to discuss the scale of the problem. CRR Co-Founder, Iain Gregory, said "The county of Caithness is now no more than a patchwork quilt of neglect, an area apparently regarded as being so far from the seat of power in Holyrood, that it can safely be ignored and marginalised, and the needs of the people disregarded. The Scottish Government would do well to note that this is a grave error.

Mr Gregory continued "As our roads, our pavements, our schools across the Highlands, and our infrastructure, crumble before our eyes, and as even the long-promised funding for our desperately needed Healthcare upgrades is snatched away from us, public anger is growing by the day. The time has come for Scotgov to take action - not words, not promises, but action - and action now."

PHOTO
Rhoda Grant MSP Labour and roads campaigner Iain Gregory

To see many many road problems in Caithness go to Caithness roads Recovery Facebook page

A letter to Rhoda Grant from the Scottish Transport Minister Fiona Hislop giving the usual argument - "We give the money to the local authority and it's up to them what they do with it." This no answer given the shortfall in funding and spouting figures that do not show what is to be covered by it and how it has fallen behind year on year for what is required and what used to be provided. Councils and health boards have been short changed in the last few years. The Scottish Government keeps passing the buck as it is they who control funding and we can all see the results - cuts to many services, huge waiting lists for medical services, dentistry in sharp decline. Cancelled new builds for hospitals, medical centres and schools across Highland including Caithness. The knock on affects will hit building contractors and many other services. Westminster must also carry some blame as it needs to sort out out taxation system.

16 January 2024
Dear Rhoda,
Thank you for your email of 21 December 2023 regarding additional finance for Highland Council to undertake road repairs.
As you will be aware, it is the Scottish Government's policy towards local authorities' spending is to allow local authorities the financial freedom to operate independently. The vast majority of funding to
local authorities from the Scottish Government is provided by means of a block grant. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total
financial resources available to them, including on road repairs, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local
priorities.
I am pleased to advise that in 2024-25, Highland Council will receive £582.1 million to fund local services, which equates to an extra £26.7 million to support vital day to day services or an additional 4.8% compared to 2023-24. In addition all Councils will receive their fair share of the currently undistributed sum of £365.3 million.
Yours sincerely
FIONA HYSLOP
Minister for Transport