Roads Across Highland To Benefit Over 20 Years From The £2.1bn Highland Investment Plan

2nd July 2024

Photograph of Roads Across Highland To Benefit Over 20 Years From The £2.1bn Highland Investment Plan

Highland Council's £2.1 billion twenty-year investment plan will add significant capital on top of existing and additional new commitments of £50 million for roads and transport infrastructure agreed as part of the 2024 budget setting process.

£63.4m will be spent on roads and infrastructure improvements over the next 3 years. Following this, increases in capital through the Highland Investment Plan should see a further £287m investment to sustain roads and transport infrastructure over 20 years, pending agreement by Council as part of budget setting from 2027 onwards.

Additional to this will be funding to strengthen existing capital commitments to a range of on-going infrastructure needs over the next twenty years, including Roads, Bridges, Street Lighting, Fleet, Plant, Equipment, and other infrastructure including Flood Prevention, Piers, and Harbours.

Leader of the Council Raymond Bremner said: "The planned investment will help to address the on-going challenges we face in maintaining over 4000 miles of Highland roads and sustaining rural communities.

"A long-term investment programme for roads and transportation will ensure a sustainable approach to investment, contractor procurement, and opportunities to attract match funding from developer contributions or other external funding sources. There will also be significant local contracting and business opportunities and wider community economic benefit associated with the delivery of the Investment Plan."

The Roads Operational Areas have already taken their 2023/24 programmes to Area Committee. The programmes were presented to committees before the capital budget allocations were known, so they were based on the 2023/24 base capital figures as an estimate. Areas have presented a list of schemes for their expected budget allocation, with additional ones shown which have not yet been programmed. These are intended to be utilised when the additional funding becomes available or a scheme has to be delayed for operational reasons.

An £8.655m strategic allocation from the 2024-25 budget, will be targeted at a further list of road surface treatment schemes, utilising Engineering judgement and local knowledge to determine which projects were to be included. The project list has been compiled in conjunction with each Road Operations Manager and technical staff, to identify those which they could undertake in 2024/25. A diverse approach was taken, looking at urban and rural localities as well as all classes of roads, including where representations from Members or the public had been received.

Comment
A 20 year plan with many caveats and risks may or may not all happen. At least it is something to aim for. The major risk would appear to be the heavy reliance on increase Highland council borrowing in a council already one of the highest indebted councils in Scotland.

Judge for yourself by reading the plan -
See Item 9 on the agenda from 9 May 2024
https://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/4967/highland_council

 

Related Businesses

 

Related Articles

Today : Advisory / Counseling Services

September is Scottish Start-Up Month – could your business idea become a reality?

September has become a month when Scotland's aspiring entrepreneurs are being encouraged to take a closer look at an idea that may have been sitting in the back of their minds for some time.   Scottish Start-Up Month, led by Business Gateway, has returned for 2026 with a simple message: if you have an idea for a business, this could be the month to take the first step.  

Yesterday : Educational Institutions

Fewer Children, More Difficult Decisions: The Future of Highland's Schools

For many years Highland Council has faced difficult decisions over small rural schools.   Some have closed, others have been mothballed, and communities have often argued that a village school is about much more than the number of children sitting in its classrooms.  

Yesterday : Local Authority

Glasgow’s 23,000 Council Workers Face a Major Pay Shake-Up

Glasgow City Council has taken a dramatic step in its long-running equal-pay dispute, giving notice that it intends to end existing pay arrangements for its non-teaching workforce unless an agreement can be reached with the trade unions.   Around 23,000 employees are affected.  

Yesterday : Employment Services

What Are the Options for Scottish Pupils Who Do Not Want the Traditional Academic Route?

Parents of teenagers in England are being told that they will need to understand a new range of vocational qualifications as their children approach the age of 14.   The Career Development Institute has welcomed the introduction of new Vocational GCSEs, which are due to start being introduced in England from 2029.  

24/9/2026 : Local Authority

The £27 Million Energy Bill Facing Highland Council – And NHS Highland's Hidden Cost

Rising energy prices are a problem for households and businesses, but there is another very large energy bill that receives much less attention.   Highland Council operates one of the largest public-sector property estates in Scotland, while NHS Highland runs hospitals, health centres, clinics and other facilities across an enormous geographical area.  

24/9/2026 : Local Authority

Public invited to Justice Service open days in Fort William and Wick

The Highland Council’s Justice Social Work teams in Lochaber and Caithness will be hosting open days in Fort William on Tuesday 6 October and Wick on Friday 9 October 2026.   The open days will provide members of the public with an opportunity to gain an insight into the Justice Service and find out more about the excellent work going on locally.  

23/9/2026 : Local Authority

Launch of New Transport Service for Renal Patients in Highland

NHS Highland and The Highland Council are pleased to announce the launch of a new bespoke year-round transport service for renal haemodialysis patients across Highland.   Funded through a grant from NHS Highland, the service marks the first phase of a new approach to patient transport delivery, designed to support the long-term development of a more sustainable, flexible and community-focused transport model for Highland.  

23/9/2026 : Local Authority

Economy and Infrastructure Committee to consider next steps on proposed Short Term Let Control Areas

Members of The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee will meet next Monday (28 September 2026) to consider whether to progress proposals for new Short Term Let Control Areas across parts of Highland.   At the special meeting, councillors will be asked to consider the findings of a public consultation on proposed control areas covering Inverness City and a wider Highland Rural area, before deciding whether the proposals should be submitted to Scottish Ministers for approval.  

22/9/2026 : Local Authority

Scotland's Local Government Reform: More Local Power or Mainly a Search for Savings?

The Scottish Government is proposing a major reshaping of local government, with fewer regional authorities and many more community-level bodies making decisions closer to where people live.   The language is about local democracy, stronger communities and bringing decisions closer to people.  

22/9/2026 : Local Authority

Local Government Set For Huge Changes

Initial proposals designed to deliver fundamental reform of local governance have been set out to help shape the debate on improving public services.   The possible changes, if implemented, could help achieve a better balance of decision-making powers across the public sector to ensure investment is focused on delivering improved services.