Plans to invest in Highland roads now "very difficult"
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INCREASED spending on the region’s roads may have to be scrapped due to Highland Council’s dire financial position, it has been revealed.
The local authority committed £24.5 million to roads, bridges and piers at the end of 2015 but council leader Margaret Davidson hinted that this may be one of the projects to be scrapped when councillors slim down their over-ambitious capital plan.
Road investment has been hailed as a priority since the independents took over in June 2015 which continued when they joined forces with Labour and the Liberal Democrats following May’s election but at a full meeting of the council, Councillor Davidson admitted it will be “very difficult” to continue due to cost-cutting measures.
“We have halted the reduction in spend on road maintenance and started an investment programme in our roads,” she said.
“It is going to be very difficult to continue that but we do aspire to do that because we absolutely need to invest in our roads.
“We have also protected the spend on winter maintenance [and] we have achieved some of these things when we have had a shrinking budget.”
The £24.5 million investment was added to the council’s capital plan and roughly £2 million is spent each year but it was revealed in June that the budget – also used for schools, sports facilities and other major projects – is already £45 million over its £100 million budget for the next decade and some plans will have to be scrapped.
It comes after the local authority paid £20,958 to 92 motorists last year to cover compensation claims. The money was used to fix vehicles damaged by potholes, drainage problems or other road faults.
A further 128 claims have either been refused or are yet to be settled.
