Caithness roads campaigner calls on new first minister to give emergency cash to fix potholes

A roads campaigner has called for the new first minister to provide emergency funding for Caithness to fix what he described as "third-world conditions" in the far north.

At the SNP leadership debate, Kate Forbes, Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan were asked about the state of the roads in Caithness in particular.

Each referred to funding mechanisms to local councils, and suggested that removing ring-fencing and devolving more decision making to local areas would help solve the issue.

Iain Gregory, of Caithness Roads Recovery (CRR), said: "We have maintained from day one of the CRR campaign that Caithness has been ignored, marginalised and neglected, and that centralisation to Inverness has proved an unmitigated disaster.

"This, combined with constant underfunding of Highland Council, allied with ring-fencing of what money there is, has resulted in a situation where we face a near total collapse of our roads infrastructure.

"It was very pleasing indeed to hear that it seems – very unusually for politicians – that we have consensus, identifying a serious need to consider the future of the Highland Council itself, and also a clear statement of intent to look at allowing greater financial freedom, relief from ring-fencing, additional funding, and greater devolution of powers to community councils.

"We call upon the new leader and first minister to uphold these promises and to urgently provide a very substantial emergency funding boost for Caithness, along with a fully-funded long-term plan to rectify the third-world conditions currently endured by the people of this county."

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