Nobody in government seems to care, say Caithness campaigners as they vow to keep up pressure over roads
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The Caithness group campaigning for major upgrading of the county's crumbling road network has vowed to keep up the pressure after claiming that "nobody in government seems to care".
Caithness Roads Recovery insists that the funding needed to fix deep potholes and deteriorating carriageways across the far north would be "a drop in the ocean" compared with the hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money committed to projects in other parts of Scotland.
Local residents Iain Gregory and Helen Campbell launched the group to highlight the condition of roads in Caithness and north-west Sutherland and to call for investment. They have been seeking answers from Highland Council and the Scottish Government but spoke this week of their frustration that "nobody seems to want to listen".
Mr Gregory said they have been receiving a "huge" number of responses from the public and are working long days to respond to emails, messages and comments.
"We anticipated a high level of interest but we are now approaching an incredible 29,000 engagements, with messages coming in constantly," he said. "People are now telling us that they are going to write to their elected representatives, and to those who are standing for election to Holyrood in May, to demand answers.
"I think it is fair to say that we have now reached critical mass, and this issue is right at the top of the agenda for many people."
The campaigners have written to dozens of politicians and other decision-makers, with letters sent to all Highland MSPs, local MP Jamie Stone, all the candidates standing in the Holyrood elections, Scottish Government ministers, Lord Thurso, chairman of VisitScotland, and Tom Campbell, executive chairman of North Coast 500 Ltd. There has also been "substantial" media interest.
Mr Gregory said: "While we have had helpful interaction from some quarters, we regret that we have yet to get a reply from Donna Manson, chief executive of Highland Council, and nor have we had replies from Michael Matheson [Scotland's transport secretary] or Kate Forbes [finance secretary].
"There are also quite a few others still to get back to us, and reminders have been sent. We will be letting people know exactly what replies we get and from whom."
Mrs Campbell said: “We have a very serious problem and yet nobody in government seems to want to listen, to take ownership and to fix that problem. It’s on the ‘too difficult' pile.
We work hard, we pay tax, and yet we get left behind when it comes to maintaining our roads.
"How come there are projects around Scotland, and in our cities, that are able to absorb hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money per project? And don’t even get me started on the Edinburgh tram extension project, which will put the total cost of the tram line to over £1 billion, or the proposed underwater tunnel from Stranraer to Northern Ireland which is estimated at a whopping £10bn.
"We are looking for a mere drop in the ocean and yet nobody in government wants to help or seems to care. It’s a merry-go-round where one department is passing it to the other.
"We work hard, we pay tax, and yet we get left behind when it comes to maintaining our roads. Why is that? We need someone to take ownership and resolve the problem of making our roads safe now and well into the future – before they begin to claim lives."
Local MSP Gail Ross tabled a question in the Scottish Parliament asking Mr Matheson if he would commit to engaging with the group "to help us find solutions before the roads become even more dangerous".
Mr Matheson replied: "I am aware of the concerns that have been raised by an organisation called Caithness Roads Recovery. However, as I mentioned, the concerns that the group has raised are the responsibility of Highland Council."
He went on to say that "they should engage with Highland Council".
Mr Gregory responded: "We are categorically not going to accept a situation where the Scottish Government refers us to Highland Council, and Highland Council states that it simply does not have the money, while our infrastructure – despite the best efforts of the local roads team, who are doing their level best on very limited resources – collapses before our eyes. And neither will the general public."
The group has written again to Mrs Manson, Mr Matheson and Ms Forbes, asking for replies and personal meetings in Inverness with the council chief executive and at Holyrood with the ministers.
Mrs Campbell added: “We’ve had an overwhelming response from local people who are very much supporting our campaign. All we are doing is stepping up and being a voice for Caithness and we continue to welcome your support, your stories and your suggestions on how to do this. Together we will make this happen, as Team Caithness."
A Highland Council spokesperson said: "We can confirm that a letter has been received and a response will be issued as soon as possible.
"The council has recently agreed to spend a further £20 million on roads assets over the next two financial years. You can read the report on capital spend at item nine available through this link.
"How this money will be spent in each area will be discussed at the relevant area committee in April.
"The A9 and the A99 are trunk roads and the responsibility for these rests with Transport Scotland / Bear NW Scotland."
A spokesman for the national transport agency Transport Scotland said: “We fully recognise the importance of a safe and reliable trunk road network and expect to invest £529 million in its maintenance in 2021/22, as set out in the budget.
“Maintenance of the local road network is the responsibility of local authorities and we continue to ensure our partners in local government receive a fair funding settlement. We are providing £11.6 billion this financial year which individual local authorities will allocate on the basis of local needs and priorities.
“In 2021/22, Highland Council will receive its fair share totalling £530.6 million to fund local services, which includes an extra £13.3 million to support vital day-to-day services, equivalent to an increase of 2.7 per cent compared to the previous year.”
Caithness Roads Recovery has the strapline “from despair to repair". As well as pushing for investment for upgrading, it will campaign to enhance all aspects of road safety in the area.
The Facebook page is at www.facebook.com/caithness.roads and the team can be emailed at caithnessroadsrecovery@yahoo.com
