'We need help to fix Caithness roads' as cost of repairs for Highland rises by nearly £40m
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The cost of repairing the backlog of road defects in the Highlands has soared by nearly £40 million, with the Scottish Government being urged to help cover the expense.
The figures were revealed by Labour MSP Rhoda Grant, who said the cost across the region was now more than £200 million.
Mrs Grant says information from a freedom of information request in May 2022 showed the backlog figure then to be £194,827,000. She asked what the figure was for this year and was advised by Highland Council that the figure has risen to £233,631,000.
Caithness roads campaigner Iain Gregory said the work needed to be done urgently, particularly across the “disastrous” road network in the far north.
Mr Gregory, the co-founder of Caithness Roads Recovery (CRR), said: "I am not at all surprised to learn that the cost of repairing the road network across Highland has risen by a further £38.8 million, and I can guarantee that, unless action is taken very swiftly indeed, it will continue to increase rapidly and substantially.
“I recently estimated the costs of repairs to the crumbling and disastrous network in Caithness as being in excess of £20 million, and, as Caithness accounts for about 11 per cent of the total road length for Highland, my figure was clearly accurate.
"There is no doubt that Highland Council simply do not have the funding to deal with this crisis, and CRR calls upon the Scottish Government to act, and to act now, before tragedy strikes. I recently went to Holyrood, accompanied by Mrs Thelma Mackenzie, chair of Thurso Community Council, and we made this point abundantly clear, adding that if the Scottish Government cannot, or will not, act, then Westminster must step in with funding".
Mrs Grant said: “These figures lay bare the dire condition of our roads in the Highlands and the Scottish Government simply must take steps to provide the council with the money needed to make repairs before someone is seriously hurt.
“Highland Council has the longest road network in Scotland and the geography of the area means that cars are essential, not luxuries. We therefore need to make sure the roads are fit for purpose for people living and working in the region, as well as for people visiting.
"Councils can’t do this alone. They need the Scottish Government to allocate sufficient funding to allow these repairs to take place. I have therefore appealed to the Scottish Government to step in here and properly fund the region’s roads.”
Highland Council has been approached for comment.
