Roads crisis as a £57m black hole opens up

Network ‘close to breaking point’

SCOTLAND’S pothole-scarred roads are close to breaking point due to massive underfunding, auditors have warned.

Public spending watchdog Audit Scotland said ‘the status quo is no longer an option’ and called for urgent action in its new report, Maintaining Scotland’s roads.

It revealed Transport Scotland and councils have cut funding for repairs and now spend £57million a year less than is ‘necessary’ on our roads.

highways england spends two-anda-half times more per kilometre than Scottish councils and three times more than Transport Scotland, which manages the nation’s trunk roads.

Scots roads are so poor they cost lives, with the report suggesting they have been responsible for six fatalities and 64 serious collisions in five years.

A third of local roads are classed as ‘unsatisfactory’ and more than half of drivers said they were ‘dissatisfied’ with them.

But local authority umbrella group Cosla insisted councils ‘have done a good job, with less resources’.

The Scottish Government has slashed local authority budgets in recent years.

Douglas Sinclair, chairman of Audit Scotland’s accounts commission, said: ‘The state of our roads is a major concern for the public. Surveys show they remain dissatisfied, despite these concerns being flagged up in our two previous reports. Their voice needs to be listened to.’

Councils spent £259million on road repairs in 2014-15 – £43million less than in 2011-12 and £33million less than the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland thinks necessary.

Transport Scotland spent £162million in 2014-15 – £6million less than in 2011-12 and £24million less than it considers necessary.

Scottish Tory transport spokes-Government

‘Urgent case for action’

man Alex Johnstone said: ‘This is a damning report which exposes how the SNP has let the state of Scotland’s roads slip significantly. roads are vital to the economy and by not maintaining them properly the Scottish is inadvertently impacting business.’

Scottish Labour transport spokesman Neil Bibby said: ‘This report is making the urgent case for action on the poor condition of our roads. We are seeing a consistent pattern from the SNP of failing to invest properly.’

Scottish Lib Dem transport spokesman Mike rumbles said: ‘There could be 20,000 kilometres [12,427 miles] of road which need repairs but we are millions short of investing enough to just maintain current conditions.’

Federation of Scottish Businesses policy convener Andy Willox said: ‘Poorly maintained roads are a huge problem for local small businesses.’

But Stephen hagan of Cosla said: ‘Councils have done a good job with less resources keeping the roads to a decent standard.

‘Overall, this report contains some good information and analysis but you have to work to find it. The overall conclusions gloss over a complex picture and imply councils are not prioritising roads. We reject this utterly.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Few people living in Scotland could fail to have noticed the significant investment currently being made in the trunk road network.

‘Since 2007, £6.5billion has been invested to help ensure it operates efficiently. In the last year, 378km [235 miles] of trunk road carriageways have been improved or strengthened.’