An extra £2 million in total has been committed to fixing Stirling’s roads this year thanks to the SNP Government and the SNP partnership Administration on Stirling Council.
In the previous financial year, a £3.5 million spend was budgeted for roads maintenance when the Tories were last in charge of Stirling Council finances.
The SNP partnership Administration increased that amount by £1 million in the 2018/19 Budget and subsequently committed an additional £750,000 to addressing damage caused by winter weather.
The SNP Scottish Government announced a £10 million spend on addressing the damage to roads caused by extended winter weather. COLSA have since confirmed that Stirling’s allocation is £247,000.
This brings this financial year’s local budget on fixing local roads in the Stirling area to £5,497,000 – or £1,997,000 above what was budgeted last year.
Commenting, Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford said:
“The repeated freezing and thawing of moisture under roads across our country has caused widespread damage – and serious road safety concerns as a result. In order to address this very serious problem, the SNP Scottish Government made a commitment of £10 million to help local authorities to fix their roads.
“This is over and above the spending announced by BEAR Scotland to fix potholes that have been found across the national road network. Much of that work has already taken place and made a vast improvement in areas where the road had seriously deteriorated.
“I am delighted that the Stirling area’s allocation of SNP Scottish Government funding now brings the local spend to £5.5 million in road maintenance – this will go some way in addressing the worst-hit roads.”
Council Leader Scott Farmer added:
“When the Tories were in charge of Stirling’s finances in the last Council Administration, the roads maintenance budget was systematically cut and the state of our road network seriously suffered as a result.
“The SNP strongly opposed this in opposition and now, in a partnership Administration, we are working to reverse the damage that has been done.
“The additional £2 million in funding this year will not fix all of the roads that have been seriously damaged, however it will help form a new strategy and a new way of looking after our local roads.”