Insufficient funding of roads maintenance is saving Perth and Kinross Council money but creating future problems , it has been claimed.
Liz Smith, Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, was reacting a damning Audit Scotland report that claimed more than a third of the roads in the area are unacceptable, with council cuts exacerbating the situation.
The findings, which were published on Thursday, showed nearly 40% of Perth and Kinross roads were in need of maintenance.
Ms Smith claims that funding pressures have seen Scottish councils make savings from their infrastructure spending.
“Perth and Kinross Council recently reviewed their pot-holes policy and now only repair them when they reach a depth of 60mm rather than the previous 40mm,” she said.
“For motorists across Perth and Kinross, this report confirms their worst suspicions – that the council is spending less money than they should on repairing the road network.
“The council is spending way below what is required to keep the roads in their current state, let alone improve them. Without proper funding these roads will only continue to deteriorate.”
“The Scottish Conservatives have called time and time again for a dedicated pot-hole fund.
“Well-maintained roads are vital to the economy and councils are simply storing up problems for tomorrow by not repairing roads now.
“Motorists across Perth and Kinross are embarrassed and angry about the state of their roads and it would appear as though the council is willing to roll the dice on pot-hole compensation claims rather than improving the roads in the first place.”
A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council said: “We are pleased that the report recognises the benefit of Tayside Contracts and the shared service scheme operated in Tayside. We look forward to working to further developing these arrangements in the coming years.
“Perth and Kinross Council are leading on the roads collaboration project for this area and, alongside the other Tayside-based councils, we are pulling together a detailed plan for the future.
“Perth and Kinross Council is responsible for a roads network and associated infrastructure with a gross replacement value of £3.13 billion.
“As stated in the Audit Scotland report, Perth and Kinross is one of 13 councils that have increased spend on roads maintenance. In addition to this, the council opted to put £2 million back into the roads maintenance budget in February as part of the overall budget setting process.”
