Council stick to road repair formula
A CONTROVERSIAL formula used to distribute cash from a £2 million pot to carry out emergency pothole repairs in the Highlands has been backed, despite a clash between urban and rural councillors.
Highland Council agreed to spend the money from its reserves last month but a row about how it would be spread out in the region erupted earlier this week and continued at the transport, environmental and community services meeting in Inverness yesterday.
Each of the 22 wards will get a flat allocation of £25,000 but the rest of the cash will be calculated by the length of road network in each area.
The criticised method was approved but the committee agreed to a motion from Inverness Ness-side Councillor Fraser Parr to review the formula in the future with particular reference to heavy traffic volumes, following criticism from city representatives.
Inverness councillors had argued that, despite having busier roads, the Highland Capital would get less money than rural areas like Sutherland and Wester Ross, which have almost 26 per cent of the council’s 4200 miles of road.
However, a motion tabled by the SNP group that any underspend from the wards should be directed by officials towards potholes on a needs basis was defeated by 12 votes to five.
Committee chairman, Councillor John Laing (Eilean A Cheo) had predicted each ward would spend every penny of the money it received.
It will mean £335,205 will be spent on the roads in the two sparsely populated Sutherland wards – which have a total of 823 miles of road.
Councillor Linda Munro (North, West and Central Sutherland) warmly welcomed the cash for her road network.
“Not because we have more than Inverness but because it will go a long way in our ward,” she said. “We want nothing sexy, nothing clever, we will take the tar to fill our roads.”
The city wards of Inverness West, Millburn, Central, Culloden and Ardersier, Inverness South and Ness-side have been allocated £267,677.
Committee member Councillor Bob Wynd (Culloden and Ardersier) said: “Every single road in the Highlands needs work done but the formula we have is flawed methodology.
“In future we need to be a bit smarter to make sure the worse roads get the treatment they need to get.”
SNP group leader Drew Hendry said the formula had caused a parochial argument because every councillor naturally wanted the money for their own ward.
“We need to look at we actually need on our roads and not just take a ruler and see where is the longest stretch,” said the Aird and Loch Ness councillor.
