Stuck in first gear: Highland 'rapid road repair team' roles to be re-advertised
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Plans to mobilise a specialist pothole-filling squad for the north remain stuck in first gear because of recruitment problems, it has emerged.
Highland Council is attempting to set up a "rapid road repair team" which would allow it to respond to defects more quickly and provide a better service to the public.
However, more than nine months after the £1.26 million initiative was announced, no appointments have been made and the local authority has confirmed that all 10 vacancies are to be re-advertised.
The delay has been greeted with a mix of dismay and scorn in the far north, with one campaigner claiming it was never going to make any noticeable difference in any case.
The council announced at the beginning of March that funding has been allocated to create a rapid repair team to tackle potholes across the region.
Council leader Raymond Bremner said at the time: “The investment is good news, and we need to ensure the money is used effectively."
The team was to comprise an engineer/senior technician, an operational support officer, a roads foreperson and seven roads operatives. They would be employed for six months as a trial.
In August it was revealed that the recruitment process had reached the interview stage.
Councillor Ken Gowans, chairman of the economy and infrastructure committee, said at the time he “looked forward to seeing teams out on the roads”, adding: “The rapid road repair team is a cost-avoidance measure, as delaying repairs normally results in a larger and therefore more costly repair to be undertaken."
However, a Highland Council spokesman said this week: “There has been recruitment difficulty in establishing the rapid roads repair team. Whilst there was a very positive response to the advertisement campaign in the summer, and appointments were made, unfortunately many of these subsequently withdrew or did not take up the offer of employment, owing to the prevalence of other job opportunities.
"Skills and expertise in this area are highly competitive. The huge investment in resurfacing roads over the summer has addressed many road defects issues.
"However, it is recognised that potholes can arise as a result of the winter weather (freeze/thaw impact). It is therefore proposed that recruitment will begin again in earnest in the new year.”
Councillor Gowans has been quoted as blaming Brexit and the fact that "we simply cannot get the staff".
Campaigner Iain Gregory, co-founder of Caithness Roads Recovery, said: "On March 2 this year, with a resounding fanfare of trumpets, Highland Council announced that it was going to launch a 'rapid road repair team' which would serve to combat the menace of potholes across the Highlands.
"By midsummer, we were starting to wonder if Highland Council was aware of the definition of 'rapid'. On August 17, Highland Council issued another media release, proclaiming that recruitment was at the interview stage.
"On December 15 we read that the plan had stalled and Councillor Gowans was quoted as saying that he blamed the 'ravages of Brexit' for the recruitment difficulties.
"Now, apparently, the issue is down to 'the prevalence of other job opportunities'. So which is it? Could it actually be down to the fact that only six-month contracts were being offered?
"In any case, the funding of £1.26m was for the whole of Highland, so Caithness – which probably needs well over £20m alone – might have seen about £100k at best, which would merely be a drop in the proverbial ocean, a body of water which is 'rapidly' eroding what little remains of the roads infrastructure in Caithness.
"We await developments with considerable interest – although, quite frankly, this project was never going to make any noticeable difference to the 'ravaged' roads of Caithness anyway."
Councillor Jan McEwan (Wick and East Caithness) said: "This is very disappointing, especially with all the financial and staff resources that have already been put into this project when the council is facing a huge budget gap. Maybe the council needs to revisit the pay scale it is offering for these jobs and others where there are extreme staff shortages."
Councillor Matthew Reiss (Thurso and Northwest Caithness) said: "Although this pothole story plumbs new depths, I feel we have to ask what is going on behind the scenes. One part of the answer is that Highland Council is running out of money because the Scottish Government is also heading for broke after years of financial waste.
"Kate Forbes and Fergus Ewing understand this. Humza Yousaf either doesn't, or doesn't care.
"His government allocates money primarily on population numbers, so Highland is seriously disadvantaged and has been for years. Look at the road and school statistics for practical examples.
"We voiced doubts about the so-called rapid repair team from day one. The council administration did its usual 'everything will turn out fine' approach and put out optimistic messages.
"A9 dualling, new schools, ferries and broadband rollout are stark reminders of this government's 'jam tomorrow but never jam today' approach.
"Independent members of the administration must be quietly gritting their teeth but maybe should be thinking about their prospects for re-election, as the Scottish Government sinks.
"SNP councillors also have a choice – toe the rigid party line or decide to put their local constituents first and stand up to the most ruthless and centralising government in modern times."
