Highland MSP invites Deputy First Minister to Skye to see state of the roads

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch Andrew Baxter has today used a question in Parliament to invite the Deputy First Minister to Skye to witness the poor state of highland roads.

In a question to the Deputy First Minister he highlighted Highland Council's identified road repair backlog of £233 million and noted that only £22.5 million is being allocated to capital road improvements this year.

Mr Baxter went on to say:

"Across Skye, Lochaber and the wider Highlands, residents and businesses are seeing roads deteriorate at an alarming rate.

"Before the Cabinet Secretary heads off on her summer holiday, will she join me on a road trip to Skye to see the reality for herself, and explain why the Better Surfaces Fund will be anything more than a drop of tar in ever-growing potholes?"

Speaking after the exchange he said:

"There are places where our highland roads are more like the surface of the moon than those of a modern and developed country. This is not just a question of being an appealing location for tourists but about basic public safety too.

"I'd be delighted to take the Deputy First Minister on a tour of our beautiful part of the world and highlight some of the challenges that we face, including the poor state of our roads.

 "The Scottish Government ultimately hold the purse strings for local councils. They need to make sure that the highlands is properly supported to deliver a well maintained road network."