North Ayrshire Council will benefit from extra funding to help cover the cost of road maintenance and make additional repairs to road surfaces, following the extended wintry weather.
Finance Secretary Derek Mackay MSP took the decision to allocate an additional £10 million for all 32 councils. Details of the distribution were agreed with the Convention of Local Authorities (CoSLA).
Mr Mackay said:
“Scotland experienced unprecedented levels of extreme weather in recent months, culminating in the issuing of our first-ever Red Alert for snow by the Met Office in late February.
“The severe weather led to local authorities incurring unexpected additional costs to their maintenance budgets, and simultaneously caused more damage to Scotland’s road network.
“By assisting councils to keep our road networks safe and efficient, we’re not only improving conditions for road users, we’re also extending the life span of that network, benefiting the wider economy.”
Kenneth Gibson MSP added:
“During the severe weather Scotland experienced in February and March, North Ayrshire Council worked hard to ensure communities were safe; clearing roads and fixing potholes.
“I am pleased that the SNP Government has recognised the impact of the weather and provided councils with this additional funding. Of this, CoSLA has allocated £213,000 to North Ayrshire.”
Over the last five years, the amount per person spent on local authority managed roads was £657.71, compared to £436 in England.
Scotland’s expenditure on trunk roads was £621.46 per person, almost twice the £312 spent south of the border.
ENDS