A CAITHNESS adviser criticized the condition of the local roads and said they were the worst in the Highlands.
Donnie Mackay, a councilor from Thurso and northwest Caithness, spoke out at the town’s last community council meeting while his colleague, Matthew Reiss, said the area was not getting “a fair share of the pie “.
Speaking at last week’s meeting, Mr Mackay said: ‘Before Highland Council we had the best roads north of Inverness but now we have the worst because the money is not spent for them. We were promised that the stretch of road between Ormlie Road and Princes Street would have been improved five years ago, but it has not yet been done. It is a shame. “
Other areas have also been reported as needing repairs.
Iain Gregory of the campaign group, Caithness Roads Recovery, pointed out that the average spend per kilometer of road in Scotland is around £ 7,000 but is around a third of that in the far north.
“There is the problem. The Scottish and British governments must take action to address the problem. We will continue to campaign and try to get the best for this community. People have a right to better. Centralization does not do it. not the case. We need localism, “he said.
Earlier, another Thurso and north-west Caithness councilor, Matthew Reiss, said 18,000 pending road repairs were to be made in the Highland region.
He said the Highland Council has 12 percent of local authority roads but only five percent of the budget. “So it’s no surprise that the depot men can’t keep up with the work. We’re not getting a fair share of the pie,” he said.
It was again emphasized that the council employees do a great job but do not get the resources they need to carry out the repairs.
“It’s pretty much an impossible task,” added Mr. Reiss.
Meanwhile, community activist Alexander Glasgow, who was present at the meeting, wondered if it would be possible to get something similar to a student loan to help potential heavy truck drivers get their training. . He said it would cost around £ 2,000 and could help alleviate the driver shortage.
“It’s still a lot less than a year of student loans,” he said.