The local allocations capital budget for 2023/24 remains to be established which will be calculated from the approved capital budget allocation being adjusted for any acceleration or slippage in the previous financial year for each area allocation and analysis of the road condition survey results.

Consequently the 2023/24 area capital roads programme is based on the previous year’s Baseline Capital Budget, which is unlikely to vary significantly from the established budget that will not be determined until early Summer.

The budget for the Badenoch and Strathspey Area for 2023/24 is £473,737. It is split into two pots, one covering overlay/inlay work (budget of £232,025) and the other for surface dressing (budget of £241,712).

Outgoing chair of the Badenoch and Strathspey Area Committee, Councillor Bill Lobban, said: “In recent years the council has made a huge effort to improve the condition of our roads by adding significant additional funding.

“Despite the challenging financial position for local authorities throughout Scotland, I hope we can manage to sustain a level of investment that ensures roads in Badenoch & Strathspey can be kept in good condition.”

The Area Capital Programme for 2023/24 will include the following priorities:

• Resurfacing work on the B970 Coylumbridge to Kingussie road, section 9.
• Road improvement works on the A939 A95 Junction to Bridge of Brown, Section 3
• Resurfacing works on the B970 A95 Junction to Coylumbridge, Section 4
• Road improvement works on the B9102 A939 Junction to the Council boundary, Section 6

Meanwhile, the actual 2023/24 capital roads budget allocation for Caithness is still to be finalised but based on the previous financial year and analysis of road condition survey results it is expected to be similar to 2022/23.

This would give a capital budget allocation for Caithness of £594,452 in total, consisting of £335,065 for overlay/inlay works and £259,387 towards surface dressing schemes.