Last month’s budget included an £8m uplift to the roads reconstruction programme. Members of the Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee agreed that £2m will be allocated to support repairing roads and coastal assets damaged by Storm Eowyn.

The annual roads reconstruction programme plays a vital role in making Argyll and Bute’s road network more resilient, less susceptible to damage and so requiring fewer reactive repairs such as filling potholes or jet patching.

It takes sustained funding at adequate levels to ensure that the network can be maintained in the long term. Realistically, it would take £122m to bring all Argyll and Bute’s roads up to A1 standard. Most councils are in a similar position.

However, the £80m investment the council has made over the past decade has had a positive effect on the network conditions. The new programme of work will include surface dressing and bituminous surfacing inlays and overlays. Improvements to culverts and ditches, to prevent water running across roads, will in turn prevent future damage in winter.

Allocations for the 2025-2026 roads reconstruction programme are:

• Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands    £2,480,000
• Oban, Lorn and the Isles    £2,800,000
• Bute and Cowal    £1,600,000
• Helensburgh and Lomond    £1,120,000

The overall budget is divided on the basis of the area of the road network. For example, there is a greater road surface area in Oban, Lorn and the Isles than in Helensburgh and Lomond.

Councillor John Armour, policy lead for roads, transport and amenity services, said: “Argyll and Bute’s roads keep our communities connected and drive our economy. The council recognises their strategic importance and so increased the roads reconstruction budget for 2025/26 from £2m to £10m in its budget. 

“Maintaining our roads is challenging. Nearly one third of our network is made up of unclassified roads, over 80% of the network is in rural areas and 24% are over peat, which costs more for construction and maintenance. That’s why it takes considerable investment and we will continue to invest wisely, and where it will make the most difference.”