Scottish Tories make £100m pledge to fix potholes

Scotland’s pothole problem would be tackled by the Scottish Conservatives by investing £20 million a year on the issue, the party has claimed.

Leader Ruth Davidson made the commitment as she made a pre-election pledge to create a £100 million pot to be set aside in a Roads Maintenance Fund over the term of the next Scottish Parliament.

That would ensure local authorities had sufficient funds to address the widespread problem of potholes, she said, while saving councils money further down the line in reduced compensation pay-outs.

A survey published last month showed 80 per cent of drivers had swerved to avoid potholes, higher than the UK average.

The UK Government invests tens of millions in a specific pothole fund, but this is not currently replicated in Scotland.

It is hoped the additional funds would help fill nearly two millionpotholes over the course of the next five years.

Councils would identify how many potholes they needed to fill, then apply to the fund for the cash.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said: “Campaigning across the country, the terrible state of the nation’s roads is clear to see.

“It is one of the top doorstep issues and 80 per cent of Scottish drivers say they’ve had to swerve to avoid a pothole in recent weeks.

“It’s clear we need action to fix our road infrastructure.

“That’s why we’d set up a £100 million Scottish Road Maintenance Fund to repair our roads over the course of the next parliament.”