By John Lamont MP
I have recently been overwhelmed by the number of local people who are extremely concerned at the state of roads across the Scottish Borders.
Potholes litter our streets and pavements. The A68 needs investment. The A7 needs to be upgraded. The A1 needs to be dualled.
The dire state of our roads is putting public safety at risk.
It is increasing the cost of driving as many cars have been damaged by potholes, leaving motorists with repair bills through no fault of their own.
A lot of pavements are also in need of urgent repair. This is a real problem, especially for wheelchair users and people who walk with a stick.
I regularly raise concerns with Scottish Borders Council about the state of our streets and roads. I often successfully encourage them to fix specific potholes or pavements.
The council acknowledges that more must be done, but they don't have the budget from Humza Yousaf's government to make all the necessary improvements they would like to undertake.
A lack of funding from the SNP Government means that the council cannot fix all the roads and streets that need repairing.
This situation clearly cannot continue.
So, I have written to Humza Yousaf to ask that the government funds councils properly so that roads can be fixed and vital services can be supported.
As First Minister, it is his responsibility to step up and give councils the cash to fix the roads.
When he responds, I am sure he will try to pass the buck and blame Scottish Borders Council. But local people are fed up with him deflecting responsibility and making absurd excuses that don't stand up to scrutiny.
The Borders is not alone in this situation. Councils across Scotland can’t fund essential services and fix the roads because the SNP Government keeps cutting their funding. In December, the local authority umbrella group, COSLA, said the budget would mean “cuts in every community in Scotland” and it "will leave council services at breaking point".
Enough is enough. Good local roads are vital for people’s everyday lives, so they can visit family, get to work, and run their businesses.
Humza Yousaf must stop wasting taxpayers’ money on endless independence papers and, instead, give the money to councils so they can repair potholes and sort the problems on our streets.
It’s time the SNP properly funded councils and fixed the roads.
