Moray MP Douglas Ross has expressed his “disappointment” that the local authority have still been unable to find the money required to re-open Cloddach Bridge.
His call comes after councillors on Moray Council delayed making a final decision on re-opening the bridge to traffic at a meeting on Tuesday in order to explore trying to find funds from other sources.
Douglas says that he is “fully committed” to doing likewise and has looked into ways in which the UK Government could potentially deliver the funding that would be required to safely re-open the bridge, a year after it was closed due to safety concerns.
He says that the ongoing closure is “hugely frustrating” for local residents and businesses and is having a “damaging” knock-on effect for the local economy.
Douglas added that while it is important that the bridge is only re-opened when it is safe to do so, the fact that Moray Council do not have funding available for important local projects like this, is the fault of years of savage cuts to local authority budgets by the SNP-Green government.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said: “I know the council’s latest decision regarding Cloddach Bridge will have been met with great frustration by local residents and businesses, and I share their disappointment.
“With the bridge being closed now for over a year, I am keen to find a solution as quickly as possible. Like the council I am fully committed to exploring other funding avenues to deliver the resources required to re-open Cloddach Bridge.
“That includes looking at UK Government funding sources which can be diverted towards local authorities for infrastructure projects like this and I will be continuing to look to see if that is a possibility.
“The on-going closure is hugely frustrating and is having a damaging effect on the local economy and our communities on a daily basis.
“The reality for Moray Council is that they’ve been hit with savage cuts year after year from the SNP-Green government which has hammered the budget they have at their disposal.
“That means they simply cannot commit to vital infrastructure projects like the Cloddach Bridge. It is time for the SNP-Green government to finally give our local authorities a fair funding deal to benefit local communities.”