Moray MP Douglas Ross says he is “absolutely delighted” that the Chancellor’s Budget has delivered £1.5 million in funding to help safely re-open Cloddach Bridge in his constituency.
The announcement comes after Moray Council confirmed last month that they were delaying taking a decision on re-opening the bridge- which has been closed for over a year- as they had been unable to source the funding required to do so.
Following that decision, Douglas directly lobbied Chancellor Jeremy Hunt ahead of today’s Budget to see if the UK Government could step in and provide funding assistance.
Douglas says it is “fantastic” that Jeremy Hunt has heeded the calls from himself alongside local residents who continue to be frustrated by the closure of the bridge.
He hopes with this funding from the UK Government being provided to Moray Council, that a safe re-opening of the bridge can now be accelerated to benefit local communities who rely on it.
Douglas added that the onus is now on the SNP-Green government to work closely with the local council to deliver any extra funding that is required now the UK Government have stepped up.
The news has also been welcomed by local Conservative Councillor Marc Macrae who said he knows the closure has been a “daily source of frustration” for his constituents and that they will now believe that a positive solution is on its way in the “near future”.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said: “I share the frustration that many people have at the ongoing closure of the Cloddach Bridge. This was only compounded last month when Moray Council delayed making a decision on its re-opening due to not having the funding required.
“The buck for that stops with the SNP-Green government who have passed down savage cuts to local councils year after year. Following that announcement I was determined to find a solution and that involved personally lobbying Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to see what funding the UK Government could provide for this project.
“I am absolutely delighted that the Chancellor has delivered £1.5 million worth of funding towards re-opening this bridge which provides such a crucial link for communities here in Moray. It really is fantastic news and a positive step forward to finally opening this bridge.
“While the bridge obviously will only be re-opened when it is safe to do so, the UK Government’s funding will help to accelerate that process.
"Now that the Chancellor has stepped up, the onus is on the SNP-Green government to work closely with Moray Council and play their part in delivering the further funding required to support the re-opening.
Fochabers and Lhanbryde Conservative Councillor Marc Macrae said: “This funding announcement is extremely welcome from the Chancellor. I know the closure of the Cloddach Bridge has been a daily source of frustration for my constituents and is having a damaging effect on the local economy.
“In an ideal world the SNP-Green government would have given Moray Council enough funding so that we could have delivered a solution ourselves, but they have failed to do so.
“I thank the Chancellor for stepping in and giving this significant sum of money towards re-opening the bridge after listening to calls from Douglas Ross and the local community.
“I hope that they will now have renewed hope that a positive outcome will occur in the near future.”
