Moray MP Douglas Ross has hit out at ‘damaging cuts’ which have resulted in a cut to the number of gritters available to Moray Council over the last decade.
Commenting as temperatures fell in the area in recent days, Douglas highlighted a Freedom of Information Request which reveals that the number of gritters in use in Moray has reduced by 13 per cent since 2012. In 2011-12 there were 62 gritters available, but that has now fallen to 54 this year.
He has put the blame firmly on continued cuts by the SNP Government to local authority budgets during the last decade which is impacting crucial day-to-day services in Moray.
Douglas said: “This reduction in the number of gritting vehicles in Moray is completely unacceptable. It shows the impact that damaging SNP cuts to local authorities like Moray are having on crucial day-to-day services.
“Ensuring our communities pavements and roads are properly gritted is absolutely vital at this time of year. I often hear from local people, particularly in the more remote and rural areas of Moray, that their roads remain untreated for too long. This leads to dangerous driving conditions or people simply finding it difficult to even leave their home.
“The SNP have slashed local authority budgets year after year, backed up by their Green friends. It is time for local authorities to stop bearing the brunt of SNP-Green cuts and for Scottish Conservative plans to be backed which would see a fair funding deal for councils enshrined in law.
“That would provide Moray Council with reassurances of a set budget every year to fully plan ahead and ensure services can be fully supported in the years ahead.”
