A96 Investigation part three: 'No funding' for ANY A96 Corridor Review project, including Elgin and Keith bypasses, before 2026 as Moray voters may not see plans before General Election
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NO money is available for any A96 dualling sections which survive the ongoing, year-late, review of the project, we can reveal.
The Scottish Government has no cash set aside before 2026 for anything within the A96 Corridor Review – according to an internal briefing note released through Freedom of Information rules.
Elgin and Keith bypasses, promised as part of the coalition deal, are understood to be subject to the review process.
The new funding details mean that, despite Mr Yousaf offering a "cast-iron" commitment on the Moray schemes during a visit last summer, no funding will be available before 2026 at the earliest.
And we can reveal new details of the review's original timeline – which cast doubt on whether the final report will be published before this year's General Election.
Responding to this article, a Transport Scotland spokesperson said the Scottish Government is "fully committed to improving the A96", and blamed the year of delays on "11,000 options" for the road's future being considered.
She added that draft outcomes will be published soon and "consulted on in the coming months, before a final decision can be reached."
The A96 Investigation so far
Last week, the second part of our investigation showed that less than 0.5 per cent of the price tag to dual the A96 was dedicated to the project between 2021 and 2026.
And Michael Matheson MSP, then transport secretary, signed off on the removal of funding details from a government policy document.
This followed the first part of our investigation, which revealed that Mr Matheson also agreed to drop the 2011 pledge to dual the A96 by 2030 from reports – more than three years ago.
In statements since that date, the Scottish Government has refused to confirm whether or not that deadline will be met.
Asked during a visit to Moray earlier this month, First Minister Humza Yousaf denied the pledge had been scrapped three years ago and the public not told, but again failed to confirm the deadline’s current status.
No funding for A96 review projects
On April 14, 2023, a briefing note was sent to Màiri McAllan MSP then-Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition.
This confirmed that: "no funding has been allocated in the Capital Spending Review (CSR) refresh to take forward any wider improvements on the A96 which may come from the A96 Corridor Review."
It adds: "Progress on our major road projects will be subject to the outcome of the current spending reviews (both capital and resource).
"As budgets are extremely constrained, difficult choices may have to be made by Ministers in terms of progressing with (or prioritising) projects currently in development."
The Scottish Government's 2024 Budget, which passed its final vote this week, allocated £133 million to road improvements.
However, the only projects specifically mentioned within that budget are A9 dualling and A83 improvements.
There is no evidence of any cash being provided for A96 Corridor Review projects, including the bypass schemes.
This comes during a period in which capital projects across Scotland have stalled, including at Dr Gray’s Hospital.
Preparing for review delay in February 2022
The original timescales for completing the A96 Corridor Review were included in an internal briefing dated January 18, 2022.
These timings confirm that the review was expected to be published by the end of 2022.
But, the next month (February 23), a briefing sent to new transport minister Jenny Gilruth appears to have already been preparing the ground for delays to the review.
The internal document said the end-of-year deadline, set out in the Bute House Agreement, was: "flexible at this stage".
It argues that STPR2, the basis for the review: “does not set out how much of that process would be reported by the end of 2022”.
And, it adds: “neither the Bute House Agreement or STPR2 commits to a formal decision making process leaving the choice of timing around decisions on next steps flexible at this stage.”
Just how late is the A96 Corridor Review?
The January 18 briefing sets out the five stages of the A96 Corridor Review, which also requires a Climate Compatibility Assessment (CCA).
The first stage, setting out the basis of the review, was published to schedule in January 2022.
However, the second stage, the Initial Appraisal: Case for Change was scheduled for Spring 2022 - but released in December 2022.
The remaining three sections and the CCA are nowhere to be seen more than a year after the first deadline.
Visiting Moray in February, First Minister Humza Yousaf claimed that the A96 Corridor Review was "due very very soon indeed in terms of climate compatibility".
However, no mention was made of when any other stage would be published.
The 2022 timetable predicted a six-month gap (from Summer 2022 to end of 2022) between the release of the next unreleased part, the Preliminary Options Appraisal, and the final review’s publication.
Therefore, even if the Preliminary Options Appraisal is published imminently alongside the CCA, the finished review appears unlikely to be published before September.
As a result, this would make the A96 Corridor Review one year and eight months late compared to the Scottish Government’s own initial timetable – with no funding in sight for a further year and four months.
Will the electorate see A96 review before voting?
Rumours of a potential General Election in May, October or November have been reported.
The latest possible date is January 25, 2025, should parliament be dissolved on December 17.
Election rules prevent governments from releasing major policy documents likely to influence voters during the 25 working days before the vote.
As mentioned above, pre-delay timetables appear to show that full review publication is unlikely before September 2024 at the earliest.
An October, or earlier, poll would therefore mean the A96 Corridor Review would not be published before the election.
But just three more months of delay would stop the Moray electorate knowing the fate of A96 dualling plans before voting – even in a last-minute election.
Scottish Government responds
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “As we have made clear on a number of occasions, including through our Programme for Government, the Scottish Government is committed to improving the A96.
"The current plan is to fully dual the route and, as part of this process, we are undertaking a transparent, evidence-based review of the programme, which includes a Climate Compatibility Assessment and other statutory assessments.
“The significant interest in the review’s initial consultation, with nearly 4600 responses, generated 11,000 options to improve the corridor and it’s only right that appropriate time has been taken to examine and fully appraise these.
"It is expected that the draft outcomes from the Review, which includes the Climate Compatibility Assessment and Transport Appraisal reports will be consulted on in the coming months, before a final decision can be reached.
“The evidence-led transport appraisal that supports the A96 Review, along with the feedback from stakeholders will assist in planning how transport improvements along the corridor are prioritised and the review’s outcomes will inform our timescales going forward.
“At the same time preparation work continues on the dualling of the Inverness to Nairn section, including the Nairn bypass, which already has Ministerial consent following a public local inquiry.
"We are continuing to progress the significant and intensive work required to prepare for publication of Made Orders, including the Compulsory Purchase Order, with a view to completing the statutory process as soon as possible.
"Delivery of the scheme can only commence if approved under the relevant statutory authorisation process and thereafter a timetable for progress can be set in line with available budgets.”
