Cloddach Bridge gets £1.5m from UK Government
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EFFORTS to repair the Cloddach Bridge received a massive boost today.
UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced £1.5 million in new funding for the bridge, which has been closed for over a year, during his budget launch in Parliament.
Last month Moray Council delayed a decision on re-opening the bridge due to a lack of funding.
Council Leader, Councillor Kathleen Robertson (Conservative, Forres) responded to the news:
“Clearly any investment in Moray is welcome and as an authority we look forward to finding out more details from the UK Government on this particular funding for the Cloddach Bridge.
“We’ll continue to work with the community to support efforts to identify further funding for the wider project to assure reinstatement of future vehicular access.”
Moray MP Douglas Ross claimed he had directly lobbied Chancellor Jeremy Hunt ahead of the Budget.
Mr Ross said 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 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."
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.
“At the most recent meeting of the Economic Development & Infrastructure Services committee on February 7th 2023, as the Chair of the committee I made a commitment to work with all necessary partners, elected members and community groups to try and find a solution that would see the bridge reopen to vehicular traffic.
“I am grateful to our MP Douglas Ross, for standing up for rural communities in Moray and taking this issue to the Chancellor himself.”
