Moray Council earmarks £1.5 million for Cloddach Bridge – but are the UK Government overriding local priorities?
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COUNCILLORS in Moray have agreed to earmark £1.5 million for a replacement to Cloddach Bridge.
UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced funding of £1.5 million for the bridge, which has been closed since early 2022, in his budget statement in March.
However, a new bridge is estimated to cost £3 million, with the UK Government's grant funding offer being subject to match funding being provided.
At a meeting of the full council on Wednesday, June 28, councillors provisionally agreed to provide the funding. However, SNP councillors called for the UK Government to pay for the full cost of the bridge.
Cllr Graham Leadbitter (SNP, Elgin City South) said that the £1.5 million would have to come at the expense of other bridges – and asked whether the UK Government is overriding Moray Council's priorities.
"Of course additional funding is welcome," he said. "But the UK Government must not get away with making announcements that come with multi-million pound strings attached that can only be covered at the expense of other projects.
“The hypocrisy of Tories demanding more money from the Scottish Government, while backing a £1.5 million cost to the council to match fund a UK Government priority is utterly breathtaking.
"If the chancellor announces funding for a bridge you don’t expect a £1.5 million bill to land on the mat. If they prioritise a project like this they need to put their money where their mouth is."
Councillor Ben Williams (Labour, Fochabers-Lhanbryde), whose patch the bridge falls into, said: “I am extremely happy that Moray Council has provisionally agreed £1.5 million in funding for Cloddach Bridge, which is a vital transportation link for many in our area.
"While we might have preferred that the UK Government would provide 100 per cent of the funding for a replacement to Cloddach Bridge, what is important is that we have taken an important step into making these repairs a reality.”
Members at the meeting also voted by 14 to 10 to spend £30,000 on producing a pre-feasibility study for the bridge.
Officers cautioned that given the low strategic significance of the bridge and limited economic benefits, there remains a risk the full business case is rejected by the UK Government. The pre-feasibility study will identify the high level benefits and costs.
Leader of Moray Council, Cllr Kathleen Robertson (Forres, Conservative), said: “With the criteria set for the potential £1.5m from the UK Government, we must ensure we give ourselves the best possible chance of being able to meet their expectations and those of the community.
"The pre-feasibility study will assist in making sure we know the absolute risk and benefits to committing to this project.
“Given the service doesn’t have the capacity to undertake this work in-house it will be outsourced to an independent contractor and I look forward to seeing the results as soon as practicably possible.”
