Lack of grit and determination

By Joe Watson

Published:

RURAL Scotland clearly no longer counts as a part of the nation’s economy, judging by the state of the roads in the countryside.

The snowfall of the last three weeks has more than ably shown just how short-sighted local authorities have been in slashing winter road maintenance budgets and their ploughing and gritting fleets.

Their collective efforts at snow clearance can only be described at best as half-hearted. At worst, they are nothing short of abysmal.

That countless rural roads have yet to see a council plough, let alone a gritter, is appalling.

In many instances, it has been left to farmers – often at their own expense – to do the community-minded thing and clear roads, a task that we all allegedly pay local authorities to do through the council tax.

For years, politicians have spouted loudly and at every opportunity that rural Scotland is an important part of the economy.

The snow has, however, shown just how two-faced they really are as clearing efforts have in recent weeks been concentrated solely on undefined “priority routes”.

At the very moment rural Scotland needs to be moving and generating returns it finds itself stuck on roads that are still inches deep in snow or so deeply tracked that many vehicles cannot pass through them.

Politicians speak regularly about “social inclusion”, an expression that can be summed up in two words – meaningless waffle. I say that because if they really meant what they said then every part of Scotland would be receiving fair and equitable treatment during the current cold spell and not feel excluded, like many rural areas.

Farmers cannot get livestock off their farms as lorries are unable to get to them. Lorries carrying livestock feed are also similarly unable to get to farms.

Farmers too are facing fuel shortages as tankers cannot access rural areas.

One farmer I know recently asked Aberdeenshire Council to clear the C-class road to his farm so that customers could collect the 400 turkeys he had produced for the festive season. The response was a decisive no.

Interestingly, this would be the same local authority which has a depot nine miles away in Turriff.

A check last night found the roads to and from it to be by far the clearest of snow. Baden Powell Road, just 20 yards away from the Markethill depot, is, however, like the majority of streets in Turriff, akin to a toboggan run and reduced to just a single, icy, rutted track. That is, however, the road that is the main access to the local primary school.

Aberdeenshire, like of all Scotland’s local authorities, has clearly got its priorities for winter road clearance all wrong.

Perhaps the time has come to store all the hot air generated by windbag politicians, and their officials, and to use it in winter time to melt snow. There’s certainly been more than enough guff spouted in the last three weeks on how councils and government have coped “admirably” with the weather to make a significant impact on clearance efforts. I much prefer the plain English translation of “admirably” – aye, utter tosh.