Labour councillors in Aberdeen have been warned that plans to upgrade a notorious roundabout could be in jeopardy if their party wins the next Holyrood election in 2016.
Officials have said in a finance committee report there is “no formal, legally-binding” agreement in place to state that the Scottish Government would pay all costs for the Haudagain roundabout improvement works.
Councillors have been informed the risk to the project is significant because “political change may occur through elections prior to construction of the road”.
The findings last night prompted the city SNP group to urge the Labour party nationally to sign a binding deal to carry out the improvements if it wins the 2016 election.
SNP councillor Graham Dickson said the current SNP Government was unable to enter into a pact with the council because the tender process would not begin for several years.
The roundabout works and a wider regeneration project for Middlefield will affect 325 households.
The government is expected to compensate the council and owner-occupiers for the demolition of 140 homes.
SNP ministers have rejected council calls to bring forward the work timetable and say it will begin after the Aberdeen bypass is opened in 2018.
Mr Dickson said: “This report makes it very clear that there is a significant risk to the Haudagain roundabout if a Labour government was to come into power in Holyrood at 2016. SNP ministers have given assurances to proceed and we need firm written statements of intent now and take the significant risk of them abandoning the project away from the council.”
Council finance convener Willie Young acknowledged the warnings but said he did not accept the SNP councillor’s assessment.
He argued that the report strengthened the case for the existing transport minister, Keith Brown, to sign a contract.
Mr Young said: “If the contract was legally binding then no council and government administration, regardless of colour, would be able to get out of doing the work.
“That is what Labour did with the bypass in 2003 – we agreed to pay 9.5% of the costs and we have stuck to it.”
The issue will be discussed by the finance and resources committee on Thursday.