Transport chiefs have privately admitted that long-awaited plans to dual the A96 between Inverness and Nairn could face the axe, we can reveal.
Memos we have obtained show how Scottish Government officials warned “difficult choices” may need be made about the project due to “extremely constrained” budgets.
The remarks have been branded another “slap in the face” for communities across the north and north-east.
The A96 dualling programme between Aberdeen and Inverness was plunged into doubt after the SNP struck a power-sharing deal with the Greens last year.
Only the Inverness to Nairn section was safeguarded by ministers as part of the agreement, as well as bypasses for Nairn, Keith, Elgin and Inverurie.
The future of the rest of the £3 billion project is to be determined by a controversial review, now under way, which will report back by the end of this year.
But documents seen by The Press And Journal suggest even the Inverness to Nairn section is at risk, including the Nairn bypass, due to a shortage of cash for major infrastructure projects.
Private memo
A briefing note prepared by officials for Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth ahead of a visit to Nairn in May revealed that funding for the work was far from guaranteed.
It said: “The ability to make orders and acquire the land necessary to deliver the scheme is subject to the outcome of the current capital spending review refresh and allocation of required funding for future years.
“As budgets across government are extremely constrained difficult choices may have to be made by ministers in terms of progressing with (or prioritising) projects currently in development, including the Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) scheme.”
Scottish ministers admitted in June that they do not have enough money to fund all their planned capital projects. It led to speculation about which schemes could be shelved or axed.
Lucy Harding, manager of Nairn’s Business Improvement District (BID), met Ms Gilruth in May to lobby for the town’s bypass to be delivered.
She said: “Nairn BID would be extremely disappointed if this project were to slip down the list of priorities and be further delayed when it is already 35 years overdue.
“It’s not just Nairn BID that would be disappointed. It’s Nairn councillors, Nairn residents and Nairn visitors.
“Thousands of people come here every year on their holidays and this road is dangerous.
“We would do everything in our power to keep the Nairn bypass in the spending plans.”
‘Slap in the face’
Edward Mountain, Scottish Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands, said the briefing note was “yet another slap in the face” to the communities who have been promised this upgrade for more than a decade.
“Progress on the A96 is happening at a snail’s pace and the SNP-Green coalition are kicking the can down the road at every possible turn,” he said.
“It’s absolutely outrageous that the Scottish Government could potentially waste millions of taxpayers money by winding back on their commitments.”
It previously emerged that £78 million has already been spent on the A96 scheme.
SNP lobbying
Documents released to us under freedom of information (FOI) laws show how several SNP politicians have been contacting their ministerial colleagues about the future of the A96 dualling scheme in recent months, including Fergus Ewing, Drew Hendry, Richard Lochhead, Emma Roddick and Jackie Dunbar.
Mr Lochhead, the Moray MSP and government minister, warned of “significant concern about the lack of progress” in a letter last December.
He was writing to transport minister Graeme Dey, who has since left the post.
He said his constituents want an update that alleviates some of this concern and indeed the narrative that the project has been cancelled or heavily scaled back”.
In January, the memos also show Mr Dey had to double-check with officials that it was “crystal clear” that the Inverness to Nairn phase would not be in the review that was to be carried out for the rest of the project, because that section had already been approved by ministers last year.
The e-mail was sent after Mr Dey had given assurances to Mr Ewing, the MSP for Inverness and Nairn, in an exchange at Holyrood.
Reacting to the latest development, Mr Ewing told us: “The delivery of our pledges on the dualling of the A9 and the A96, with the section from Smithton to Hardmuir including the Nairn bypass to be first, are essential and my top priority as constituency MSP.
“I have, along with Drew Hendry and Highland councillors, as well as local community and business organisations, lobbied the Scottish Government vigorously to make the necessary funding commitments and will continue to do so.”
‘We will not let the Highlands down’
Mr Ewing added: “I am confident that my government will not let people in the Highlands down.
“It is ‘our turn’ for major spending to be made on transport projects.”
Ms Gilruth took over as transport minister from Mr Dey in January.
In April, the memos show she approved a plan to share consultation documents relating to the A96 review with Green MSPs before they were published.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The Scottish Government remains absolutely committed to delivering improvements along the A96 corridor which improves connectivity between surrounding towns, tackles congestion and addresses safety and environmental issues.
“As part of this commitment we continue to progress preparation for the A96 Dualling Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) scheme with a view to completing the statutory process.
“Delivery of the scheme can only commence if approved under the relevant statutory procedures and thereafter a timetable for progress can be set.
“All spending as set out in the Scottish Budget 2022-23 is confirmed which includes continuing to progress the statutory authorisation process for the scheme.
“The capital spending review differs from a detailed annual budget, project and programme level commitments will be outlined during the annual Budget setting process.”
