Signs of progress..

The state of the local roads was a huge problem this winter , given the damage done by prolonged bad weather , exacerbated by a reduction in maintenance over the past few years.

Argyll & Bute Council , it has to be admitted, has a particularly severe problem given that the area it covers is vast . In fact the total mileage of roads which the Council has to maintain would run from Lochgilphead to Kiev if laid end to end whilst at the same time the population base which supports that expenditure ( in part) is smaller than most other authorities.

None the less it has recognised that change is needed so this year’s Council budget increased resources for road repair and maintenance and those sums have been supplemented by special Scottish Government funding , in recognition of the particular difficulties the whole country faced this year.

Thus it is that all this summer I have been seeing these signs - and others like them - throughout my constituency , signifying progress being made.