Scotland’s roads ‘left to rot’ with sharp fall in spending

Campaigners have accused ministers of leaving Scottish roads “to rot” after research showed that spending had declined dramatically in six years.

The drop has coincided with the electoral pacts between SNP governments and the Scottish Greens. Opposition parties have called for the first minister Humza Yousaf’s administration to sever ties with the “anti-car” party after it was shown that spending on major routes had dropped from £502 million in 2016-17 to £26 million in 2022-23.

Motoring organisations said that trunk roads were “critical infrastructure” requiring constant funding for safety improvements.

The figures on spending on the A-road trunk routes were disclosed after a freedom of information request from the Scottish Conservatives.

The SNP-Green alliance has been criticised for presiding over significant delays in projects such