Road budget short of £4m as OIC struggles to maintain network

The deteriorating condition of Orkney roads is set to lead to a spike in insurance claims against the local authority, it has been claimed.

The prediction was made as Orkney Islands Councillors on Tuesday heard of rising “uproar” among the public about the rutted and potholed surfaces of some routes.

Speaking at the enterprise and infrastructure committee, OIC convener Councillor Graham Bevan suggested the unclassified Rackwick road on Hoy is so neglected that it is in danger of becoming a ‘non-road’. 

OIC has ploughed in an extra £1.5 million to the capital roads repairs budgets in each of the next three financial years.

But despite the extra cash, the authority is fighting a losing battle in terms of maintaining the current state of Orkney’s roads. 

The budget for the coming financial year to carry out reconstruction and resurfacing work is £1.13 million.

That compares to the £5.12m officials reckon it would take just to stand still.

Matthew Wylie, team manager roads support, raised red flags in his report to the committee.

He said significant deterioration should be expected in the county’s roads network over the next 12 months.

Discussing the risks, he said an increased in claims for damages to vehicles can be expected.

Mr Wylie added: “The longer the budget remains under steady state, the more expensive it will be to bring the network back to a serviceable condition. 

“As more defects are left outstanding on the network, there is the potential for more incidents.”

Head of neighbourhood services Lorna Richardson said that insurers would fight a claim if it could be shown OIC is managing its road management and maintenance plan.

But she added: “As I think is clear from this paper, we are rapidly, if not already, approaching a position where we are not able to comply with the requirements of the plan.

“As a result the number of road incidents will go up but also the number of incidents where the insurers will pay out a claim against us will increase”

Councillor Leslie Manson questioned how Orkney’s roads compare to other parts of Scotland.

Mr Wylie replied that historically, it has been placed either first or second.

But he added: “We’ve slipped down the table a bit and it’s expected we will drop considerably more in the following years.”

Councillor Manson said the state of the county’s roads is towards the top of the list of public gripes.

He said: “I could be mistaken but it seems that there’s a wee bit more of an uproar in public opinion that our roads are starting to deteriorate. It’s something you hear in the street.”

Councillor Rachael King agreed it is causing a lot of disquiet in the community.

“The state of the roads comes out at every single meeting of community councils we attend.

“The community is struggling with this and I don’t think there is a level of understanding of the challenges that we face.”

“But it’s very difficult to defend the council’s position when the strength of feeling is so profound.” 

Councillor Lindsay Hall said carrying out work when roads start to fail can save a much more expensive repair down the line.

Committee vice chairwoman Councillor Mellissa Thomson found the report “a scary read.”

She was concerned that none of the roads on the isles are in line to have reconstruction or surface dressing work over the next three years.

Councillor Bevan said the Rackwick road is in the worst state he has seen in his lifetime.

It is, he said, is an important route for locals as well as tourists heading for the Old Man of Hoy and local beaches.

He wryly observed: “I’d hate to think we’d be applying for an archaeological dig to improve the road to Rackwick in years to come.”

He added: “The road is in danger of becoming a non-road if we’re not careful.”