South Scotland MSP Brian Whittle has criticised Transport Secretary Michael Matheson after he refused to attend a summit about roads in the South West and suggested he would consider no commitments in South West for years.
The Transport Secretary was invited by members of the A77 and A75 Action Groups to attend a conference in the South West, but repeatedly turned the invitation down, despite organisers offering to change the date of the event. Now, in a letter to the group, his office suggests the Transport Secretary won’t make any visits to the area until STPR2, a major national study, that’s not likely to be completed before 2020 at the earliest.
In response, Brian has written to the Transport Secretary’s office demanding a clarification and encouraging him to change his mind about coming to the conference.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“I cannot believe that the Cabinet Secretary is seriously saying that he will not undertake any public commitments in the South West until after STPR2 is complete. If that is the case then he’s proved, once and for all, that in the eyes of the Scottish Government, the South West can be ignored.
This summit by the A77 and A75 campaign groups is an ideal opportunity for the Cabinet Secretary to hear from communities and businesses in the South West about just how vital investment is. I’m disappointed that he has again refused to attend, only offering to send a couple of civil servants in his place.
The public will draw their own conclusions about Mr Matheson’s reasons for not attending. Personally, I think he’s running scared of having to face the South West’s frustrated road users.”
