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Scottish Budget 2024-25

(15 posts)
  • Started 11 months ago by Morningsider
  • Latest reply from Dave

  1. Morningsider
    Member

    The headline figure for active travel looks good at £220 million. However, drilling down into the figures shows that capital investment increases by just 4.7% (rising from £152.9m to £160.016m). There is a 190.7% increase in revenue support (£12.383m to £36m), although there is a 38.4% reduction in a smaller revenue budget line (£7.3m to £4.5m) that sees the end of the smarter choices, smarter places scheme.

    My concern is that active travel revenue spending was cut mid-year in 2023-24. I think the revenue budget may have been massively hiked for 2024-25 to produce a good headline figure, but with a view to cutting it mid-year. I genuinely can't see how revenue spending could be ramped up to this level.

    I could be wrong, but worth keeping an eye on this.

    Posted 11 months ago #

  2. Morningsider
    Member

    Interesting other snippet - the budget includes £47 million for emergency works to the M8 Woodside viaduct. That is "prior to permanent structural repairs and refurbishment."

    That's 30% of the annual active travel capital budget on propping up one motorway bridge.

    Posted 11 months ago #

  3. Morningsider
    Member

    ...and then there's the commitment in the Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party Draft Shared Policy Programme (the Bute House agreement), that states:

    increase the proportion of Transport Scotland’s budget spent on Active Travel initiatives so that by 2024-25 at least £320m or 10% of the total transport budget will be allocated to active travel.

    That means the active travel budget is £100 million short of what was promised.

    Posted 11 months ago #

  4. Morningsider
    Member

    10% of the transport budget for 2024-25 would be £387.37 million.

    Posted 11 months ago #

  5. Yodhrin
    Member

    Are they seriously arguing that because there's a crappy little shared use path crossing under it, they can use the active travel funding pot to repair a giant <rule2> motorway junction? What an absolute joke.

    Posted 11 months ago #

  6. Arellcat
    Moderator

    My reading of Morningsider's comment was that it was a comparison to illustrate magnitude, rather than implying any direct use of the active travel budget for highway projects.

    Posted 11 months ago #

  7. chdot
    Admin

    https://www.cosla.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0030/46875/COSLA-Budget-Reality-19-Dec-2023.pdf

    Posted 11 months ago #

  8. Morningsider
    Member

    @Yodhrin - apologies for being unclear. Arellcat is correct.

    Posted 11 months ago #

  9. chdot
    Admin

    http://www.spokes.org.uk/2023/12/scotgov-budget-24-25-not-what-transport-needs/

    Posted 11 months ago #

  10. chdot
    Admin

    “

    #ScotBudget

    We have updated our article

    http://www.spokes.org.uk/2023/12/scotgov-budget-24-25-not-what-transport-needs/

    to speculate about where the £30m increase in #activetravel cash comes from

    “

    https://twitter.com/spokeslothian/status/1737551815632126320

    Posted 11 months ago #

  11. Tulyar
    Member

    I have some extensive historical pictures of the steady decay of M8 structures in Glasgow

    The rush to build 50 years ago left some serious legacy problems, not helped by the 0.5m collapse of Phoenix Road (beneath the Woodside Viaduct) as the Pinkston Burn (last on any maps above ground in 1852) has leached away the supporting clay &c - it still floods through Glasgow Subway (since 1896)

    The M8 is practically deserted from 00.00 to 05.00 & hardly busy except at peak times, or when events at Ibrox/SEC attract inefficient use of cars because they were not built to connect with public transport

    Posted 10 months ago #

  12. chdot
    Admin

    “

    The Scottish Budget process draws to a close this afternoon, and it’s a real mixed bag for sustainable transport.

    Active travel investment up, but commitments missed

    The one clear positive is that the budget for active travel continues to rise significantly.

    “

    https://transform.scot/2024/02/27/scottish-budget-2024-5/

    Posted 9 months ago #

  13. Morningsider
    Member

    Biggest in-year cut to the Scottish Government 2024-25 budget is a reduction of £23.7 million for active and sustainable travel. This is the only cut in the transport budget.

    Posted 2 months ago #

  14. neddie
    Member

    Is this because they haven't been able to spend it, or are unlikely to?

    Active travel infra so bogged down in NIMBYism and shouty drivers, they can't get anything done???

    Posted 2 months ago #

  15. Dave
    Member

    Since each year's budget is hugely underspent, is this a material change?

    Posted 2 months ago #

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