Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:-
“Through Assembly Questions I have established that in Northern Division the Infrastructure Minster has halved the road maintenance budget for this year, 2022/23, while increasing the active travel budget for cycle path expenditure.
“The road maintenance budget last year in Northern Division (2021/22) was £30m, but this year the minister has only allocated £15m (see here and here). At the same time he has, however, increased the cycle path budget by over 17%, with a staggering £1.9m being spent on providing a cycle path on the Coleraine Ring Road! (see here).
“With our continuing pothole crisis and the unacceptable state of many of our roads, to me this is a minister with the wrong priorities. Why is the road maintenance budget being reduced but the luxury of cycle lanes being prioritised?
“If this is how devolved ministers mis-prioritise spending, then, little wonder some of us question the value of a £50m pa Stormont.”