Hansard

I thank Tim Eagle for securing the debate.

Across Scotland, many bridges are in need of urgent investment, and we have heard about a number of them today. One of the most pressing cases in the areas that I represent concerns the project by the charity A Tale of Two Bridges in Annan, in Dumfriesshire. During a storm in October 2021, ferocious currents and rising flood waters swept away the Diamond Jubilee and Cuthbertson memorial bridges. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency recorded water levels on the River Annan as being at a 50-year high. Those iconic and well-used crossings to the west and north of the royal burgh of Annan, which were loved locally, were lost to the elements.

The Diamond Jubilee bridge was built in 1897 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne. The Cuthbertson memorial bridge dated back to 1957, when it was built to commemorate Lieutenant William Cuthbertson, but it was also dedicated to everyone from Annan who lost their lives in world war two. Those were not just local landmarks that showcased the beauty of the River Annan; they were used by walkers on the popular Annandale way route. After the bridges were swept away, the community quite rightly came to the view that everything that could be done to replace them should be done.

In 2023, the charity A Tale of Two Bridges was formed with the mission of using citizenship and community development to reconstruct the vital bridges. I have recently been in discussion with Stuart Thompson, a dedicated local volunteer who has been spearheading those efforts. I commend him and the charity for their efforts to raise the funds to scope out the replacement plan and bring forward a feasibility study, which I understand is now potentially in place.

Stuart and the team are liaising with Dumfries and Galloway Council and other public bodies, and they need cross-party support from elected representatives to drive the project forward because, as always, funding and technical and legal matters are impeding progress. For example, there is the question of who would take responsibility for the physical assets if and when the bridges are constructed, in an era in which councils and other public bodies are reluctant to add to their asset portfolio due to rising maintenance costs.

In recent weeks, the Scottish Government and the local SNP council have committed nearly £70 million to an expensive, unpopular and potentially ineffective flood defence scheme in Whitesands on the River Nith in Dumfries. Some of that money and some of the political capital that has been invested in that scheme could have been put into making the reconstruction of Annan’s two bridges a reality.

However, sadly, the money is proving elusive so far, as is the political will at the Scottish Government level. John Swinney visited Annan after the bridges were washed away, and, although he described the loss of the bridges as a significant blow to the community, little progress has been made by the Government. I echo the calls from colleagues for a specific bridge fund, because there are many such cases around Scotland.

Five years on, the community appears to be at a loss as to how to proceed. There is a potential solution, which my colleague David Mundell raised at Westminster last week. He urged the Secretary of State for Scotland to use unallocated funds in the Borderlands growth deal to progress the project, and he has met Scotland Office ministers this week to drive that forward. As he said, the important thing is to get the money out of the door. Given that several projects that were initially identified for Borderlands funding are now not proceeding, replacing the bridges in Annan could be a practical and sensible use of those funds.

I will close with an appeal to the Scottish Government. The loss of the bridges is a loss to the people of Annan and to the heritage of Dumfriesshire and the south of Scotland region. I hope that the Scottish and UK Governments can now work together at pace to identify the money that is necessary to restore those vital landmarks, not only for the people of Annan but for the wider region. I encourage both Governments to engage with A Tale of Two Bridges to make that a reality, as the bridges provide a lifeline for many.