Motion
Protecting and Restoring Scotland's Rural Bridges
S7M-00287 · Standard Motion · lodged by Chou Turvey, Yi-pei
Lodged on
05 Jun 2026Heard / answered on
UnknownThat the Parliament recognises that bridges play an essential role in allowing communities to thrive throughout rural Scotland, including many in the North East region; notes that bridges support local economies and provide access to work, education, healthcare and emergency services to tens of thousands of people living in rural communities; highlights the disproportionate impact of bridge maintenance costs on rural councils; believes that the Scottish Government’s decision not to renew the Local Bridges Maintenance Fund in 2023 has placed additional pressure on rural councils to fund bridge maintenance; considers that this decision has effectively forced councils to prioritise maintenance of lifeline routes over restoring full capacity, which, it believes, has led to the managed decline of the rural road network; recognises the particular impact that bridge closures can have on rural areas and the communities that use them, including villages such as Birse, Birsemore and Aboyne, whose residents have faced more than two years of isolation from vital social and statutory services, and recognises what it sees as the need to protect and restore Scotland's rural bridges.
Backed by
Supported by 8 additional MSPs
Green 2
Con 2
Lab 1
SNP 1
LD 1
Reform 1
Lodged by
Chou Turvey, Yi-pei
(Scottish Liberal Democrats).
- Sweeney, Paul (Lab)
- Black, Dawn (SNP)
- Baxter, Andrew (LD)
- Smith, David (Reform)
- Burgess, Ariane (Green)
- Eagle, Tim (Con)
- Burnett, Alexander (Con)
- Moodie, Laura (Green)
No division on record.
Either the chamber agreed this motion without a vote, it was withdrawn before debate, or it predates 2011 — vote-by-vote records only run from then.
Amendments and how the chamber decided
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S7M-00287Selected item05 Jun 2026 · Standard Motion · Chou Turvey, Yi-peiThat the Parliament recognises that bridges play an essential role in allowing communities to thrive throughout rural Scotland, including many in the North East region; notes that bridges support local economies and provide access to work, education, healthcare and emergency services to tens of thousands of people living in rural communities; highlights t...