Perth and Kinross Council has reported a huge £21.8 million underspend on roads repairs, The Courier can reveal.
Over the last seven years, the authority has consistently been left with spare cash in its infrastructure budget despite paying out more than £80,000 in compensation for damage caused by poorly-maintained roads.
Councillor Peter Barrett hit out at the spending gap and accused the local authority of “wasting money”.
He said: “In the last three years, the SNP administration has underspent its roads repairs budget by almost £8m.
“In two of the last three years, the council only managed to spend three-quarters of its roads repair budget.
“At a time when resources are scarce, every pound spent on paying motorists’ damage claims as a result of inadequately maintained roads and serious defects is a pound wasted, which could have been better invested in improving the condition of our roads.”
The council has also been accused of “playing fast and loose” with taxpayers’ money by furious motorists who have been left counting the cost.
David Gibson became embroiled in a two-year battle with Perth and Kinross Council after his partner’s car was written off when it hit a huge pothole.
He said: “We pay council tax so roads can be fixed. The council has it made because they underspend on maintenance and knock back any claim for compensation it’s a scam.”
Perth and Kinross Council failed to comment.
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