Rail link 'may have been sacrificed for Salmond's bypass'

Published on Tuesday 29 September 2009 22:22

A £100 million transport project in Glasgow may have been cancelled in the Scottish budget to save a cherished project in Alex Salmond's North-East backyard.

SNP ministers appear to have been asked to choose between the 100m Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) and 400m Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) to find savings.

The proposed AWPR, bypassing the granite city, has proven controversial and could have faced the axe because there are doubts over its effectiveness

Speculation about civil service budget advice has emerged after one of Mr Salmond's fellow Nationalist North-East MSPs, Maureen Watt, wrote to Labour Aberdeen Central MSP Lewis Macdonald on the issue. Her letter strongly implied that the Scottish Government had a choice of cutting GARL or the AWPR.

Ms Watt wrote: "In particular, many people are concerned that the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, a project vital to the future of the North-East of Scotland, may find itself in the firing line under (Labour's] plans (to retain GARL]."

Ms Watt shares her office staff with transport minister Stewart Stevenson, the MSP for Banff and Buchan, and it has been claimed she has "an inside track" to advice he receives from civil servants.

Her letter sparked an angry reaction from Mr Macdonald, a former transport minister.

"It is clear Maureen Watt does have an inside track to the advice that Mr Stevenson is receiving as transport minister from civil servants, and is aware of what projects have been discussed as options to cut," he said.

"I am astonished that they looked at cancelling the AWPR which is so important for the North East. I do not see why there has to be a choice between one or the other."

However, the letter has also fuelled feelings that SNP ministers are basing their decisions on where their political support is strongest.

Glasgow City Council leader Stephen Purcell has already alleged there is an "anti-Glasgow bias" in the SNP government, particularly in favour of the North-East. Yesterday he said: "I am not saying the Scottish Government should cancel the AWPR.

"What I'm saying is that when it comes to priorities, the SNP government is basing its decisions on growing the number of SNP votes rather than the Scottish economy."

A Scottish Government spokesman insisted the AWPR was always safe.

"This government is absolutely committed to delivering the AWPR on time and on budget," he said. "The AWPR is vital for the North-East economy."

He added Ms Watt was pointing out that if GARL stayed in the budget next year, something else would have to go.