Tuesday April 21st 2026
Scottish Conservative and Unionist candidate for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale Keith Cockburn
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Scottish Conservative and Unionist candidate for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Keith Cockburn, has welcomed the party’s plans to introduce a National Pothole Action Fund, which aims to provide Scotland’s ‘cash-strapped councils’ with resources to properly repair local roads.
The Midlothian South candidate’s comments come after the Scottish Conservatives leader Russel Findlay outlined plans to tackle Scotland’s ‘pothole epidemic’, which Keith Cockburn described as a ‘symbol of two decades of SNP incompetence’.
Cockburn said that the Scottish Conservatives ‘common-sense’ plans would allow for kerb-to-kerb resurfacing of roads, instead of ‘relying on sticking plaster repairs’, and the purchase of equipment to ensure potholes don’t return.
He explained that in Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale the state of the roads is ‘utterly appalling and dangerous’, adding that the issues ‘exposes the SNP’s contempt for local residents’ in the constituency.
Scottish Conservative and Unionist candidate for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale Keith Cockburn said: “Scotland’s pothole epidemic is a symbol of two decades of SNP incompetence.
“The state of the local roads in Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale are utterly appalling and dangerous.
“Local motorists are left dodging craters on these pockmarked roads – because SNP ministers aren’t giving councils the money they need to fix them.
“The Scottish Conservatives would fix this crisis by introducing a bold new National Pothole Action Fund which would give councils the money to do proper kerb-to-kerb resurfacing and buy new equipment to prevent the return of potholes.
“It’s blindingly obvious that out of touch SNP ministers at Holyrood hold drivers in contempt. From their low emission zones, hiked parking fees, threat of new boundary charges, failure to fix potholes and inaction in dualling key roads.
“If I am elected, I will always stand on the side of hard-pressed motorists because having a car is a necessity, not a luxury, for many people. The war on motorists will continue if John Swinney is re-elected.”
