PROJECTS in Barrhead, Neilston and Uplawmoor came out on top in a public vote to decide which roads in East Renfrewshire should be resurfaced.

A total of eight roads have shared a £600,000 funding pot after council chiefs asked residents to choose which areas were most in need of attention.

Among the routes selected was Commercial Road, in Barrhead, along with Kirktonfield Road, in Neilston.

Berryhill Drive and Belmont Drive, both in Giffnock, also gathered enough votes, as did Corrour Road and Hazelwood Avenue, both in Newton Mearns.

Bonnyton Drive, in Eaglesham, and Craighlaw Avenue, in Waterfoot, complete the list.

Councillor Alan Lafferty, East Renfrewshire’s environment convener, said: “Whilst our experienced roads team manage our roads maintenance on an annual basis, as is the case with councils across Scotland, the number of roads and pavements requiring repair far outstrips the resources available to carry out the necessary works.

“This additional spend for the 2016/17 budget has made a real difference – allowing the repair of roads and pavements which we otherwise may not have had the budget to tackle.

“Roads maintenance remains a priority for the council. As part of our recent budget setting process, our annual £4million roads maintenance budget has been protected and an additional £10.7m has been identified for road improvement infrastructure projects over the next eight years.”

This method of community decision making is known as Participatory Budgeting (PB) and is a key part of the council’s commitment to the Community Empowerment Act.

Councillor Colm Merrick, community services and community safety convener, said: “I’m delighted that residents across East Renfrewshire were given a voice in prioritising within one of the service areas that we know is very important to them.

“In addition to carrying out repairs, this has been a good learning experience for the future of participatory budgeting in East Renfrewshire as we continue to establishengaging and innovative ways to create community choices in relation to how some budgets are spent.”