News release from Bristol City Council Revised budget proposals mean potential boost for local transport improvements Half a million pounds could be put towards local improvements to roads and transport throughout Bristol’s neighbourhoods after Bristol Mayor George Ferguson revised his budget proposals for 2015/16. The Mayor’s final proposals, which are due to be debated at his 13 January Cabinet meeting, follow widespread public consultation, during which local traffic and transport was flagged as an important issue by respondents. Now the Mayor has taken £0.5m from his original £1.6m proposal to implement the outcomes of last year’s Mayoral Commissions on fairness, housing, education & skills, and sports & leisure. Instead this money would be put to implementing local transport schemes proposed by Bristol’s Neighbourhood Partnerships, making small but important improvements such as pedestrian crossings and traffic calming measures. Following detailed discussions with Voscur, which represents the voluntary sector in the city, the Mayor has also proposed that £100k from the Mayoral Commissions fund is specifically allocated to joint work on improving Early Intervention in Bristol. This would include learning from good practice elsewhere to help people avoid situations where they need more costly or complex support. George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol said: “I’m very grateful for the strong and positive response to this year’s budget consultation and have heard loud and clear the wish for more investment in transport improvements. “The ability of Neighbourhood Partnerships to propose local transport improvements has created a large demand, and if approved this investment would help us unlock some blockages and make these improvements more quickly, clearing a backlog created by sheer demand. “With my final budget proposals I think we have a sensible, strong package of measures to keep us on a sure financial footing. We need to continue making longer-term savings in our running costs, but remain absolutely committed to doing so in a way which protects as many front-line services as is practical. “We’ve had a healthy debate so far, and I expect that will continue as Full Council meets to debate the budget in February.” More than 1,800 responses to the council’s budget consultation were received this year, with respondents generally supporting the Mayor’s proposals for spending a one-off pot of £3.9m, available because more Council Tax than expected was collected this year. The Mayor’s final draft proposals include savings required to meet the council’s three-year financial strategy, which was approved last year, following the most extensive budget consultation the city has ever seen. It includes just over £80m of savings due to government funding cuts and an increasing demand for services, and can be viewed in full at bristol.gov.uk/budget. If the Mayors final draft proposals are approved at Cabinet on 13 January, they will move forward to debate at Full Council - which is responsible for agreeing the annual budget - on 17 February. In responding to the Mayor’s plans for one-off investments in 2015/16, respondents ranked his suggestions in the following order, with most popular listed first. Mayoral Commission funding is not listed as views were only sought on how best to apply this, not the principle of spending the money. Libraries for the Future - £1m 70% agree, 11% disagree, 19% no opinion. The council is currently taking part in a city-wide consultation on shaping Libraries for the Future. This is a real opportunity for the people of the city to influence how the service moves forward to ensure it better meets the needs of Bristol’s communities. Better rail links – development of Business Case - £0.3m 69% agree, 12% disagree, 19% no opinion. With the MetroWest project underway, the ongoing development of rail links into Bristol is an important aspect of the city’s infrastructure. This proposes £300,000 funding for a feasibility study/business case for development of local rail, including the Henbury Loop. Closer joint working across the city region - £0.3m 68% agree, 11% disagree, 21% no opinion. This funding would support opportunities to join-up more council services across the wider Bristol and Bath city region, helping make more joined-up decisions across borders to ensure better value, take advantage of national funding opportunities and to make the most of local services. Bristol 2015 – European Green Capital Legacy - £0.5m 62% agree, 20% disagree, 18% no opinion. Bristol is European Green Capital for 2015. This would create a £500,000 grant programme specifically targeted at legacy projects across the city. Suggestions as to how this might be invested are welcomed. Feasibility study for further development of Colston Hall - £0.1m 61% agree, 24% disagree, 15% no opinion. £100,000 to support the Colston Hall Trust, by funding a feasibility study into the restoration and further development of the hall - focusing not just on opportunities for development, but also the ability to secure third party external funding. Bristol 800 celebrations - £0.1m 56% agree, 26% disagree, 18% no opinion. 2016 is a year of many anniversaries, including the 800th anniversary of the first Mayor of Bristol and 250 years of the Bristol Old Vic. In this year of great significance for the city, our aim will be to celebrate the anniversary over 50 weekends which will take place in all Bristol’s communities. This will be a year the whole city will own.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 00:19:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015