Efforts to ease Bristol’s notorious transport problems are among the priority areas in Bristol City Council’s £50m spending strategy announced this week.
The council is boosting its spending by £50m on extra school places and elderly care as well as transport improvements – with business having to share less of the financial pain than originally anticipated.
The plans, under the council’s 'Investing in Bristol’s Future' strategy, include an additional £10m for the three previously-announced Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) major projects as part of Bristol’s contribution (on top of £5m already pledged). The BRT project are the Ashton Vale to Temple Meads link, North Fringe to Hengrove link and the South Bristol link.
This additional funding will reduce the amount the council had planned to raise through a business rate supplement or workplace parking levy to meet Bristol’s overall £42m contribution.
Council leader Barbara Janke said: “Bristol is recognised as one of the most economically strong and resilient cities in the country. We’ve been successful over the last year in attracting government and European funding but we cannot rely on external funding alone.
“For our city to continue to thrive we have a responsibility to invest in essential infrastructure in order to meet the challenges of being a successful city with a rising population. In doing so we will help stimulate the city’s economy by helping to drive growth and create jobs.”
Other spending priorities include:
- An extra £20m for more school places in the city.
- £6m for other urgent neighbourhood transport projects.
- £5.5m for extra care housing for the elderly. This will be available to create partnership opportunities with private providers to stimulate more extra care housing schemes. This enables the elderly to live independently for as long as possible with care available if needed. It builds on the council's successful programme of 600 extra care flats – the latest scheme will open in April.
- £500,000 of additional funding for aids and adaptations to help the elderly live independently.
- £6m for a new swimming pool at Bristol Brunel Academy in Speedwell.
- £2m for a recycling centre in Hartcliffe Way
Cllr Janke added: “There are pressing needs and we must make the necessary provision now. This is why we are proposing the Investing in Bristol’s Future package of £50m to focus primarily on funding for essential school places, much needed transport infrastructure and future extra care housing for our ageing population to ensure they can live independently."
She said the council would raise the extra capital by borrowing sensibly at historically low interest, and fund the repayments through savings in its revenue budget – £1.5m this year.
“The way the council works is changing. It is becoming much more responsive and efficient – and this is allowing us to make the modest additional savings needed to support a major capital investment programme in our city at a time when the local economy most needs it,” she said
The proposals will be discussed by the council’s Resources Scrutiny Commission on Wednesday, then Cabinet on January 26. The final proposals will then go to the full council budget meeting on February 28.
