The Executive Member for
Environment submitted a report for Executive consideration.
The purpose of the report
was to gain approval to allocate funding to develop and deliver transport and
infrastructure improvements as detailed within the report.
Middlesbrough Council
received Local Transport Plan funding from the Department for Transport, via
Tees Valley Combined Authority, to undertake maintenance and improvement works
on the Councils transport network.
The current Council
approved LTP allocation for 2024/25 is £1.377m, specified against Incentive
Funding (new works) and £2.638m for Highways Maintenance. Appendix 2 detailed
the planned works totalling £4.015m.
It was proposed that the
Council approve the expenditure of the Local Transport Plan allocation for
2024/25, as outlined in Appendix 2. This would provide the Council time to
identify the most prudent method of delivering a longer-term programme; ensuring
that best value for money was achieved.
The projects within the
proposed programme had been identified from the Council’s “Future Year scheme”
list. This was a compiled table of all known requirements and suggestions
received, which were matrix ranked for their suitability against a set criterion,
forming a priority basis. However, this was also conditional upon external
funding criteria, eligible uses, statutory obligations, and other implications.
The maintenance schemes
were based on asset condition rating systems and allocation of resources work
to address a “worst first” is used. This was rationalised based on public
safety and asset longevity priorities (such as ensuring that structures were safe).
This ensured that the Council was sequentially addressing the areas of the
network in most need of resolving.
The Council also received
specific allocations through competitive grant programmes and awards that were
to deliver prescribed pieces of work, depending upon national / regional
criteria. Any awards for such projects by-passed the matrix scoring criteria
(although this may be used to identify the most suitable candidates) and could
be awarded / was accessible throughout the financial year. The proposals within
the report included all known awarded allocations at time of approval but could
be subject to change.
If required, approvals
would be sought through the formal decision-making process. A map of the scheme
locations was contained in Appendix 1. The full funding allocations used to
identify the projects / programmes was contained in Appendix 2.
Following a discussion
about recommendation three in the report, it was agreed the words “and
virements” be removed from that recommendation.
Decision type: Key
Reason Key: Both (expenditure > £250,000 and affects 2 or more wards);
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Wards affected: Acklam; Coulby Newham; Hemlington; Marton East; Park; Stainton and Thornton;
Notice of proposed decision first published: 11/03/2024
Anticipated restriction: Public -
Decision due: 10 Apr 2024 by Executive
Lead member: 6) Executive Member for Environment and Sustainability
Lead director: Director of Environment and Community Services
Contact: Craig Cowley Email: craig_cowley@middlesbrough.gov.uk.