Residents blasted the council’s infrastructure boss last week for a ‘sham’ public consultation and a ‘stabs in the dark’ approach to budgeting for Hereford’s proposed Southern Link Road.
City resident Kate Sharp asked Herefordshire Council’s cabinet member Philip Price for assurances regarding the South Wye Transport Package which has been reforecast to cost £29.73m.
She said there was now just £5 million left for active transport measures in South Wye – not £8million as was previously promised.
She said coun Price assured her by email on December 1, 2016 that ‘£8 million is and has been in the council budget and will fund the active travel as described as part of the recent public consultation’.
“Further, at cabinet on November 16, 2017, coun Price confirmed in answer to my public question; ‘the budget for the active travel is £8 million and will be used for that purpose’,” she said.
“What assurances can coun Price honestly give about this issue?
“Bearing in mind the 2016 public consultation can now be revealed as a sham and his track record on budgets seems to be rooted in empty promises and ‘stabs in the dark’?”
However coun Price refuted her claims that the consultation had been a sham.
“In all the responses I have given to date about this matter I have always given assurance that the South Wye Transport Package active travel measures would be funded, and funding for this package would not be spent elsewhere,” he said.
“This commitment has not changed, and I will be confirming soon the preferred package of schemes to be included in the SWTP business case to be submitted to Department for Transport later this year.
“The 2016 public consultation was far from being a sham.
“The feedback gained by this consultation was very positive, gives a clear mandate for delivery of the improvements in the South Wye area, and will continue to inform our decision-making.
“In my responses that you refer to in your question, the figure of £8m for active travel measures I referenced was based on my understanding at that time of the estimated active travel measure costs.”
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