Quote:
Originally Posted by katex
The revenue funding stream is used for programmed
maintenance, renewal, compensation claims and other necessary works.
What I suspect might have happened in this case is that Lancs had the
footway highlighted for periodic renewal/maintenance improvements under
the revenue budget. Concurrently, the proposals for the Brittania
roundabout were being brought forward and delivered under the capital
budget. Given the uncertainty about delivering capital schemes (they
have to be approved by county council members), Lancs probably decided
to press ahead with the revenue stream funded maintenance of the footway anyway.
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The path was done only a few weeks before the roundabout work started. It must take a few weeks from the approval of the roundabout to be built and the work actually starting. Just bad planning and departments wasting our money by not communicating with each other.
Quote:
Originally Posted by katex
Another potential reason this situation happened might be due to the timing. It is interesting that the footway improvements have been delivered towards 'year-end' for councils (end of March). This is when their funding gets reviewed and set for the following year - if the councils don't spend their full allocation from the previous year, they will receive a lesser amount the following year... maybe Lancs just needed to spend the money (I know that sounds terrible but it would be equally bad press to receive less funding because Lancs couldn't
identify schemes to spend the money on).
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The work was done months ago, no where near year end. The roundabout was started at the end of November 2008 and all they have done is move a wall ( ok it is a longish wall) and dug out the ground works. The path was done a few weeks before November 2008.
Quote:
Originally Posted by katex
I agree that there should have been a greater degree of joined-up thinking here but sometimes it's not all down to incompetence or oversight, it's that the council officers have to work within the system (no matter what inefficiencies that breeds). The funny thing about the news article is that Britcliffe will know all this, he must have some understanding of how local authority funding streams work (at least, as your elected official, I would hope he does!!!). "
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I think it is terrible that the person who signed off the work on the footpaths was not aware that the roundabout planning was close to completion. There are many more roads and paths in Ossy that are desperate for renewing. Just look at Lottice Lane, the road from Britannia Cross Roads to Guide. The surface is non existent, most of it has been thrown onto the footpath. If you travel that way the road noise is horrendous. Only when you stop at the current road works traffic lights do you notice that most of the surface has become detached from the road and ended up as stones on the foot path. I would hate to see what happened to a biker that fell off on that road.
When it comes down to it there is no excuse for building a footpath then digging it up weeks later. Someone has been incompetant and should get the boot. The plans for this roundabout were shown at the Area Council meeting at least 3 years ago. I am sure no one involved in road planning/design in this area could say they did not know about it.
A freedom on information request on who sanctioned both the footpath and the roundabout works would be interesting. I would not be surprised if the same name was on both.