Barnsley Council: Councillor asks where £90,000 road safety scheme cash has been spent

Councillor Steve Hunt, Liberal Democrat representative for the Darton East ward, submitted a petition in October signed by 239 residents calling for traffic calming measures on Paddock Road, Staincross.

Coun Hunt says the quiet, residential road is being used as a ‘rat run’ for drivers to avoid the turnpike crossroad.

However, Coun Hunt only saw that the petition was recommended for refusal after checking the cabinet agenda for today’s meeting – before receiving a letter late last week to inform him of any progress.

Coun Hunt said that none of the three bids he submitted for part of a £90,000 road safety grant were accepted, leading him to question where the cash had been allocated.

Barnsley Council announced a one-off pot of £90,000 for road safety schemes in February.

Councillors could bid for cash for road safety schemes in their area, but Coun Hunt says there hasn’t yet been an announcement to say what the money will be spent on.

“I requested that how this £90,000 pounds was going to be spent was was made public for transparency.

“A number of months later and it’s still not being made public and it seems to be shrouded in secrecy.”

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Councillor Chris Lamb, cabinet spokesperson for environment and transport, said: “The suggested schemes have been assessed and the remedial work is currently being designed. Delivery of the schemes will begin in the New Year.

“The funding has been awarded to address concerns that local councillors have over road safety at locations which are in addition to our list of priority sites for accident remedial works. All of the suggestions were assessed against a range of criteria including environmental, safety and travel choices.

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“We are committed to delivering the schemes, weather permitting, by the end of the financial year. Due to this being a member lead scheme, we will ensure members are updated before Christmas with the proposals and final designs for each location.

“We’re dedicated to making our roads safer for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, and review the whole of our road network annually.”