The Council faces a difficult choice in deciding how it can best present York’s case for 3 new park and ride sites. The project was set to cost around £25.5 million with the Council finding £2.3million of the cost (9%). The largest part of the cost goes on the A59 Poppleton Bar site which also includes a much improved roundabout at theA1237 junction. This will complement the improvements recently opened at the neighbouring A19 junction.
The government has indicated that 45 schemes costing £870 million are currently bidding for a total transport budget of £600 million.
Hence individual bids are being pared down.
Later this week the York Council will have to decide whether to shelve one of the new sites to reduce both the overall costs and the proportion of the total value of the project that the DfT will have to pick up.
They’re considering using part of the £15 million “New Homes Bonus” that the City is projected to get (from the government) over the next 6 years to make the figures stack up.
Alternatively they could borrow money and repay over several years using the £250,000 a year in fares income (surplus) that the Askham Bar and Poppleton Bar services would produce between them. However the costs of borrowing £5 million are £450,000 pa (principal and interest) so this would breech the Labour leaderships “no additional debt” mantra.
Altogether a difficult set of decisions to be made on the 3 options put forward by the Strategy Cabinet member.
& his recommendation? In the published report he says go for option “X”.
Hardly the smack of decisive management.