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£1m plan to fill potholes
BLACKPOOL'S Tories have laid out new spending plans to fix the town's crumbling roads.
The ruling group has rejected a bid by Labour to put 148,000 back into the budget from the town hall's 6.8m reserves to pay for repairing potholes.
But council leader Coun Peter Callow today said there was a 1m pot of cash available which could meet the cost of repairs.
And he added another 175,000 may become available later in the year from general funds currently set aside as contingencies to cover emergencies.
Coun Callow said: "I don't want any more crocodile tears about this from Labour.
"The fact is by the end of this month, there will be 1m in ward budgets and area forum funding which councillors can use on the roads in their areas.
"All this money is outstanding – just use some of it."
The Conservative leader is already looking to plough some of his own ward budget into repairing roads in Norbreck.
He said: "I also said I would look at contingency funding as the year progressed if finances allowed and I am confident we will be able to put in something like 175,000.
"If funds allow, 75,000 will be put in on a match-funding basis, for example if 10,000 is put in from a ward budget, the council will put in 10,000.
"The roads are bad everywhere because the snow has played havoc. We don't want potholes all over the place when people are driving round."
Half a million pounds is lying in ward and area forum budgets, which has accumulated after being unspent in previous years.
Another 500,000 comes on stream when the new financial year begins in April.
Councillors and area panels have the power to decide how the cash is used to meet local need.
Labour councillor Fred Jackson had said if the Street Scene budget was protected from five per cent cuts which are being made across every part of the council, it equated to 148,000 which could be spent on repairs. This could be taken from reserves,
But the council says the reserves are needed to meet future costs.
Coun Kath Rowson, ward councillor for Ingthorpe in Bispham, said: "Had the council gone ahead with cutting five per cent of its budget in all departments the roads would have been in an even worse state.
"Munster Avenue is by no means alone as there are many across Blackpool and the snow has exacerbated the problem.
"I am delighted the council have found the cash to solve this problem."
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Weather for Blackpool
Sunday 12 February 2012
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Temperature: 4 C to 7 C
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