Only one project launched in Northamptonshire since council was awarded £351k 'emergency' grant a month ago

The county council has not delivered any new projects to make travel for pedestrians and cyclists safer in Northamptonshire after they were given the 'emergency' funding a month ago.

Northamptonshire County Council was awarded £351,000 in June to make the county safer for cyclists and pedestrians with social distancing in place and to reduce the need for public transport and cars.

Since then, the council has only completed one project that it rolled out on June 26 - widening Montagu Street in Kettering by barring off parking spaces for shops, which businesses owners remarked was "a good idea but not thought out".

Now, following an open letter from opposition groups this week accusing the council of not being "transparent" with the money from the Emergency Active Travel Fund, a cabinet member has responded that they have "many factors to consider" before using the cash.

Cabinet member for Highways Jason Smithers said in a written statement: "We are keen to avoid the kind of situation that has been experienced elsewhere in the country where schemes have been installed using this funding and then quickly removed, owing to the opposition that they have raised.

"With this in mind, we have been working closely with the borough and district councils from the outset to understand which measures are needed to benefit all parties, particularly to support the reopening of town centres."

Councillor Smithers also indicated a dedicated webpage will be set up on the council's homepage to publish which schemes are being progressed.

The Chronicle & Echo asked the council how much of the £351,000 has been used so far, but did not receive a response.

Mr Smithers also said: "We want to ensure that the plans put in place have a positive impact for key stakeholders, while also being beneficial to pedestrians and cyclists."

The council was awarded the £351,000 fund by central Government for temporary projects such as using traffic cones to widen pavements, and can receive up to £1.7m if they can present what permanent changes they hope to make.

The council was awarded 100 per cent of the money they asked for in their submission for the funding.