Stoke-on-Trent City Council reveals cost breakdown station revamp
It's in response to backlash online over how and where £29mil was spent
Council leaders have revealed exactly how £29 million of transport funding has been spent in Stoke-on-Trent. Stoke-on-Trent City Council was awarded the cash from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund (TCF), aimed at boosting public transport around the country.
The city council spent the bulk of its TCF money on two major capital projects in Station Road and College Road, with smaller sums being allocated to other transport schemes. But following inaccurate claims on social media that the entire £29 million was spent on the recently-completed Station Road improvements, the council has now published an itemised list of its TCF spending.
The Station Road scheme, which included reconstructing and realigning the highway, moving the Josiah Wedgwood statue and creating new parking and bus shelters, cost £12.45 million in total. This included £3.4 million for pavements, kerbs, footways and paved areas, £1.2 million in design costs, and a £45,074 spend on bus shelter real time information displays.
A total of £15.39 million of TCF money was spent on the College Road scheme, which involved upgrading the corridor between the station and the city centre, with wider pavements, segregated cycle lanes, improved bus stops and a bus gate.
Smaller allocations include £286,000 for an access route from platform three to the Goods yard and Glebe Street; £192,000 for contactless tap-on, tap-off technology on buses; £402,000 on upgrades at Hanley Bus Station; and £151,000 for red route enforcement measures.
An upgrade of Longton Station, including new lifts, was due to be funded with TCF cash, but this had to be shelved due to the project going over-budget.
A minimal TCF allocation of £640,000 is now being combined with other grants to fund a raft of public realm and transport improvements in Longton.
And £1.1 million has been spent on preparatory works for schemes such as the Longton Station lifts project, in readiness for future funding bids.
Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure and regeneration, provided the figures in a written response to a question from Councillor Laura Carter, following the recent discussion on social media.
Cllr Gordon-McCusker said: “I have also seen on social media that there is a belief that £29 million was spent on Station Road. In fact, the Station Road works were just one important part of the wider Transforming Cities Fund programme.
“The £29 million was central government grant funding, competitively won by the city council.”
He added: “In short, we unlocked £29 million of improvements; transforming key gateways, supporting sustainable travel, and delivering infrastructure that will boost the city’s prosperity and residents’ wellbeing for years to come. That is something we should be proud of.”
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