Meeting: Council	Date: 1 February 2024

Wards affected: All

Report Title: Director of Finance Report on Financial Implications of Notice of Motion regarding 20 MPH Neighbourhoods

When does the decision need to be implemented? N/A

Director Contact Details: Malcolm Coe, Director of Finance and Section 151 Officer, Malcolm.coe@torbay.gov.uk

1.	Context and Advice

1.1	Council Standing Order A13.2(d) states:

‘Motions which result in financial implications for the Council must include an outline of such implications together with advice from the Council’s Finance Officer (including an officer report where required). Where there is insufficient time to enable a robust assessment of the financial implications the Motion will stand deferred to a subsequent meeting.’

1.2	The Notice of Motion regarding 20 MPH Neighbourhoods was submitted and deferred by Council on 7 December 2023 in order for a robust assessment of the financial implications of the motion to be undertaken.

1.3	In essence the motion asks for £100,000 one off money to be identified to provide the capacity to take the following schemes forward:

Phase One

Hayes School (Totnes Road & St Michael’s Road) (Hayes Road already has permanent 20mph zone)

Cockington School (Avenue Road & Mill Lane areas)

Sacred Heart School (Cecil Road area)

Barton Academy (Barton Hill Road)

Torquay Academy (Barton Road & Cricketfield Road areas)

St Cuthbert Maine (Teignmouth Road & Westhill Road areas) (could include St Margaret’s and Homelands Schools)

Phase Two

Roselands Primary School (Roselands Drive area)

White Rock Primary School (Davies Avenue/Gibson Road areas)

Sherwell Valley Primary School (Upper Cockington Lane/Drake Avenue/Hawkins Avenue

areas)

Curledge Street Primary School (will be included within the proposed Fisher Street zone

but consideration to expanding zone into Dartmouth Road area)

Ilsham Primary School (Ilsham Road and Babbacombe Road areas)

Eden Park Primary School (in quiet residential area, no 20 limit in place)

St Margaret Clitherow School (in quiet residential area, no 20 limit in place)

Chestnut Primary School (in quiet residential areas, no 20 limit in place

Section 151 Officer advice

1.4	The issue is not just about identifying new funding to enable this work, it is more about prioritising limited budgets, and corresponding spend, on transport investment / road safety improvements. The Council already has an existing budget, and governance arrangements, (including Member representation), in place to determine a work programme for such investment being the Transport and Parking Working Party.

1.5	A request for one-off money, to provide additional capacity, should be an issue considered by the existing governance route and within the context of overall road safety improvements rather than in isolation i.e the Transport and Parking Working Party should consider the prioritisation of the schemes within the existing budget and put forward recommendations to the Director of Pride in Place. Should overall demand for such work exceed the budget available, then Members can propose an increase to the relevant budget as part of the 2024/25 budget consultation process.

1.6	As the Council’s Director of Finance, with statutory Section 151 responsibilities, I need assurance that public spending represents Value for Money hence, as such, it is my clear advice that the request made in this Notice of Motion, or for any future similar Notices, needs to be appropriately prioritised within the existing overall funding available. To use one off reserves for that which should be funded from base budgets sets a concerning precedent as to the use of reserves, which I cannot recommend to Members.

1.7	The review of Council reserves has now been completed which gives Members transparency of the reserves held, whilst highlighting the governance for their appropriate use and drawdown. The Council’s Reserve Policy is contained within the 2024/25 draft budget papers which were published in January 2024.

1.8	It is essential that commitments for significant spend requires a proper assessment as to whether the funding optimises outcomes for Torbay and its residents compared with investment in alternative projects / schemes – hence the need for consideration through an established structured governance and prioritisation process.

1.9	Should Full Council not accept my advice that the Transport and Parking Working Party consider the prioritisation of this work, for recommendation through to the Director of Pride in Place, then I would advise that rather than using reserves Members consider whether an additional revenue allocation should be made within the budget setting for 2024/25.