The Council’s Cabinet has opened consultation on the provisional budget for 2022 / 2023. The consultation response and the Government Grant settlement will all come into play before the budget is finalised in February.
The Council has an aspirational draft 5-year capital programme which totals nearly £1.5billion. Of this nearly £158m is currently cash-flowed for 2022/23 taking into account expenditure rescheduled from 2021/22. Further funding will be built into the programme before the final budget report, as the Council is currently awaiting final confirmation of the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) grant award.
The main components of the Council’s provisional capital programme are set out below with the figures quoted representing the projected sums earmarked currently for 2022/23. The Programme includes:
- A strategic transportation programme in excess of £25m incorporating the Coventry South package, Housing Infrastructure Fund works at Eastern Green, Keresley Section 106 works and Very Light Rail.
- Continued delivery of the £31.5m Air Quality programme, which includes works at Junction 7 of the Ring Road and Spon End.
- Commencing the delivery of the £8.5m Binley Road Cycleway up to Walsgrave Hospital.
- Completion of Public Realm 5 works, specifically Coventry Cross and Palmer Lane.
- City Centre Regeneration investment taking forward the city’s Friargate District (building 2) and City Centre South plans.
- Continued investment in the schools capital works including provision for the expansion of secondary places under their One Strategic Plan, to include the new SEND school proposal at Woodlands.
- Continued investment in Adult and Social Care in form of Disabled Facilities and Pathway to Care; along with the programme of vehicle replacement and ICT.
The draft programme will be subject to change between now and February with every expectation that some of the proposed expenditure profile will be shifted to later years. Some of the schemes involve a complex mix of funding sources, multi-partner delivery arrangements and challenging planning, technical and approval cocktails that do not always lend themselves to smooth project delivery progress. In overall terms, given the large amount of externally funded and driven proposals within the Council’s Capital Programme it is very likely that a fair degree of flux will continue to be experienced in its cash-flow over the next few years.