£3,000 banners for Nottinghamshire road project that might not happen 'gathering dust'
The banners promoted a major scheme to improve roundabouts and junctions across the corridor, but work on that project is yet to start amid continued funding uncertainty. The banners themselves were taken down after less than a year due to weather damage and the county council initially said they would be installed again this February.
Two months on, it has now been confirmed the banners will not go up again until after the county council election on May 1 and that the cost to reinstall them will be £2,210. Councillor Steve Carr, a Nottinghamshire County Independent Group councillor for Bramcote and Beeston North, said: "The fact that the Conservatives who run Nottinghamshire County Council have wasted thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money on roundabout banners along the A614 and A6097 corridor is appalling.
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"This project may never happen and the banners are now sat in Oak House gathering dust. £3,145 plus VAT for these banners might seem like small change to some but when you consider that the Conservatives have just wasted £40,000 on a rock sculpture near Yorkshire or £26.5million on a new Council HQ they may not even need – it is yet another example of the wasteful spending culture at the county council."
The county council has previously defended its financial contribution to the Scrooby Rock sculpture, saying it is attracting tourists and boosting the local economy. The Conservative-run authority also disputes the £26.5 million figure for the building of its new Oak House HQ - saying the cost was actually £19 million.
Councillor Sam Smith, Nottinghamshire County Council's leader, said: "The banners will go back up to advise road users that improvements are coming soon. It delivers on their priorities and it's important people know we are delivering on their priorities.
"Instead of focusing on the banners, the Conservative leadership at the county council continues to push the government for the twenty million pounds we've been promised after we managed to secure money from the East Midlands Mayor. The project remains shovel-ready and, instead of them focusing on banners, it would be good to have the support of the Ashfield Independents in lobbying ministers."
The Department for Transport has previously confirmed that it is reviewing the major £35 million scheme, which was first proposed back in 2019. The project was originally due to get underway in August 2024, but the general election last year threw promised government funding into doubt.
Nottinghamshire County Council previously said the overall scheme would cost £34.4 million, with the previous government pledging £24 million and the Conservative-run council investing £10 million. Yet the authority says every six months of delay on the project increases costs by £1 million.
The East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), led by East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward, recently announced £7.5 million of investment for the project which the county council hopes will act as a "catalyst". The EMCCA says its investment "will address a cost shortfall and thus enable the Department for Transport to consider the full business case and potentially allow the scheme to progress".
"We continue to work closely with Nottinghamshire County Council and will make any announcements in due course", the Department for Transport previously said. Councillor Smith confirmed slots are now being booked in for the reinstallation of the banners in May.
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