An additional £10million for the county’s roads, and £3million towards the refurbishment of Hereford’s Shirehall has been secured following Council agreement to a reviewed capital budget.
Further improvements to roads across the county and the refurbishment of Hereford’s landmark Shirehall are now set to go ahead following agreement to a reviewed capital budget at a Council meeting held on Friday 8 December.
The investments were among several proposed changes to the way Herefordshire Council’s 2023/24 capital budget will now be spent.
Other changes include a new £2million Community Capital Grants Scheme to support the valuable work local community organisations, and funding identified towards the development of Hereford’s road network.
Significant further investment in road repair
An additional £10million investment has been identified towards bringing roads across the county back to a good condition.
The funding, which is in addition to the £13million already identified for resurfacing C and U roads and fixing potholes, will be used to resurface those roads most in need of repair.
Hereford’s new library one step closer
The additional £3million towards the refurbishment of Hereford’s historic Shirehall will enable work to progress on bringing the building back into use after being closed to the public since 2020 following a ceiling collapse.
It will also make it possible for the building to be the new home of Hereford library following its relocation to make way for the redeveloped museum in Broad Street. This is subject to funding agreement from Stronger Hereford.
Councillor Pete Stoddart, Cabinet member for finance and corporate services, said:
“We’re delighted that Council have agreed to our capital budget reviews for this year (2023/24), as this means we’re able to invest in two things that residents have highlighted are important to them – our road network and our heritage buildings.
“Residents are consistently telling us that the poor condition of road surfaces across the county is a prime concern for them.
“This significant investment we’re making will bring roads that are most in need of repair back to good condition, improving travel for local people, businesses and visitors.
“This, along with funding we already announced in the autumn for road repair and an additional £3.6m from the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2, means that there will be an additional £23m being invested in our roads over the next two years.
“Hereford’s Shirehall is a landmark building, and while we recognise the new library proposals are still subject to funding agreements, this decision will help bring this historic building back to life after years of neglect and it is another step towards the creation of a modern library in the heart of our City.”
