Open letter criticises Northamptonshire council's 'lack of transparency' over £351,000 travel fund

The council has announced its initial plans for a Government fund to improve cycling and pedestrian routes a month ago.

The county council has been criticised in an open letter over a "lack of transparency" in what it has done so far with a Government grant to make Northamptonshire's safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

In June, NCC was awarded £351,000 from the Emergency Active Travel Fund to use towards making travel safer for walkers and cyclists with social distancing in place.

On June 24 - following criticisms of the council "dragging its feet" over the funding - cabinet member for highways Councillor Jason Smithers published the first steps of how the money would be used, including new cycle lanes and priority for bicycles.

The first was a barrier on Montagu Street - which businesses criticised as "half a job" and reported it had been done without any prior warning.But now, nearly a month later, a collection of opposition parties and environmental groups have written an open letter to the council asking what has been done with the money since the first project.Northamptonshire County Council was contacted for a response to the letter and were asked what other projects other than Montagu Street have been started. They have not responded at time of writing.

The open letter reads: "When the Emergency Active Travel Fund was announced, there was a huge collective sigh of relief. Here was the money and impetus to make the changes we had been campaigning for.

"We were hoping this was act as a springboard for interventions across the county. So far, there has only been one.

"...We are increasingly concerned that the very nature of the funding has not been understood and that time will run out before the deadline is met.

"There has been a huge lack of transparency throughout the process. We, the people of Northamptonshire, need guarantees that the £351,000 of funding will be swiftly and correctly utilised."

The letter is signed by supports such as the Critical Mass Northampton cycling group, Northampton Liberal Democrat vice-chair Martin Sawyer and the Green Party's Northampton South candidate Scott Mabbutt, as well as the Extinction Rebellion groups for both Northampton and Kettering.

The £351,000 funding was awarded as "Tranche One" of the scheme, and could rise to as much as £1.7m if the council demonstrates to the Government what its long-term plans are.