Please can I request:
A detailed breakdown of the approved £190,000 spend for the Heavitree and Whipton Active Streets Trial?
| Category | Cost estimate |
| Works | £97,000 |
| Design and Supervision | £25,000 |
| Communications and Engagement | £51,000 |
| Monitoring | £17,000 |
| Total | £190,000 |
Which member of staff have been delegated responsibility for the approval of expenditure relating to this scheme?
The receipt of the grant funding relating to the Active Streets trial was authorised by Devon County Council’s S151 Officer. The ‘Deputy Director – Planning’ has authority to approve spend up to £1m, the ‘Transportation Strategy Manager’ has authority to approve spend up to £0.5m.
How regularly this budget will be reviewed and by whom?
Budgets are reviewed regularly across the Climate Change, Environment and Transport directorate. The Planning Service revenue budget is monitored monthly by the ‘Deputy Director – Planning’, the Capability and Ambition Fund programme is monitored regularly by the WSP Programme Manager and DCC project sponsors and the overall programme of schemes is monitored on a monthly basis by the ‘Transportation Strategy Manager’.
What are the Devon County Council policies and procedures should a project significantly overspend on approved budget?
Local Authorities have a legal duty to set an overall balanced budget including sufficient reserves, the financial regulations form part of the Council’s Constitution, which applies to all officers and members. It includes the necessity of setting the budget and continually monitoring and reporting the projected financial position of the Council and actions proposed and required in order to balance that overall budget. Section B3 of the Constitution covers budget preparation, Section B7 covers budget monitoring, section B9 covers the authority to incur Revenue Expenditure:
Constitution – Part 5c Code of Business Conduct Financial Regulations.pdf (devon.gov.uk)
The Section 151 Officer has the power to issue a Section 114 notice if it appears that expenditure is going to exceed overall resources.
Transport Planning spend is monitored throughout the year and if an overspend were to materialise, alternative funding sources will be reviewed and spend would be prioritised to those that best reflect Devon County Council’s strategic priorities, including addressing the climate emergency and supporting economic growth. Significant cost increases would require a scheme to return to a committee (such as the Highways and Traffic Orders Committee) for approval for an increased budget.