£13m investment considered

Investment to repair roads, buy new gritters and tackle debt is set to be agreed by the county council.

Leicestershire’s ruling cabinet meets on July 23rd to agree how to use up a projected budget underspend.

The council’s budget monitoring predicts a £13 million underspend on the council’s £300 million budget this year. Now, the council is proposing to invest this money in:

•Investment in bridges and road repairs - £2 million to replace the Aylestone Lane footbridge, over the railway at Wigston and fund large scale patching work on roads

•Gritters and other vehicles - £1.2 million to replace five gritters, plus eight low-floor, wheelchair-accessible vehicles for adult social care

•Repaying debt, to reduce borrowing costs by £800,000 per year - £10 million

David Sprason, the council’s acting deputy leader, said: By managing our budget prudently, we can find the money to invest in road repairs and gritters and reduce our borrowing costs by a significant amount.”

The cabinet meets at 2pm on Monday, July 23rd.