Rainy Day

CASH from the sale of Citybus is to be used to dig Plymouth out of a financial pothole. Part of the £19million raised from the sale last year is to be ploughed back into a range of high-profile projects.

Among them is a new £1.3million blitz on Plymouth's crumbling roads. The pothole cash is coming from a £2.7million "invest to save fund" set up using Citybus cash.

Mr Bowyer said another £1.3million would be used to create a new data centre at Windsor House in the north of Plymouth, in preparation for the council to move out of the Civic Centre. He said the Windsor House data centre was needed to ensure continuity of council business if staff are moved out of the Civic Centre. The building was unexpectedly listed in 2007, just as the council was preparing to redevelop the site.

Mr Bowyer said it would also be used to pay for repairs to the crumbling West Hoe pier and the Armada Way toilets, upgrading Western Approach car park, and improving the Royal Parade/Armada Way pedestrian crossing.

Another big expense coming up for the council is to upgrade the recycling facility at Chelson Meadow for when the proposed incinerator comes online.

The Citybus cash has already paid for the purchase of Home Park from Argyle for £1.6million, and £650,000 of extra spending on autistic children.

"We said we would save the money for a rainy day, and this is that rainy day," Cllr Ian Bowyer, pictured right, the city's Cabinet member for finance, said yesterday.

Full story: This is Plymouth

I know that the sale of Citybus was a contentious issue for many but it does seem sensible to use the money for projects like this rather than just keeping it in the bank. At least the extra spending on the road network will help bus users to some extent.

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