BUDGET AMENDMENTS 2022/3:  CONSERVATIVES IDENTIFY ENOUGH FUNDING TO COMPLETE MADEIRA TERRACES RESTORATION PROJECT

 

• Conservative Budget Amendments would provide additional £16.19 million for Madeira Terraces, enough to complete the full restoration.
• Funding would cover the cost of completing the final 71 of the 151 arches along Madeira Drive.
• Councillor Joe Miller says this Budget could be landmark moment for City’s heritage and calls on community groups and residents to write to their Councillors and ask them to support the amendments on Budget night.

 

The Conservatives have identified enough funding in this year’s City Budget to complete the full restoration of Madeira Terraces, with a series of amendments set to be put to the Budget Council next Thursday.

 

The amendments, which will form the centrepiece of the Conservative Group’s Budget proposals this year, will redirect and reprioritise £16.19 million of spending from other areas towards the Madeira Terraces Restoration Works, completing the required budget for the project.

 

The Conservatives previously secured £9.15m for the Madeira Terraces project in the 2020-1 and 2021-2 Budget Rounds, which combined with crowdfunding efforts, has provided the Council with £12 million for the Madeira Terraces restoration, enough for phases 1 & 2 or up to 80 of the 151 arches, depending on procurement costs.

 

This additional money would provide the funding to complete the remaining 71 or more arches and the rest of the Madeira Terraces site, including the Madeira Lift and Conchorde 2. If the amendments are accepted next week, the project would, for the first time, be fully funded, with the Council having a complete project budget of £28.19m to undertake the works.

 

Conservative Finance Spokesperson Joe Miller said that the moment presented a key opportunity for the city and encouraged all community groups and residents to write to their Councillors and ask them to back the amendments.

 

“This is the moment for our City to finally commit to completing the Madeira Terraces restoration and put our City’s heritage back on the map.” Cllr Miller.

 

“Through previous work of the community by crowdfunding and the efforts of the Conservative Team in the past two budget rounds, the Council currently has funding available to complete phases 1 & 2 of the project and restore up to 80 of the 151 arches, depending on procurement costs.  

 

“These amendments announced today would provide a further £16.19m to complete the project, with all 151 arches renovated, fully restoring the Madeira Terraces to their former glory.

 

“It is time for the excuses from this council to end:  Residents and community groups such as Save Madeira Terraces Campaign want to see this project treated as the priority that it should be for the city.  

 

“The money is there and as we have shown it can be found with sensible savings targeted at bureaucracy, red tape and areas of spending which don’t benefit residents.

 

“We now only need Councillors to vote for it at the Budget on Thursday 24 February and for the first time will be able to say that this project is fully funded.

 

“I call on residents and community groups to write to their Councillors over the course of the next week and encourage them to vote for these amendments on Budget night, so our city can say for the first time that we have the funding - and the will - to undertake the full restoration of Madeira Terraces” Cllr Miller added.

 

Conservative Group Leader Steve Bell said that residents wanted to see the Madeira Terraces restoration work treated as a priority project in the city.

 

“The Conservatives believe that the Madeira Terraces restoration work should be the number one public works priority in Brighton and Hove for this Council” Cllr Bell said.

 

“Madeira Terraces is the jewel in the crown of Brighton’s heritage and its restoration would bring big benefits to the city.

 

“These amendments show that the money can be found and we have an opportunity to complete the budget for this project now.

 

“The Madeira Terraces are on life support, having recently been added to Historic England’s at Risk Register.  The longer we wait, the more challenging the restoration will be.

 

“The Conservatives see the Madeira Terraces restoration as key to the future of Brighton and opening up the east of the city again, with benefits for tourism and the economy for years to come.

 

“Residents have had enough of the delays.  The Council needs to get on with this and treat this project as the number one public works priority in the City” Cllr Bell added.

 

Conservative Group amendments with savings to fund the Madeira Terraces restoration project:

 

Conservative Group Amendment 2:

 

Allocate £1.3m capital resources to the Madeira Terrace restoration programme which requires £0.047m revenue financing costs.

 

The above proposals require £0.100m recurrent revenue resources and this will be funded by replacing the £0.100m recurrent funding allocation for investment to support planning reforms shown in table 2 on page 20 with £0.100m one off resources only. The one off resources will be funded by deferring £1.250m capital investment of the proposed 2022/23 allocation to the Carbon Neutral 2030 fund until 2023/24 which releases £0.100m one off funding from the financing costs budget. 

 

Conservative Group Amendment 3

 

Allocate £2.800m capital resources to the Madeira Terrace restoration programme including in its carbon neutral objectives which requires £0.100m revenue financing costs.

 

The above proposals require £0.100m recurrent revenue resources and this will be funded by replacing the £0.100m recurrent funding allocation to the implementation and actions to develop the Whole Estate Plan shown in table 2 on page 21 with £0.100m one off resources only. The one off resources will be funded by deferring £1.250m capital investment of the proposed 2022/23 allocation to the Carbon Neutral 2030 fund until 2023/24 which released £0.100m one off funding from the financing costs budget. 

 

Conservative Group Amendment 5

 

Provide £0.840m capital investment to support the Madeira Terraces restoration including in its carbon neutral objectives which requires £0.030m revenue financing costs.

 

The above investment will be funded by deleting the proposed allocation to the City Tracker of £0.025m shown in Table 2 on page 24 and introducing charges for pre application committee members meeting for planning. This is estimated to generate £0.005m pa

 

Conservative Group Amendment 6

 

• Provide £11.250m capital investment towards Madeira Terraces restoration including in its carbon neutral objectives which requires £0.400m revenue financing costs.

 

It is proposed to fund the £0.442m by: -

• Increase the proposed saving in the Communications service shown on page 135 of Appendix 1 from £0.048m to £0.118m releasing £0.070m in 2022/23.
• Redirect the investment of £0.070m for weed removal shown in table 2 on page 20 and revert to using herbicides
• Remove all Union facility time funded by the council releasing £0.295m in 2022/23
• Remove councillor bus passes which will save £0.007m

 

The above proposals require £0.070m one off resources to cover the time required for implementation of the changes to the communications service and the Union Facility time. This one-off requirement will be funded by deferring £0.880m capital investment of the proposed 2022/23 allocation to the Carbon Neutral 2030 fund until 2023/24 which released £0.070m one off funding from the financing costs budget. 

  

ENDS.