Roads subsidy up

Press, 4 March 1982, Page 6

Roads subsidy up

The Christchurch City Council’s rate of roadworks subsidy has been increased by the National Roads Board for the coming financial year, and the new $3.73 million allocation is 20.3 per cent up on this year. That was good, news, the works and traffic committee said yesterday, especially considering that the N.R.B.’s total finance for the. coming year had increased by only 12.4 per cent. The city’s basic subsidy rate is up from 47 per cent to 48 per cent; the council had requested a 50 per cent rate. Earlier this financial year, the council said it would try to r increase streetworks spending by 20 per cent in the New Year. “This is a reasonably satisfactory outcome,” said the Mayor (Mr , Hamish Hay) of the subsidy. “We haven't fared too badly.”

The subsidy rate partly reflected the council’s commitment to reading work that did not attract a sub-

sidy, said the Streetworks Engineer (Mr H. E. Surtees). This year, the council has done, more than $1 million worth of work without a matching Government subsidy. The City Council had “put its money where its mouth is,” said the City Engineer (Mr P. G. Scoular). No N.R.B. approvals have been granted for new construction work. Capital works Councillors recommended a five-year capital works programme that would increase amounts for street construction and reconstruction by 10 per cent a year. Of the total works programme of $40.1 million, that would mean $25.2 million for roads and bridges; $13.7 million of the street money would come from council revenue, with $6.8 million from the National Roads Board. In the waterworks programme, $1.32 million would be included each year for

water mains renewal, which would allow 16km of mains to be renewed each year. Property Councillors said they would oppose a new N.R.B. land purchase policy that, required property purchases, associated with road improvements to be financed by the council until actual construction work was approved. In an extreme case, the council would be required to meet full costs of property purchase for a project such as the Opawa expressway before the N.R.B. had even approved its eventual construction. At present, the N.R.B. pays 75 per cent of the property purchase, cost when a purchase is made.

“Sometimes properties have to be bought years in advance of' a project,; when they are available,” said the committee chairman (Cr D. C. Close). “We are really being asked to be the banker for the Roads Board,” said Mr Surtees. “I don’t think that’s on;”