HAMPSHIRE County Council has been given a £1.5m funding boost for transport initiatives next year after its Local Transport Plan (LTP) was rated as "excellent" by central government. Only four out of 19 highway authorities in the south-east were awarded the top rating for their LTPs. An additional £1.1m has also been awarded for highway maintenance, bringing the total pot of government grant and borrowing approval to more than £16m for the next financial year. The county council's executive member for environment, Mel Kendal, said: "Our excellent LTP rating is well deserved and testament to the hard work of our staff delivering services in a difficult financial climate. "This money from government will enable us to work through a planned programme of initiatives in 2007/08 as we continue our efforts to improve the county's roads and pavements. "However, we continue to face budget pressures, so cabinet hasn't taken up the full amount of government borrowing allocations because of the impact on council taxpayers, who would be the ones paying for the cost of interest on borrowing capital. "This decision means that our actual total transport funding for 2007/08 is £5.7m less than the figure of £29.6m that government says it has allowed for. "I'm determined that we listen to our communities and find out what their priorities are. "We can't do everything on people's wish lists, but it's my strong belief that we should try to deliver what people want within our budget constraints. "Top of my list is safety, as we continue our excellent work in reducing the number of deaths and serious injury on Hampshire's roads. "We'll continue to support improvements to pedestrian crossings and walking and cycling routes in 2007/08. "The next financial year will also see more work on supporting priority bus routes throughout the county, while the south of Hampshire will see money spent on junction improvements on the A32 between Gosport and Fareham." The three other highway authorities in the south- east to get an excellent rating for their LTPs are Buckinghamshire, West Sussex and Reading.
