Decision details

That the Cabinet Member:

Approves the acceptance of £0.108m from the Chesterfield Borough Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy fund, 2020 and 2021 combined, to resurface the Chesterfield Canal towpath under the terms outlined in the report.

Approves the delegation of authority to the Executive Director - Place, subject to consultation with the Director of Legal and Democratic Services, to enter into a Grant Agreement with Chesterfield Borough Council.

Acceptance of the grant will ensure essential improvements are made to the canal towpath so that it can contribute to an uptake in active travel and reductions in vehicle emissions.

Option 1: Do not accept the grant. This would mean that the towpath remains in a poor condition. Further deterioration of the towpath would occur and the Council’s maintenance costs would continue to escalate over time.

Option 2: Seek funding from alternative sources. Alternative funding sources to maintain the towpath are the Countryside Service revenue budget, the Council’s Highways Capital Programme or external grants. The latter option has not been explored but historically there has been extremely limited funding for cycleway maintenance from external grant sources.