Executive meeting on Tuesday, 7 July 2026

Written representation in relation to agenda item 9, Capital Programme Outturn 2025/26 and Revisions to the 2026/27-2029/30

Programme, and agenda item 10, Bus Priority in York City Centre: The Rougier Route

Dear Executive Members,

With regard to agenda item 9 Capital Programme it is no doubt of concern to Executive the impact the Station Gateway project is having on finances and reputation of City of York Council, paragraphs 131-138.

Leaving aside the dubious necessity for the project in the first place the council taxpayers of York are witnessing once again a City of York Council project spiralling out of financial control in the most spectacular manner with seemingly no accountability from anyone.

With this project a ‘financial black hole’ and now projected to cost in excess of £60 million and likely, given the track record of the project considerably more is the Executive going to take responsibility and issue a public apology for this situation whereby other capital projects and notably highway repairs across the city are being put back as more taxpayer funds are thrown into this ‘black hole’? and will Executive reassure the York taxpayers that the staff equally responsible for this situation are also to be held to account?

As a City of York Councillor since 2011 it seems to me that every major project City of York Council has been involved in to the present day has involved significant cost overruns and increased borrowings contributing in no small way to the financial difficulties this Council clearly has in maintaining the city and residential areas to an acceptable standard, much of the City of York Council public realm is a disgrace and getting worse year on year.

It will be interesting to see how the Station Gateway project concludes and whether or not anyone accepts responsibility or simply hopes the next administration is left with the financial implications.

In terms of Agenda item 10 it is important to again stress ‘the next administration’ because the next local elections in York are due in May of next year and yet the high profile Rougier Street scheme is set to commence in January 2027 again leaving the next administration saddled with a £2.2million cost burden for a scheme likely to be unpopular and one in which chaos will reign very much like the last Labour Council Lendal Bridge scheme.

This proposal will add to other road closures and congestion causing traffic light phasing across York and simply displace traffic onto other routes, a classroom of children could work out the effects of this madness and yet we now see City of York Council pressing ahead with this, it’s crazy.

In paragraph 33 the petition I presented at Full Council in March is briefly mentioned but not addressed, why shouldn’t York residents and council taxpayers expect open access to the streets they rightly expect to use most especially a key city centre route leading to York Station (assuming of course the Station Gateway works ever finish and the station is fully accessible again) ………I suspect many of those signing the petition know that this is just another stepping stone on the Council’s path to introduce even more restrictive traffic schemes for the city centre, putting the city effectively out of bounds for many residents.

I also note with interest the concerns of the York Taxi trade and given how ‘battered and bruised’ the York Taxi trade are after the last decade of the Council’s surrender of the city to Uber I see this scheme as the end for many York drivers.

If those promoting this are so confident as to the case they can make for this scheme then let them make the case to the electorate at the May 2027 Local elections and vote for Option 4 and postpone any decision on this scheme until after the elections.

Regards,

Councillor Mark Warters