Posted on Wednesday 13th February 2019
Helen Fisher, Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport for Staffordshire County Council
A £200,000 cash pot aimed at improving road safety in communities across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent is set to open for a final round of applications.
The Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership has so far benefited 60 schemes with a share of £150,000 since it was launched in 2017.
Now groups can apply for individual grants of up to £5,000 when the scheme opens to applications for the final time between March 1 and April 30, with £50,000 still left to be handed out.
The money can be spent on community-led projects that improve road safety, or increase public confidence in the safety of Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire’s roads. Projects should aim to address an identified road safety issue which is of concern to the community.
Helen Fisher, Cabinet Member for Highways at Staffordshire County Council and Joint Chair of the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership said:
“Staffordshire has some of the safest roads in the country which is something we are proud of and have worked hard to achieve.
“We are always looking at new ways to improve road safety and we’re very pleased with the take up of the funding scheme by local communities. I would definitely encourage other groups who want to make a difference in their local community to consider applying for a grant. By working together we can help make our roads even safer.”
Grants starting from £100 up to £5,000 are available. As well as Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire County Council, the partnership also includes Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, and Highways England.
Between 2001 and 2016, collisions resulting in injuries on Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent’s roads reduced by 44 per cent, and there were 27 per cent fewer fatal and serious injuries.
Cllr Daniel Jellyman, cabinet member for regeneration, transport and heritage at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and joint chairman of the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership, said:
“Road safety is one of our top priorities and is something we take very seriously. We’re always ready to listening to community concerns and take action where necessary.
“The scheme has been a great success since it launched and we’re now looking for applications to the final round of funding. Previous successful applications have included community speed watch schemes, school related road safety projects and digital speed indicator devices. I really encourage as many groups as possible to apply for a grant, the more creative ideas the better. We can all work together to improve road safety.”
For more details and to apply, visit the Staffs Safer Roads website.