Ring of steel plan ‘costly, flawed and unnecessary’

A Tory councillor has called Bath’s ring of steel “completely unnecessary and deeply flawed” as the total cost of the anti-terrorism measures surpassed £3m.

Bath and North East Somerset Council approved increasing the scheme’s £2.2m budget by a further £848,000, after inflation and unforeseen costs impacted the plans to install barriers and implement traffic orders.

Vic Pritchard, leader of the Conservative opposition on the council, said: “Now we know - the completely unnecessary and deeply flawed ring of steel scheme is going to cost council taxpayers even more money than originally thought.

“Not only that, but the administration doesn’t appear even to know how much extra money will be needed or where it’s going to come from.”

The council is planning to install permanent barriers on York Street in January but will take a “phased approach” to delivering the rest of the scheme. Funding for these further phases will be established in the council’s February budget.

Mr Pritchard added: “The administration told us the ring of steel was necessary to keep us safe from terrorists. But everybody knows it was a way of making motorists take the flak for the climate crisis.

“The Liberal Democrats have got away with appalling mismanagement of Bath and North East Somerset for too long. And as one of their flagship schemes looks about to come tumbling down, we can only hope they don’t bring the rest of us with them.”

Manda Rigby, the council cabinet member who approved the spending and is responsible for the security measures, hit back at the idea they were not necessary.

She said: “It’s been well documented that a counter-terrorism security survey carried out by the National Counter Terrorism Security Office in 2016 identified locations in Bath as crowded places that are attractive to terrorists.

“In 2016 the council put in place various temporary security measures to provide a higher quality of protection from terrorism around Bath Abbey, the Roman Baths and Pump Room, as well as the retail core of the city centre.

“The Chief Constable of Avon & Somerset Police then asked the council in February 2020 to consider an Anti-terrorism Traffic Regulation Order covering the wider city centre of Bath.

“That’s why, following consultation with counter terrorism security advisors, it was considered proportionate to introduce permanent restrictions covering a smaller area in the city centre resulting in the current measures, which the Chief Constable supported. The council has a duty to manage the threat from terrorist vehicle attacks and keeping people safe is our priority.

“Along with many other local authorities, higher inflation, price increases and world events have had an inevitable impact on our cost forecasts so implementing the scheme will cost more money. However, in the interim until funding is agreed, we are continuing to protect people with the manually operated barriers already in place.”