THERE is “no more money” in the budget to improve or replace bus shelters that are “not fit for purpose”, a meeting has heard.

The ongoing saga was discussed during Salisbury Area Board’s meeting last Thursday at City Hall.

Resident David Brown has previously raised concerns about the shelters in Coronation Road, Devizes Road, Balmoral Road, Bishopdown Road and Herbert Road, which he has said are “not fit for purpose”.

The project was first approved at a Salisbury Area Board last July, when £10,958 was allocated by Wiltshire Council to replace the existing shelters.

The new chairman of Salisbury Area Board, Councillor Sven Hocking, said: “The ongoing saga of the bus shelters, at the moment – there is nothing we can do. They are in situ. There is no more money to revamp or improve them or replace them or remove them.

“But until we can find some funding to carry out some modifications, unfortunately they are going to have to stay in situ as they are at the moment.”

Mr Brown said: “They don’t function properly and people get wet when they are sheltering underneath.”

Cllr Hocking said: “They are not perfect , we have what we have.”

Councillor Matthew Dean suggested Mr Brown write to the bus company but Mr Brown felt it was the area board’s “ prerogative” to do that.

Cllr Hocking added: “The community area transport group voted to replace those shelters with the budget that was available and that is what they did. What we got was not necessarily what we thought we were going to get. In an ideal world they would be slightly lower with a smaller gap at the top but unfortunately we can’t change them because they are built to a specification which we cannot change. We are told by the people who manufacture them that they cannot currently be modified

Councillor Ricky Rogers said: “They were obviously purchased with a capital grant from this area board. I think those who have seen the shelter first hand, even myself, will agree they’re not adequate. Can we not have a bid for capital funds to try and at least close the gap at the top and try to improve it.”

He asked whether the area board would be able to get “guidance” on what needed to done to improve the shelters and costings, which could be considered at a later meeting.

This was “noted” by Cllr Hocking who said he would “ask the question”.