The sample below is taken from the analysis of costs undertaken by Jim Gillespie, Paul Birch, and Peter Barron that was presented at the meeting held on the 21st May at the Clarke Foley Center, Ilkley.

"  Attention is now turning to the costs of the 20 mph scheme following the revelation that the recent Town Poll, an important democratic exercise, cost £44,623. This has to be added to the previously published budget of £175,000 committed by Bradford and Ilkley Town Council (ITC ( £87500 being Ilkley's 'share')). A copy of our estimates was sent to all ITC councilors prior to the March 2024 ITC meeting, when it was discussed. It was then proposed and passed by ITC for further estimates of the Full Economic Costs to be requested from Bradford. Our own estimate currently suggests that the true cost may be in excess of £440,000. 

We have estimated the Full Economic Costs of the 20 mph scheme, from its inception, beginning with the traffic surveys in 2019, to the signing off of the finished project in 2024/25, once all the engineering work is legally in place.

The data are derived from figures in the public domain, extracted from papers released under freedom of information requests,  professional estimates and calculated estimates for all elements contributing to the development and construction of the Ilkley and Ben Rhydding Scheme. The figures are continually under review as we receive further estimates and unearth more components.

Our purpose in undertaking this analysis, apart from identifying the true cost, is ultimately to inform the people of Ilkley and Ben Rhydding of the full financial consequences of policy decisions made by our elected representatives.  As council tax payers, it is our taxes that are being used. The exercise, of full economic costing, reveals the magnitude of the joint commitment by BMDC and ITC to spend a very large sum of money. The decisions made in this project therefore deserve full economic and political scrutiny as well as detailed examination of the professionalism underpinning the whole project.

Importantly, all those involved must be publicly accountable to the people of Ilkley and Ben Rhydding for their decisions.  

In the meantime ITC asked Bradford on 5th March 2024 for their figure for the full economic costs..... a further request was submitted on 12th April...and another on 10th May....as yet no reply from Bradford (as of 21st May 2024)"