MONMOUTHSHIRE council will need to spend more than £42 million to address a property maintenance backlog, the equivalent of more than 20 years spending at the current level.

The bill for Caldicot Castle alone is estimated as between £2million and £3million - a year's total budget allocation.

A report into the capital budget monitoring 2014/15 which will go before the council's adult select committee on Tuesday shows that at the end of month nine, the authority had an estimated £9.1 million slippage, an increase of £3.5m since month six.

The report highlights major capital pressures which include £42,950,000 million in maintenance work. This includes £25,000,000 for property maintenance requirements for both schools and non schools .

The report produced by Mark Howcroft, assistant head of finance, states the existing £2 million annual budget mainly targets urgent maintenance and is ‘insufficient to address the maintenance backlog.’

The report states: “A lack of funding means maintenance costs will rise; that our ability to sell buildings at maximum market rates will be affected ; our ability to deliver effective services will be affected and a loss of revenue and poor public image.”

Disabled adaptation works to public buildings required under disability discrimination legislation is £7,600,000, and 4,000,000 is needed for the maintenance and to carry out health and safety works to historic buildings.

The report states that ‘little progress’ to improving historic buildings has been made as the only budget available is the overstretched capital maintenance programme. It says without remedial works, health and safety risks become higher, long term maintenance costs become higher and potential revenue is lost from tourism.

The council estimate £2 to £3 million is needed for works at Caldicot Castle which include improving the visitor facilities. An assessment of viability is currently being carried out with a potential to create a cultural services trust.

Other maintenance pressures include school traffic management improvements at Castle Park and Durand Primary Schools which is estimated to cost £450,000, refurbishment of all public toilets at £250,000 and modification works to school kitchens to comply with environmental health standards is estimated to be £400,000.

The report states ‘school kitchens may have to be closed and additional costs for transporting meals in incurred, possibly causing disruption to the education process.’ Other pressure include remedial works to buildings to deal with Radon gas issues which is estimated at £250,000 and costs of £2,000,000 are estimated for the removal of asbestos containing materials from buildings.

The report recommends accepting the slippage proposals totalling £8,159,000 and de-prioritise schemes totalling £771,000 including £185,000 in property maintenance schemes, £218,000 in infrastructure schemes, £136,000, ESR access for all, £200,000 in general access for all, £16,000 in RDP and £15,000 in cemeteries.

The property maintenance schemes which are recommended for de-prioritisation include £79,450 for a combined heat and power plant at Abergavenny Leisure Centre.

If the cabinet approves the recommendations to de-commit the schemes totalling £771,000 then the council forecast a £187,000, underspend for 2014/15.