The meeting resumed after an adjournment caused by a fire alarm at County Hall and the Chair thanked everyone for their patience.
The Chair welcomed speakers to address the meeting and responded to their points in turn.
The Chair referred to a report about the 20mph speed limits scheme introduced by the Welsh government.
The Chair confirmed that schemes only come forward with the support of the local County Councillor and local parish council, but that the support came before the design and consultation process.
The Chair noted that the consultation process provided an opportunity for concerns to be put forward to officers and the relevant decision-makers.
Officers stated that there were ‘grey areas’ surrounding retractions of support from local County Councillors and parish councils, and whether it was based upon design concerns or the principle of the scheme.
The Chair and officers discussed the procedure of the schemes. Officers noted that they would support a deferral, in light of the new information surrounding the retraction of the County Councillor’s support, but also were comfortable with the call-in process as a mechanism available to challenge decisions made.
The Chair stated that officers come forward with schemes, after securing support from the local County Councillor and parish council before the scheme is tested at Delegated Decisions meetings to assess its merits.
The Chair noted that the parish council hadn’t withdrawn support for the scheme.
The Chair stated that officers design schemes in line with policy, national guidance and in consistency with other schemes. Officers confirmed they thought that the scheme was the correct solution.
The Chair noted that specific responses in consultations are useful in understanding local situations, whilst certain responses look at the policy more widely. The Chair noted the importance of recognising responses from consultations.
The Chair thanked speakers, respondents and officers for their contributions and agreed to the recommendations in the report.
RESOLVED to:
a) Approve the introduction of 20mph & 40mph speed limits in North Leigh as advertised.