Petitions Presented to County Council from July 2007 November 2008
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
TUESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2009 AT 10.30 AM
ACTION TAKEN ON PETITIONS PRESENTED TO COUNTY
COUNCIL FROM JULY 2007 TO NOVEMBER 2008
Report of the CountySecretary
Report Author: Ron Coxall – Assistant CountySecretary
01992 555540
The following petitions were presented during the above-named period. Subsequent action taken is shown.
17 July 2007
Stephen Oakes-Monger: requesting immediate return of Radlett’s Fire engine and crew.
The petition was considered alongside the Integrated Risk Management Plan and data following the closure of the Fire Station. No change was made to the decision taken by the Council and the station remains closed.
The petitioner was informed.
20 November 2007
Tim Mitchell from Hitchinre: problems arising from HGVs using local roads in Hitchin.
The Director of Environment wrote to the Hitchin Residents Alliance on 4 December 2007. The key actions being undertaken are:
(a) the need for a new industrial access road is being considered as part of the Hitchin urban transport plan that is currently under development, and the Hitchin Residents Alliance are involved in this process;
(b) HCC and NHDC are working with Network Rail to ensure that its proposed Hitchin railway flyover scheme will allow provision for an industrial access road.
26 February 2008
Rosie Kelly, Rossgate PTA Gadebridge re: closure of that school.
The petitioners received a letter from the Director of CSF, recognising the improvements that had been made at Rossgate Primary School, from special measures to outstanding, and setting out the way in which the strengths of the school would be reflected in the establishment of the new Galley Hill Primary School and Nursery following the closure of Rossgate as part of the review of primary school provision in the area.
8 April 2008
Olive Conway from Tring re: threatened closure of Tring recycling centre.
The petition was referred to the Waste Management Cabinet Panel on 9 July 2008, who took account of it in making their recommendations to Cabinet on 21 July 2008. The Cabinet, at that meeting confirmed the closure of the Tring site, once the new site at Aston Clinton is fully operational.
15 July 2008
Michelle Kirby from Borehamwood re: 20 mph speed zones.
Ms Kirby was written to in October 2008 with a copy of a report on the issues raised in her petition that had previously been sent to Environment Group Spokes. The specific site of concern to Ms Kirby, Brook Road, Borehamwood is having a feasibility study undertaken and if a suitable scheme can be devised, options for funding will be investigated. The matter of 20 mph zones generally is being considered by officers and some members of Highways and Transport Panel as part of the review of the Speed Management Strategy.
25 November 2008
Jessica Eddowesre: bus service availability in Park Street
Ms Eddowes was written to in December 2008. It was explained that the bus services of concern to her were commercially provided, ie not by the County Council and that consequently HCC had little control on any changes to those services. HCC will continue to look for opportunities to improve services in this area.
Mione Goldspinkre: resiting of Herts & EssexSchool and Bishop’s StortfordHigh School.
The County Council has supported the proposals made by the Bishop’s Stortford High School and the Herts and Essex High School to relocate to a new site at Whittington Way; has looked carefully at all the possible alternatives and, on balance, considered that the relocation and phased expansion represented a ‘best fit’ solution for the future of secondary education in Bishop’s Stortford.
The proposals were considered by the Development Control Committee or East Herts Council on 9 December 2008. The report to that meeting by the planning officers of East Herts Council recommended that the schools’ proposals to relocate to the Whittington Way site be rejected. As a result, the schools withdrew their planning application in order to review their proposals.
The County Council will continue to work with the two secondary schools and the wider community in Bishop’s Stortford to ensure that the future need for secondary school places can be met.
The petitioner has been informed of this.
Ian Simpson from Ashwell re: condition of roads and footways in North Herts
Mr Simpson was written to in December 2008 explaining the County Council’s approach to highway maintenance, its increased investment levels over recent years and how that had been deployed in the North Herts area. The letter also quantified our plans for works in the area for the coming years, subject, of course to budget constraints
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