Agenda item

To receive any questions or petitions.

Notes:

1.  The deadline for Member’s questions is 12.00pm four working days before the meeting (15 July 2013).

2.  The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting (12 July 2013).

3.  The deadline for petitions was 14 days before the meeting, and one petition has been received from the supporters of the Fortyfoot Road Safety Campaign:

We, the undersigned, hereby petition Surrey County Council to effect two actions on a major pressing health & safety issue. It is also an urgent matter of moral responsibility with a clear duty of care for the Council to:

1.   To make sound repair to the craters in Fortyfoot Road, Leatherhead without delay.

2.   To adopt the road permanently at the next County Council Cabinet meeting.

No public or Member questions had been received. One petition was received by the Committee:

“We, the undersigned, hereby petition Surrey County Council to effect two actions on a major, pressing health and safety issue. It is also an urgent matter of moral responsibility with a clear duty of care for the Council to:

1.    Make sound repairs to the craters in Fortyfoot Road, Leatherhead without delay; and

2.    Adopt the road permanently at the next County Council Cabinet meeting.”

Declarations of interest:

None.

Witnesses:

Mark Francis, Chairman, Fortyfoot Road Safety Campaign

Tom Francis, Local Resident

Susan Szepietowski, Parent, Woodlands School

Victoria Szepietowski, Pupil, Woodlands School

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.    A response to the petition was provided to the Fortyfoot Road Safety Campaign Group, which can be found attached to the minutes of this meeting.

2.    The witnesses wished to make the Committee fully aware of the issues and history of the road. They explained that 50 years ago the Highways Authority had agreed to adopt Fortyfoot Road, however this had not been completed and the road had since fallen into disrepair causing injury to residents. The Fortyfoot Road Safety Campaign Group explained the layout of the road with three visual aids, showing where different organisations including Woodlands School and the Beeches Care Home were positioned.

3.    Witnesses stressed the impact the current condition of the road had on students at Woodlands School. The school is for children with severe learning difficulties, with a majority of students using wheelchairs. It was explained that three students had injured spines and their movement needed to be carefully managed, however the current state of the road meant the children were being moved around significantly in the school buses and were afraid of travelling to school.

4.    The Chair of the Fortyfoot Road Safety Campaign summarised that the Group would like a long-term permanent solution to the issues highlighted by the petition, which would be for the County Council to adopt the road so it could be repaired. He presented the Chairman of the Committee with the petition signed by 2275 people requesting that the road be adopted by Surrey County Council.

5.    The Chairman of the Select Committee explained the Committee had no power to make a decision, however they did have three options – to note the petition, refer the matter to the Mole Valley Local Committee, or refer the matter to the Cabinet Member for Transport, Highways and Environment and request an update on options for further action.

6.    The Chairman provided the Committee with an overview of the rules for adopting roads. He explained that all people with a property frontage on the road would need to agree to the adoption and each would be required to pay their share of the repair costs required to bring it up to the standard for adoption, and that this cost would be relative to the frontage of the property. If the road was deemed dangerous then the County Council had the power to require the road be brought up to a safe standard at the cost of the relevant property owners.

7.    The Committee and Cabinet Member thanked the petitioners for presenting a very clear and professional petition to the Committee.

Recommendations:

a.    That the issues raised by the petition be referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport, Highways and Environment.

b.    That the Environment and Transport Select Committee receive an update regarding the outcome of an officer assessment of potential repairs for Fortyfoot Road at a future meeting.