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Petitions received 2022/23

 
Answer:

Date received: 05 April 2022
Signatories received: 1
Name of petitioner: Ms C Gray

Petition response:

To view the response - view our mod.gov petitions page

Answer:

Date received: 26 July 2022
Signatories received: 2765
Name of petitioner: Mr S Burges

Petition response:

To view the response please see our e petitions page

 

Answer:

Date received: 09 September 2022
Signatories received: 1187
Name of petitioner: Mrs P Krupski

Petition response:

Thank you for your petition concerning the 406 Uttoxeter Town Circular bus service.

This service was provided on a commercial basis by the operator Midland Classic, now Diamond Bus, meaning that it did not receive any subsidy.  All bus services in the area suffered a dramatic drop in patronage during the pandemic.  Unfortunately, passenger numbers have still not returned to their previous levels.  In particular, concessionary pass usage – which the 406 was heavily reliant on – remains low.  At the same time, there has been significant inflation in operating costs.  Combined with low passenger numbers, the service had ceased to be commercially sustainable.

The County Council have made available funding for a number of bus services for a 12 month period, utilising Department for Transport grant funds.  The 406 will now benefit from 12 months financial support to enable it to continue operating and grow back patronage.  In that time we urge all residents, and in particular concessionary pass holders to return to using the service to help rebuild it as a sustainable bus route.

I hope that this provides the assurance that you are seeking about the continued operation of the 406 service.

Answer:

Date received: 29 September 2022
Signatories received: 71
Name of petitioner: Mr D Leese

Petition response:

I refer to the petition, signed by local residents regarding the request for the removal or pollarding of the lime tree’s on Hillport Avenue. Receipt of the petition will be reported to County Councillor Hutton.

Our resource for highway tree maintenance is limited, and our priority is to address issues with trees which are dead, diseased or dying. Any other type of highway tree maintenance is subject to resource availability and in the event that ad hoc maintenance works are raised these will be given a category of priority in accordance with our routine and reactive inspection regime. 

There are a variety of potential natural nuisances associated with trees, most of which are minor or seasonal and considered to be normal and acceptable consequences of living near trees. Examples of such problems are:

falling leaves, twigs, sap, blossom, fruit, nuts, bird and insect droppings, germinating seedlings in gardens, leaves falling into gutters, drains or onto flat roofs, the build-up of algae on fences, paths or other structures and trees affecting tv or radio signal reception.  

These issues associated with trees can be an inconvenience they are not recognised as a legal nuisance and are not justification for the removal or pruning of a highway tree. Further information regarding trees may be found on the following web page Trees - Staffordshire County Council

If a resident suspects that the roots of a Staffordshire County Council tree are causing damage to their property, for example the foundations or private drainage, you must get evidence from a professional tree/property surveyor and submit any evidence with a Claim via the following web page which also provides additional information regarding claiming: Claims - Staffordshire County Council.

Any specific concerns where there may be property interference due to overhanging branches should be reported via Report It or the MyStaffs app.

Once this report has been received, an inspection of the tree will be arranged to confirm if it is necessary for pruning works to be carried out.

I also need to highlight at this point that in general the practice of pollarding is not undertaken on highway trees, although this was undertaken in the past, since this can adversely affect the health of the tree and introduce issues for the ongoing maintenance of a tree.

In the meantime, for further details on how the council prioritises these concerns, please view information within the ‘weeds, grass, trees and hedges’ section which can be found within the Highways pages of our website www.staffordshire.gov.uk.

Yours sincerely

David Greatbatch
Strategic Community Infrastructure Manager

Answer:

Date received: 13 October 2022
Signatories received: 613
Name of petitioner: Clare Gilg

Petition response:

I refer to the petition, signed by local residents and businesses regarding the closure of Shay Lane. I can advise you that receipt of the petition will be reported to Cllr David Williams, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport.

The road closure on Shay Lane is in place due to the partial collapse of a highway culvert.

The arch of the culvert has broken into segments and is not stable, as such the County Council on advice of our highway engineers have made the decision on safety grounds to close Shay Lane until further notice.

Our asset management team have added Shay Lane to the asset risk register which will prompt organisational discussions to consider its priority, potential engineering solutions, and financial streams.

We apologise for the inconvenience whilst the closure is in place and encourage road users to use the official signed diversion rather than other local routes which may be unsuitable for larger vehicles. The closure will be monitored daily, and the diversion route will be treated over the winter season.

Answer:

Date received: 13 October 2022
Signatories received: 706
Name of petitioner: Mrs L Devey

Petition response:

Dear Mrs Devey,

RECEIPT OF PETITION – Pavements in Yoxall

I refer to the petition, signed by local residents and businesses regarding the condition of the footways in Yoxall.  I can advise you that receipt of the petition will be reported to Councillor Julia Jessel.

The footways mentioned in the petition are featured on our future structural works programme, as their condition is deemed beyond a preventative treatment, as they require reconstruction. The condition is being continually assessed on a priority basis against other proposed footway schemes across the County.

The carriageway scheme along the A515 corridor from Yoxall to Morrey was in 2012 and funding was received to go into the adjacent estate to begin resurfacing the footways.

The following year, footway works managed to be completed were:

  • Alwyn Road
  • Swarbourn Close
  • Lovell Road
  • Lightwood Road
  • Rookery Close

It was on completion of these schemes that they had planned to go and complete the final phase of the estate which includes all the roads that have been stated on the petition.

Unfortunately, in those intervening years, we were advised that they had not been able to get back into Yoxall, due to footway priorities being elsewhere in the County and more latterly no actual structural footway budget.

County Councillor Julia Jessel is currently in discussion with the Local Highways Team about her wish to advocate her funding in these areas. Although, this is still in discussion about the funding on these as it may be best to wait for structural funding to complete the long overdue works.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Rayson
Strategic Community Infrastructure Manager

Answer:

Date received: 18 November 2022
Signatories received: 1
Name of petitioner: Mr Lyons

Petition response:

Dear Mr Lyons,

Receipt of Petition – Make it mandatory for School Crossing Patrols to wear a Body Cam

I refer to the petition regarding the request for School Crossing Patrols to wear body cameras. I can advise you that receipt of the petition will be reported to the Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport, County Councillor David Williams.

Safety on our road network and the safety of our staff are both extremely important to the County Council.

The majority of Staffordshire’s parents/carers and drivers recognise the valuable service provided by our School Crossing Patrols and have due respect for our individual staff and for the legal powers they have to stop traffic.

All of our Patrols are trained to deal with instances where individuals do not drive with due care and attention or are personally abusive, and serious matters are reported to the Police.

The County Council will consider the wearing of body cameras by our School Crossing Patrols at specific locations and has been collaborating with a local school who wish to provide the necessary equipment. However, the legal and governance requirements regarding the use of surveillance equipment must be in place, to ensure personal images and data captured at the site is managed appropriately.

Yours sincerely,

Deborah Hunter
School Crossing Patrols Manager

Answer:

Date received: 1 December 2022
Signatories received: 5
Name of petitioner: Mr Steventon

Petition response:

Dear Mr Steventon,

Re: B4176

Thank you for your petition.

Staffordshire County Council takes road safety extremely seriously and as such we appreciate the time you have taken to contact the Council with your concerns.

Staffordshire County Council has a statutory responsibility to study road collisions in its area and act as appropriate to reduce their numbers.

The B4176 does not currently meet the criteria in terms of speed related collisions for the Council to consider further investigation at this time, but we will of course continue to monitor data for this location.

If a pattern of treatable collisions emerges then remedial measures, proportionate to the accident problem, will be proposed and prioritised against other locations across Staffordshire.

If vehicles are not adhering to the current speed limit then we would encourage you to report your concerns to the Police, who are the main enforcement agency for motoring offences and have the necessary powers to enforce speeding vehicles.

Details of how we use objective data to make informed decisions about road safety improvements, as well as information on how these are funded, are available in the Road Safety section of our website.

I trust the above is of assistance.

Answer:

Date received: 09 February 2023
Signatories received: 594
Name of petitioner: St Luke's CE Academy

Petition response:

RE: Receipt of Petition – Request for Traffic Light Controlled Crossing outside St Luke’s CE Academy, A53 Leek Road, Endon

I refer to the petition regarding the request for the provision of a traffic light controlled crossing outside St Luke’s CE Academy following the difficulties recruiting a School Crossing Patrol, which was presented by County Councillor Flunder at the County Council meeting of 9 February 2023.

As highlighted within the petition there is ongoing difficulties recruiting to the vacant School Crossing Patrol, but advertising of this vacancy continues with the most recent advert for this vacancy, and other vacant School Crossing Patrol posts across the county, closing on 16 April 2023.

Filling this position remains the preferred option and the School Crossing Patrols Manager confirmed that the school is being very supportive with the recruitment drive and in the meantime, where possible, the School Crossing Patrol outside St Luke’s is covered with a Mobile Crossing Patrol.

Notwithstanding the above, County Councillor Flunder has committed funding from his Divisional Highway Programme (DHP) allocation for an investigation regarding the request for a push button crossing for St Luke’s. This will include a report to confirm the suitability for such a provision at this location and the estimated cost for the installation, as well as consideration of the current situation and general safety in the vicinity of the school.

I am unable to give a timescale for when this investigation and associated report will be completed but please be assured it will progress as quickly as is practicable, as the team resources and their workload permits.

Yours sincerely

David Greatbatch
Community Highway Manager

Answer:

Date received: 02 February 2023
Signatories received: -
Name of petitioner: Broad Lane Residents Association, Essington Parish Council

Petition response:

RE: Broad Lane - Petition

Thank you for your correspondence relating to the residents petition and the current traffic calming measures on Broad Lane Essington.

The works currently in progress on Broad Lane is an investment of £700,000 in structural maintenance including carriageway, footway and kerbing works. The carriageway resurfacing works will include the replacement of the infrastructure already in place including the existing road humps.

The reason we have to replace the current traffic calming measures is due to a legal order (Traffic Regulation Order) which is in place and would require a formal legal process including Statutory consultations before considering adjustment or removal of such measures.

The calming measures on Broad Lane have been put in for a reason with previous support from the local community and their representatives. As Broad Lane is a long straight section of highway, without such measures in place, traffic speeds may increase which in turn increases risk and reduces safety.

Should road humps be considered for removal we would likely have to replace them in part with alternative measures such as a mix of road humps and build outs. The £700,000 available to us for reconstruction works would not cover any re-design, consultation and construction of alternative measures. To delay the surfacing works in order to investigate an alternative calming scheme would have meant we would have lost the opportunity for the current funding of these essential maintenance works.

The carriageway works began on Monday 20th February 2023 for a period of 17 days and further information will be sent out to residents shortly.

In terms of the Yellow line No Waiting restrictions these can of course be reviewed however as above these are legal restrictions and we would need to follow the same process to revoke the current Traffic Regulation Order.

Both Implementation and removal of restrictions are usually always funded by the local County Councillor’s Divisional Highway Programme (DHP), only a small number of areas can be targeted around the county each financial year and these sites will have been considered by the local Member to be a Local Community Priority. The request to remove these particular restrictions will be discussed with Cllr Kath Perry and Cllr Bernard Williams in the coming weeks.

Yours sincerely, 

David Williams
Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport

Answer:

Date received: 29 March 2023
Signatories received: 100
Name of petitioner: Ann Brooks (on behalf of the residents of Hadley End)

Petition response:

RECEIPT OF PETITION – Speed Limit in Hadley End, Yoxall

I refer to the petition, signed by local residents regarding the request regarding the speed limit extension for Hadley End, Yoxall. I can advise you that receipt of the petition will be reported to County Councillor Julia Jessel.

Staffordshire has one of the safest county council road networks in the country but we welcome and encourage; feedback from communities in relation to matters surrounding road safety. 

The vast majority of local issues recorded onto the DHP are regarding road safety and there are a number of measures that can be considered to address these concerns including: Road Safety Education in schools; speed enforcement initiatives and small scale engineering works.

All road safety considerations across the county are supported through the collation of objectively measured data which is used to design appropriate solutions. This data might include traffic speeds, traffic volumes and road traffic collision data involving personal injury - where this has been reported to the police.

The Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP) was setup in 2001 to make a positive contribution to achieving the Department for Transport's target to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.

SSRP consists of Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire County Council, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Highways Agency, Her Majesty's Court and Tribunals Service, Staffordshire Ambulance Service and the three Primary Care Trusts within Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.

I can confirm that this matter has been recorded on the Divisional Highway Programme (DHP) for the local County Councillor. They may consider funding further investigation into your concerns in the future, if the matter is considered a Local Community Priority over other similarly sincere highway concerns within the division. We are unable to confirm if (and when) an issue will be prioritised nor are we able to inform individuals of the status of their reported issue on an ongoing basis. 

Yours sincerely

Richard Rayson
Community Highways Manager

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