Cumbria County Council September meeting
Returned home a short while ago after the September meeting of the County Council.
(Didn't come straight home - I spent some time working at county hall before making the drive back through the lakes as I had to catch up on some issues relating to my job.)
An interesting meeting which approved the Minerals plan and received important reports on the Youth Offender service and "corporate parenting" (e.g. the council's responsibilities towards children)
Perhaps the most contentious part of the meeting was the half hour allocated for questions from members of the council to the Leader and Cabinet,
I asked the portfolio holder for Highways about the Strategic road network in the West of the county - particularly the A595 but also other roads such as the A596, A590 and A5092.
I asked if he would agree with me that the capacity of these roads is well below the demand, with serious adverse impacts on both the economy of the entire West coast and the quality of life for residents in practically every town and village along and near them, and that it should be one of the most important priorities for the council to improve them, both in the sections we are responsible for and working with other agencies such as Highways England on the stretches they manage.
I'm not going to try to quote his reply in full but I think it would be fair to precis it as "yes".
To some people on the West coast this may seem like an exchange of obvious comments but I thought it important to keep up the pressure for action on the A595 and other key roads in the area and there is nothing like bringing up a problem at every meeting of a public body to focus minds.
(Didn't come straight home - I spent some time working at county hall before making the drive back through the lakes as I had to catch up on some issues relating to my job.)
An interesting meeting which approved the Minerals plan and received important reports on the Youth Offender service and "corporate parenting" (e.g. the council's responsibilities towards children)
Perhaps the most contentious part of the meeting was the half hour allocated for questions from members of the council to the Leader and Cabinet,
I asked the portfolio holder for Highways about the Strategic road network in the West of the county - particularly the A595 but also other roads such as the A596, A590 and A5092.
I asked if he would agree with me that the capacity of these roads is well below the demand, with serious adverse impacts on both the economy of the entire West coast and the quality of life for residents in practically every town and village along and near them, and that it should be one of the most important priorities for the council to improve them, both in the sections we are responsible for and working with other agencies such as Highways England on the stretches they manage.
I'm not going to try to quote his reply in full but I think it would be fair to precis it as "yes".
To some people on the West coast this may seem like an exchange of obvious comments but I thought it important to keep up the pressure for action on the A595 and other key roads in the area and there is nothing like bringing up a problem at every meeting of a public body to focus minds.
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