Minutes:
Councillor David Griffin introduced the item, referring to previous discussions at the Ward Alliance and Area Council regarding the provision of Traffic Regulation Orders to prevent inconsiderate parking and increase safety in certain areas of both wards.
Following discussions with officers and cabinet members, a suggestion was made that Community Safety be adopted as a priority for the Area Council, with a financial allocation to support delivery against this being made available from Area Council funds. A Community Safety Panel could then be established to oversee the strategic allocation of these finances in line with criteria agreed by the Area Council.
The proposal was discussed in some detail, noting that Community Safety was not currently a priority and it had not emerged in previous discussions on the subject of priorities. However, it was recognised that it had the potential to do so through the consultation planned.
Concern was expressed that the panel could be inundated with applications, the majority of which could not be funded if the budget allocated was only relatively small. However it was recognised that, if the application of criteria was transparent, then the reasons behind decisions could be easily understood and communicated.
Members noted the lack of resources to enforce any parking violations on yellow lines, but it was acknowledged that they often encouraged responsible parking.
It was acknowledged that the proposal would allow the funding of such as Traffic Regulation Orders which had been highlighted as an issue for the area, but were not considered a priority to fund from central budgets. Suggestions were made to more fully develop the proposal, consulting with relevant officers, in order to ensure this was not contravening any protocols and was within the powers of the Area Council.
RESOLVED that the proposal be more fully developed, before being discussed at a future meeting of the Area Council.