Agenda item

Road Safety around Schools Task and Finish Group - Final Draft Report

Meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Board, Monday 1st October 2018 6.00 p.m. (Item 44/18)

Minutes:

Councillor C. Bloore presented the findings and recommendations from the Scrutiny Investigation undertaken by the Road Safety Around Schools Task Group.

The matter was brought to Council’s attention at its meeting on 26^th April, 2017, when Members considered the following notice of motion, put forward by Councillor P. McDonald:

“That this Council increases its capacity regarding Enforcement Officers toensure that parking around our schools is safe and that our High streets stop resembling the Wild West because of a lack of enforcement”.

Council had requested that the Overview and Scrutiny Board undertook a review ofall aspects of Parking Enforcement and that appropriate funding bemade available to support the outcome of the review.

The Task Group had met on six occasions from February to September 2018,to discuss the matter in more detail. During the course of the investigation,interviews were undertaken with representatives from Parking Services,County Highways, West Mercia Police, the Environmental Services Manager and the relevant Portfolio Holders.

In addition, Members of the public responded to a press release issued on behalf of the Task and Finish Group. The Head Teachers from Primary, First and Middle Schools had also been contacted for their comments.

The Task and Finish Group had alsoconsidered a best practice guide by Living Streets on ‘How to get morechildren walking to school’, the Worcestershire’s Local Transport Plan (LTP)2018-2030 and examples of work undertaken in Manchester, the use and effectiveness of mobile vehicle CCTV cameras and the Solihull Council School Streets Pilot.

Members welcomed the report and supported the recommendations. Furthermore, Members recognised that more work had to be done around road safety and parking around schools.

Members requested that the report to be disseminated to all schools across the Bromsgrove District. The Senior Democratic Services Officer advised that the report would be published on the Council’s website.

Councillor Bloore concluded by thanking all Members and officers involved in the Task Group.

RESOLVED that the Road Safety around Schools Task and Finish Group Final Draft Report to be noted.

(a) That the details on the Council’s website in respect of Parking Services be located in a more prominent position to encourage residents to report local parking concerns;

(b) That Officers’ investigate all options for using of mobile CCTV vehicles in Bromsgrove and report back the findings to Members;

(c) That Members are provided with the contact details of the local Safer Neighbourhood Team in order that this information can be shared with residents to enable local issues to be recorded and enforcement action to be prioritised accordingly;

(d) That Parking Services and the Safer Neighbourhood Team discuss and jointly prioritise enforcement action; and

(e) The Officers investigate the option to employ an additional Parking Enforcement Officer whose role would be dedicated to looking at road safety around schools.

RECOMMENDED that the Road Safety around Schools Task and Finish Group report and recommendations be submitted to Worcestershire County Council for approval:

(a) That Officers from Worcestershire County Council and the Council contact Solihull Council to look at the pilot exclusion zone scheme in order to consider it as an option in some areas within Bromsgrove District and report back any findings to Members; and

(b) That Worcestershire County Council Highways Team, together with representatives from the Safer Neighbourhood Team and Parking Services come together to discuss a joint campaign to address parking issues around schools and ongoing collective action on this matter.

Supporting documents: