Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Transport Manager.

As requested at the meeting held on 11 September 2012, Chris Williams, Transport Manager attended to present the draft updated policy on Available Walking Routes to School.

Chris Williams explained that the need to review the Council’s Available Walking Routes to School policy had arisen due to a recent Local Ombudsman Case which had criticised another local authority for the way their policy had been drafted and implemented. As a result, this had caused the Council, among with most other local authorities, to re-examine the approach to their policies and working practices.

Chris Williams noted that as the Council had inherited its policy from the former Cheshire County Council, its walking routes had not been assessed for a significant amount of time. This meant that due to infrastructure changes some routes could now be deemed safe whilst others might have become unsafe. Chris Williams explained that as it would take time to review the routes, changes would occur gradually. When a route had been re-assessed and a change of status was deemed necessary, Chris Williams reported that local ward Councillors would be informed prior to communication with schools and parents.

It was commented that it appeared that the policy had been revised to be much more stringent and therefore a number of routes would become ‘safe’ walking routes as opposed to being formally ‘unsafe’.

RESOLVED –

a)    That the report be noted

b)    That it be recommended that the importance of informing local ward Councillors of a proposed change to a route be emphasised in the report.