Gerrards CrossParish Council

Report from Cllr. Peter Hardy and Cllr. Roger Reed.

HIGHWAYS
1. Road resurfacing
A number of roads in Gerrards Cross have been resurfaced in the past year as part of the County Council's £30m "We're Working On It" programme. Most recently the stretch of the Packhorse Road from the A40 traffic lights to Marsham Way was completed. Tesco has made a contribution of £10k to the cost of this work. We have made a good start in tackling the maintenance backlog across the County but it will take several years to fully address the problem.
2. Pothole Repair
The first duty of the Highways Authority is to keep the roads safe, focusing on dangerous defects (Category 1 potholes). However, the crews often repair the category 1 pothole and leave wider areas of defect which then deteriorate and necessitate a further visit. We are now introducing new technology and different methods so that we can work more efficiently. Our success in pothole repair is limited though by the fact that 50 per cent of potholes occur in roads which really require resurfacing, without which the underlying defect cannot be satisfactorily repaired.
3. Parking
This November the County Council intends to introduce civil enforcement of parking restrictions in South Bucks. We already enforce parking in the other Buckinghamshire districts. In Gerrards Cross this should help free up the one hour parking bays and discourage illegal parking particularly in the Packhorse Road. Once the new enforcement is in place we will undertake a review to see what if any additional restrictions need to be introduced in residential roads.

4. Tesco traffic lights
Tesco have finally complied with all their obligations under the planning permission and the County Council will now be taking over responsibility for operation of the lights. Normally this would take place after one year but was delayed for a further six months because the synchronization of the lights was faulty.
SCHOOLS
Charges are being introduced this autumn for school transport principally affecting new secondary school pupils not attending their nearest school. These charges are regrettable but essential given the state of the County council finances. Previous proposals from last year were dropped and a full and very thorough consultation undertaken. The cost per pupil is limited to £10 per week.
ENERGY FROM WASTE
The County Council Cabinet will be deciding in May whether to proceed with a £200m investment in an Energy from Waste plans at Calvert in north Buckinghamshire. The Wapseys Wood landfill site is on schedule for closure in 2017.
HS2
The Leader of the County Council Martin Tett has been in the forefront of opposition to the HS2 proposals which would affect large tracts of our beautiful Buckinghamshire countryside. He is doing a great job in protecting Buckinghamshire interests.

12th April 2012