Agenda and draft minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED: That all items be considered in public.

Councillors Dhillon, Lakhmana and Morse were in attendance as Ward Councillors for Pinkwell.

Councillor Burrows welcomed the petitioners and attendees to the meeting, and asked the attendees to stand for a minute's silence to remember the lives of Harry Rice, George Wilkinson and Josh McGuinness, who were recently killed in an accident on Shepiston Lane.

At the invitation of the Cabinet Member, the Borough Solicitor issued a statement regarding the sensitivity of the situation, and requested that any comments or discussions be strictly confined to the issue of road safety on Shepiston Lane. The reasons for this being that one individual had already been charged by the police and he is before the criminal courts. There is also an ongoing police investigation and therefore nothing should be said or done which would, in any way, prejudice either the court proceedings or the police investigation.

The Cabinet Member offered his personal condolences to the family and friends of Harry, George and Josh. Councillor Burrows also noted that during his tenure as Cabinet Member for Planning, Transportation and Recycling, this was the most difficult petition that had been considered, due to the tragic circumstances and level of passion surrounding the petition, but commended the petitioners for their efforts raising the petition, that had received over 27,000 signatures.

Councillor Burrows confirmed that, due to the conditions under which the petition was being heard, the usual speaking times and procedures would not be upheld at the meeting, and the petitioners were able to speak for as long as they wished.

Mr Jake Webb, the lead petitioner, then addressed the Cabinet Member, and thanked everyone for taking the time to listen to the petitioners' concerns. Mr Webb commented that the petition started due to the unsafe nature of Shepiston Lane, Hayes, as there were not enough traffic calming measurements in place and the speed limit was too high. Mr Webb noted that over the last week, the speed limit had been changed to 40mph, the streets were better lit and the pavements widened, while the Council continued to work with the Police, the Fire Service and Transport for London (TfL) to further improve the safety of the road.

The Cabinet Member heard that the petitioners believed a lot had been achieved already, but they still supported the addition of one final speed calming measure, either in the form of a crossing, speed cameras or speed humps. Mr Webb commented that there was only one crossing on a very long road, and with the Sports Centre, graveyard, and a number of bus stops, it was important to protect pedestrians in the area, especially vulnerable people at busy times.

Melissa Blackwell, the sister of Josh McGuinness, addressed the Cabinet Member and noted that she had spoken to someone whose son was seriously injured in an accident on Shepiston Lane, and commented that the road was very dangerous. The Cabinet Member heard that speed limit signs did not slow down the traffic,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.