Issue - meetings

The report before Members detailed a Non-key Executive Decision that had sought to possibly introduce a Controlled Parking Zone in the Upminster Bridge area.

An informal questionnaire had been sent out to all residents of the area and the results had been reported back to the Highways Advisory Committee in July 2018.

At the July meeting Members had agreed that a Residents Parking Zone be designed and formally consulted on with residents.

A requisition signed by Councillors Gerry O’Sullivan and Clarence Barrett had called-in the Executive Decision taken on 21 September 2018.

The reasons for the requisition were as follows:

1 The consultation that originally went out to residents in 2017 did not give a range of options the residents could choose from. The Highways Advisory Committee had recently agreed with the Highways Department for a fuller set of options to be offered to residents and this was due to go out to the residents in August. This had not yet happened

2 The response from the residents to the 2017 consultation was not conclusive and Members felt the residents were not fully engaged in such a major change.

3 A one size fits all approach was not likely to work. More work needed to be done in order to achieve the required result without causing major disruption.

4 After due consideration the scheme could have a major impact on surrounding roads not only in the St Andrews Ward but also in Upminster, Emerson Park & Hacton wards.

It was felt that such a major change needed further work before it progressed from an informal to a formal consultation.

During the debate Members asked for and received several points of clarification which were provided by the Council’s Highways officers.

Members expressed concerns that there had been a lack of consultation and that there was a number of responses that had been returned with no identifiable home address.

Members also felt that the original scheme was flawed and out of date and that a new round of informal consultation should take place as the existing proposals did not meet with ward councillor’s agreement.  

The vote for the decision as to whether to uphold or dismiss the call-in was carried by 8 votes to 7 with 1 abstention.

Councillors Hawthorn, Barrett, Morgon, Mugglestone, Summers, Williamson, Darvill and Mylod voted to uphold the call-in.

Councillors P Crowder, J Crowder, Wallace, Misir, Patel, Burton and White voted to dismiss the call-in.

Councillor Wise abstained from voting.

It was RESOLVED that the call-in of the Executive Decision dated 21 September 2018 be upheld and referred to Cabinet for its consideration.