Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest made by Members.

There were no members of the public present.

The minutes of the Central Mon Area Committee meeting held on 22^nd June were confirmed and signed by the Chair.

In doing so it was noted that County Councillor V. Smith had attended the meeting.

We were advised of the petition presented to Monmouthshire County Council titled Toll House Traffic Lights.

The Head of Operations advised that any petition received by the authority must be reported to members at a committee, and Central Mon Area Committee was considered appropriate due to its local interest.  The petition had been signed by 82 people, and two signatories had suggested creating a mini roundabout.

Members were advised that the matter should be considered and prioritised along with other budget demands and funding available.

It was reasonable to assume that a budget of £80,000 would be necessary to carry out the installation, signage etc.

Members agreed that it was not always the condition of the road at fault but often inconsiderate drivers.

We heard that there were no grants available and this would be fully funded by the Authority.

We were advised that the Cabinet Member was aware of the petition but that any formal report to a cabinet member or to cabinet would depend upon the action decided by the committee.

Members raised concerns regarding the lack of communication, and the frustrations of finding out information second hand, often through Town Councils.

The report recommended that Members receive the petition and allow the request to be assessed and prioritised in line with other demands upon the Highways Capital Budget.

We resolved to accept the recommendation in the report.

We received a report to advise Members of concerns, raised by residents of Kymin Road, Wyesham, about inappropriate vehicular speeds and their request for MCC to install speed reduction measures.

The Chair highlighted the letter attached to the report from Nick Ramsay AM, and invited the Traffic and Network Manager to address the committee.

We heard that following receipt of the petition a review had been undertaken and an extensive seven day automated vehicular speeds and volume survey had been completed.  The assessment had shown average speeds of 26mph on straight sections of the highway and were therefore taken as representative.

The National Trust had also highlighted concerns regarding the A4136 junction.

Members were advised there were a good number of signs on the road, and there had been no accidents to date.

The report recommended that Members note the petition and letter received and that, based upon the results of the traffic surveys and officers’ assessment, no further action be considered at both Kymin Road and the junction of Kymin Road at the A4136.

We resolved to accept the recommendations.

The Head of Governance, Engagement and Improvement provided a report to update Members on the way the Council is changing its relationship with Town and Community Councils.

The following points were highlighted:

·         Members took the decision to establish a cross party, Member led working group to consider recommendations and decide upon a structure for community governance.

·         Five areas would be established, being Abergavenny, Monmouth, Usk, Caldicot and Chepstow.

·         The paper would be discussed at each Area Committee and be presented to Council on 20^th October.

·         Chris Jones had been commissioned to undertake a piece of work with Whole Place and all Members which would look at the name of group, terms of reference, how often groups should meet, and participation.  Therefore the report would be complete for Council.

·         Democratic Services/Member’s Secretary would be the point of contact at the Council for Town Councils.

·         A member of SLT had been allocated as a liaison officer to each of the five areas.

·         The terms of reference were expected to be very similar to that of Area Committees currently.

The Chair raised concerns that the recent grant application process had not been a smooth process, and expressed disappointment that applicants had not been informed of the outcomes in a timely manner.

Members of the committee concurred with the chair, expressing that the delay could be detrimental to local groups

The Head of Governance, Engagement and Improvement reassured Members that the review being undertaken would look at how grants were best administered.

A member questioned the cost of administration of grant applications.

We acknowledged the challenge of understanding the difference between revenue and capital and were assured that the process would improve going forward.

The Chair shared the following email response from the Traffic and Network Manager regarding the Monmouth pinch points:

Officers are currently preparing plans to discuss with the local members before proceeding to consult wider on the proposals. The resurfacing works on Hereford Road and Priory Street will proceed shortly and in advance of the wider works proposed for the upper section of Monnow Street and Agincourt Square.

The Officer advised the committee that the projects team were looking to fully engage with the community and suggested a meeting with local members to agree how best to take forward, with wider consultation.

The Head of Operations advised that public opinion was very much equally divided, but ultimately it would be a decision for Members.

We also noted that there was limited funding available for the resurfacing of Agincourt Square.

We noted parking issues at Hereford Road and a suggestion was made to invite the local inspector to the next meeting.

Members raised the following issues with officers:

·         Llanbadoc – camber changes and increased number of accidents.

·         Rockfield Road – visibility problems at new entrance.

·         Hedge cutting – letter drop to land owners suggested.

We noted the date and time of the next meeting as 2.00pm on Wednesday 21^st December 2016, to be held at County Hall, Usk.