Agenda and draft minutes

Councillor Lucas was proposed by Councillor Brown and seconded by Councillor Dymock. Councillor Lucas was appointed. 

Councillor Dymock was proposed by Councillor Lucas and seconded by Councillor Brown. 

There were no other nominations; Councillor Dymock was appointed. 

None. 

None. 

Cabinet Member Catrin Maby introduced the report. Geraint Roberts delivered a presentation, and answered the members’ questions with Gareth Freeman and Deb Hill-Howells: 

How can councillors help to identify and address local road safety concerns, given the emphasis on collaboration working? 

Councillors are an important source of local intelligence and we do consider concerns that are raised with us. However, we also have to look at collision and casualty data and use that evidence to determine priorities. As a small team, we need to focus our resources and funding on the areas where they will have the greatest impact on reducing injuries and improving road safety. 

How will the strategy work with Gwent Police to deal with dangerous driving and other road safety issues? 

Partnership working with Gwent Police is an important part of what we do. One of the key tools available is Operation Snap, which allows members of the public to submit dashcam footage or other video evidence. That evidence is reviewed by GoSafe and the police and can lead to enforcement action. We recognise that some aspects of partnership working are stronger than others, but we continue to work closely with the police on road safety matters. 

What is being done about concerns that incidents reported through 101 are not always being recorded or acted upon? 

We recognise those concerns and will raise them through the Road Safety Forum, where Gwent Police and other partners meet regularly. While we cannot control police operational decisions, we can make sure the concerns raised by councillors are fed into those discussions and seek feedback from the relevant partners. 

Why does the strategy appear to focus on some areas more than others, such as St Arvans, Chepstow and Monmouth rather than Severnside? 

The locations identified in the strategy are based on the road safety data available to us. We analyse local collision and casualty information and use that evidence to determine where interventions and funding should be targeted. The aim is to prioritise areas where the data indicates the greatest road safety risk. 

What school travel plans are in place for children travelling from Severnside to Chepstow School? 

School travel plans are supported by the Road Safety Team, but responsibility for maintaining them rests with the schools themselves. Officers have been working with schools across Monmouthshire to encourage the development of travel plans, and around 25 schools currently have plans in place. We will follow up with Chepstow School to establish the current position and encourage further progress if required. 

What do the 85 safe routes to school involve, and how are you addressing dangerous parking outside schools? 

The safe routes work involves assessing the routes children use to travel to and from school. We identify road safety concerns, recommend safer crossing points and routes, and share that information with schools to support active travel. Parking outside school gates remains a significant issue, so we are promoting initiatives such as walk-to-school schemes, cycle training and school streets. We are also encouraging  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Councillor Dymock requested that school transport be added to the work programme. She said this was becoming a significant issue for residents and wanted scrutiny to examine the operation, accessibility and reliability of school transport services, particularly the role of Newport Transport in providing transport for out-of-catchment pupils. A review of the Home to School Transport Policy is already scheduled for January, but it was agreed that a separate meeting could be convened as a Special meeting in order to address the members’ and residents’ concerns specifically. – ACTION  

Councillor Dymock requested a future item on Environmental Health reporting processes, explaining that both residents and councillors were experiencing difficulties submitting video evidence when reporting problems because there was no straightforward mechanism for uploading larger files. She suggested scrutiny should explore how the process could be improved. The suggestion was noted as a potential future work programme item. – ACTION 

Councillor Dymock also requested a future discussion with Welsh Water, particularly its operational team. She referred to two recent burst water mains in Portskewett that had resulted in loss of water supply and road closures, arguing that scrutiny should hear directly from the organisation about service resilience and operational performance. The request was noted for consideration as a future committee item. – ACTION 

Members were advised that several new items had recently appeared on the Cabinet and Council Forward Planner. Because some of these reports are complex and scheduled to proceed directly to Council, it was suggested that members might benefit from an informal workshop session with officers, similar to previous Local Development Plan workshops. – ACTION: to organise

The minutes were agreed.