Agenda and minutes

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Contact: Lara Knight, Governance Services Co-ordinator  Email:  lara.knight@coventry.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

16.

Declarations of Interests

Minutes:

Councillor Heaven declared an interest in the matter referred to in Minute 18 below, headed ‘Petition – Request or Barrier along 377a Green Lane’.  Her interest related to being a Governor at Finham Primary School.  She remained in the meeting and took part in the discussion but did not vote on the matter.

17.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 295 KB

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 3rd August 2022 were agreed and signed as a true record.  There were no matters arising.

18.

Petition - Request for Barrier along 377a Green Lane pdf icon PDF 498 KB

Report of the Director of Transportation and Highways

 

To consider the above petitions, bearing 10  signatures which is being supported by Councillor Blundell, a Wainbody Ward Councillor, who has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with the petition organiser.

 

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of Transportation and Highways, which responded to a petition requesting a barrier along 377a Green Lane, at the junction with Daleway Road.  The petition was supported by Councillor J Blundell, a Wainbody Ward Councillor, who, together with the Petition Organiser, attended the meeting and spoke on behalf of the petitioners. 

 

The petition submitted contained 10 signatures and in accordance to the City Council’s procedure for dealing with petitions, those related to on street parking are heard by the Cabinet Member for City Services.  The Cabinet Member had considered the petition in advance of this meeting and requested that the petition be dealt with by a determination letter rather than a formal report being submitted to a meeting, to be able to deal with the matter more efficiently.  On receipt of the determination letter, the petition organiser advised that he wanted the issue to be considered at a Cabinet Member for City Services meeting.

 

The report indicated that Daleway Road is a residential road off Green Lane, opposite Finham Primary School.  A location plan was appended to the report.  The determination letter, which was appended to the report, advised that there are existing double yellow lines that prohibit waiting on the pavement and road and that the Council would not propose an extension of the existing pedestrian guard rail, which is already more extensive than at many similar locations.  Civil Enforcement Officers increased patrols at the school and further visits were made before the end of the summer term.

 

Councillor Blundell and the Petition Organiser explained that the petition had been raised due to irresponsible parking in the area.  Cars were not only parking on the double yellow lines, but parking half across the pavement at school time.  There is also a pharmacy at the location and there have been issues with people accessing the pharmacy.  In addition, drivers have been sitting in their cars with their engines running to keep the driver cool.  It was highlighted that although the Council have been asking parents to move away from school entrances in order to reduce air pollution in the vicinity of the schools, this has not been happening.  The Petition Organiser drew to the Cabinet Member’s attention a recent publication by Francis Crick regarding the impact of air pollution and highlighted that additional fencing on the junction would move cars away from the school without major roadworks and would also deal with the air pollution.

 

Officers responded to clarify that double yellow lines cover both the road and the pavement and are subject to enforcement action.  It was accepted that running engines can have a negative impact on the area and it was recognised that, unfortunately, this is not uncommon outside schools.  Work is undertaken with schools directly to ensure that they reinforce the issues raised by advising parents not to park on double yellow lines and to turn engines off.

 

The Cabinet Member sought clarification that the school  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

19.

Petitions Determined by Letter and Petitions Deferred Pending Further Investigations pdf icon PDF 243 KB

Report of the Director of Transportation and Highways

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of Transportation and Highways in respect of petitions received relating to the portfolio of the Cabinet Member for City Services and how officers proposed to respond to them.

 

In June 2015, amendments to the Petitions Scheme, which formed part of the Constitution, were approved in order to provide flexibility and streamline current practice. This change had reduced costs and bureaucracy and improved the service to the public.

 

These amendments allow for a petition to be dealt with or responded to by letter without being formally presented in a report to a Cabinet Member meeting.

 

In light of this, at the meeting of the Cabinet Member for Public Services on 15 March 2016, it was approved that a summary of those petitions received which were determined by letter, or where decisions are deferred pending further investigations, be reported to subsequent meetings of the Cabinet Member for Public Services (now amended to Cabinet Member for City Services), where appropriate, for monitoring and transparency purposes.

 

Appendix A of the report set out all petitions received relating to the portfolio of the Cabinet Member for City Services and how officers proposed to respond to them.

 

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services endorse the actions being taken by officers as set out in Section 2 and Appendix A of the report in response to petitions received.

20.

Outstanding Issues

There are no outstanding issues

Minutes:

There were no outstanding issues.

21.

Any other items of Public Business

Any other items of public business which the Cabinet Member decides to take as matters of urgency because of the special circumstances involved

Minutes:

There were no other items of public business.