hertscouncillors.org A message from Stephen

A message from Stephen

November / December 2005

The current biggest issue facing local residents in my Division and Watford is the fire cover one. We have now entered the formal public consultation of the county Integrated Risk Management Plan- Fire and Rescue service to you and me. Herts Direct had a "paper type" consultation asking for views by the 30th November but the formal public consultation does not finish till the 31st of January.

Residents can email their views direct to the irmp.project@hertscc.gov.uk. Just so residents know I am opposing the reduction in cover very hard, especially as Central Watford has the highest number of fires in the entire county area. To reduce to just one appliance (fire engine) being available for 12 hours a day (from 9pm to 9am) is in my view wrong. I have discussed this matter at length at both the Watford Fire Station, with the crews from Garston and Watford and with chief Fire Officers. I was pleased to be able to join in November the Fire march and rally on a rather wet day in Watford just to show my support.

At present the two pumps at Watford regularly reach fires at night within 5 to 6 minutes. Under the proposal the second pump from another station need not attend for you to 13 minutes. This is wrong - apart from moving over 400 current calls dealt with at Watford to another station. I have urged residents to make their views know on this.

Whilst on this subject I have now been told that there is no requirement for the matter to be debated by all 77 elected County Councillors. The decision can be made by just these 7 councillors (all Conservative) who make up the council's Cabinet. I believe this is wrong and am asking that all County Councillors, as your elected representatives, get a say in this important and indeed vital life saving decision.

My prime concern has always been to get the best deal for residents in Central Watford and then for Watford and for other county residents. As local residents know this has focused on environment issues and in particular traffic and highways issues. That is not surprising as South West Herts is the most congested part of the county. I have continued to work to get traffic improvements and am pleased that the new messages signs - some of which are working on the ring road - are up and running at last.

At last the traffic calming works in Water Lane have been completed making it safer for residents. As I write I am waiting confirmation that two new speed cameras will go in to Eastbury Road near Kingsfield Road to reduce speeding and accidents here.

At this time of year the county is considering what roads and footways are repaired next year and what road safety schemes will be done. In Watford, as in other areas, we have a Joint Member Panel on Highways. Here in Watford it's made up of 6 Borough Councillors and the 6 County Councillors. I am again this year its chair (we rotate the chairmanship between County and Borough members each year with the other being the vice chair).

At our November meeting we were given the new draft plans for next year. They do not make good reading as only a few roads will have complete resurfacing and even less footways. Indeed the ones planned for works were already included in the list for this year but not yet done. All of us on the Panel felt that once again Watford was getting a raw deal - especially as several highways projects have been deferred until 2007/08!

There may however be some light at the end of the tunnel because the County is considering a major borrowing requirement of £100m plus to improve our roads and footways over the next five years. This is something I approve of and indeed was suggested by my group leader at the budget making council meeting earlier this year. I still have concerns that the suggested £10m of this that is putting aside for footways is no where near enough. We need at least double that spent. There are few roads in Watford that do not need footway works!

EDF (the company that fixes our street light connections) still has a poor record in sorting out defective lights especially in Watford. I would welcome residents comments and reports of faults.

As I mentioned in my October report I am at present chairing meetings investigating the massive "overspend" on the St Albans Town Centre Highways scheme (from its original £1.8m to now over £5m). We are now drawing up our final report (which will be published on the web) and its clear to me that a number of procedures have not been followed as they should and that a number of changes are required in the way the County manages major projects - not least the greater involvement of elected members.

In the meantime I would welcome comments and views from residents not just in Watford but across the county on how the environment department and in particular how Herts Highways is performing.

Stephen Giles-Medhurst