Following a recent report in the Hampshire Chronicle, there’s been quite a bit of confusion about whether 20 mph will be enforced in Winchester or not.
In order to sort this out, I wrote to the Police Commissioner and the Chief Constable – and now I have their answers.
One of the things I’m most keen to do as a Councillor is encourage and support walking in Winchester.
I’ve been a campaigner for 20 mph zones for years. Since election to the County Council, I’ve successfully pushed to get pro-walking schemes on the development programme for Romsey Road and Stockbridge Road (and, yes, I’ve asked that these should include improved crossings at Boscobel Road and Clifton Terrace/St James’ Terrace). And my work with the Men’s Health Forum has made me only too well aware of the health benefits of walking. Read the excellent Walking Works report by Public Health England, the Ramblers and Macmillan Cancer Support if you want to know more about walking and health.
One of the other initiatives that I’m involved with is the Winchester Walking Strategy Group – chaired by my council colleague Robert Hutchison – and with the expert input and advice of Liz Kessler. And it was during one of these meetings that I thought I’d tweet and Facebook a question to see what local social media users might have to say about walking in Winchester.
At a meeting to discuss a walking strategy for Winchester. What do _you_ think we should do to help get more journeys made on foot?
— Martin Tod (@mpntod) April 1, 2014
And I was pleasantly surprised by the response:
I’ve been getting some emails from local residents who are concerned about a threat to local lollipop people – I think as a result of this Living Streets campaign (an organisation I would normally support – indeed, I’d be quite keen to get a local branch going here!).
This has come as a bit of surprise, since a combination of campaigning by local people, hard work by local school governors, teachers and council officers and pressure from local councillors has just helped us get two more locally – one in Cheriton Road and one in Stockbridge Road. Â I was chatting to the newly appointed lollipop man in Stockbridge Road only two days ago!
For your information (not least because Hampshire County Council doesn’t put submissions on its website), our response to the planning application for Westgate School.
While the architecture of the new school buildings is of a high standard – irresponsibly inadequate attention has been given to the traffic, transport and safety issues arising from 420 new primary pupils attending the expanded Westgate School; and the proposed relocation of the nursery school. Planning permission for the new school buildings should be withheld until there is a clear plan, with timetable and budget, for investing in transport infrastructure in the vicinity of the school in order to create a safer environment around the school with new measures to reduce congestion and increase safety in and around Cheriton Road and to make it easier for the majority of the 4-16 year old pupils to walk for some or all of their journey to school or – for the older pupils – to cycle.
The current planning application is not in accordance with paragraph 35 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that ‘plans should protect and exploit opportunities for the use of sustainable transport modes …[and] should be …designed where practical to give priority to pedestrian and cycle movements’.   Nor is it in accordance with Policy T5 in the Winchester District Local Plan Review (2006) or CP21 in the Winchester District Local Plan Part 1 – Joint Core Strategy.   The creation of 420 new school places is a major development and the planning application currently itemizes little or no investment in off-site highway improvements including new and improved pedestrian and cycling facilities.  In addition the application is not in accordance with the West Fulflood & Orams Arbour Neighbourhood Design Statement (NDS), published in 2008.
Several people have emailed me asking questions about Winchester’s support for homeless people during the recent cold weather. I checked with the council’s Housing Options and Support Manager, Steve Tong, and he’s confirmed that the council is currently taking the following actions:
The Council and its partners undertook a rough sleeper count in accordance with DCLG guidelines on 7th November 2012 which recorded 7 people sleeping rough that night.
Winchester Churches Nightshelter has seventeen regular bed spaces for homeless people. During cold weather in the winter months, the Nightshelter increases its capacity with four additional beds funded by the Council under the terms of the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol. SWEP has operated for several nights in the past month. As well as meals and accommodation, the Nightshelter offers an extensive range of support services to its residents.
Trinity Winchester provides a Day Centre for rough sleepers and homeless people, providing hot meals and drinks, and a range of support, counselling and activities to clients. The Council is providing funding to Trinity to offer a personalised budget to rough sleepers, and currently seven clients are in bed and breakfast accommodation paid for via this arrangement.
In addition the council itself currently has three men in its own homelessness accommodation who were sleeping rough until we accepted them into temporary housing.
An outreach service operates three mornings per week operated by Trinity and the Nightshelter which seeks to work with rough sleepers and ensure they have access to the services available.
There are two known rough sleepers who don’t engage with the available services and up to another ten known homeless individuals who are not sleeping rough, but bedding down with friends & relatives.
The national StreetLink telephone line is now live 0300 5000 914 which enables concerned members of the public to alert local authorities to rough sleepers in their area and the Council is signed-up to responding to any referrals made via this service. The website address is http://www.streetlink.org.uk
Officers are also working with neighbouring authorities to develop an effective sub-regional response to the national ‘No Second Night Out’ programme and discussing with local partner agencies how we can best implement this initiative in Winchester.
If you’re interested in doing something to help local homeless people more directly (and I realise you may be doing this already), the Night Shelter is always looking for donations or volunteers (see http://www.wcns.org.uk/volunteer/) as is Trinity (http://www.trinitywinchester.org.uk/). I know from personal experience doing ‘overnighters’ at the Night Shelter and shaking buckets for Trinity, that more help (and money) is always needed.