Agenda Document Pack - Petitions Board - 27/01/2025
Renfrewshire Council · 27 January 2025
Back to Petitions Board — 27 January 2025 and its agenda
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22/01/2025 Notice of Meeting and Agenda Petitions Board Date Time Venue Monday, 27 January 2025 14:00 Remotely via MS Teams, Membership Councillor Stephen Burns (Convener): Councillor Robert Innes (Depute Convener): Councillor Jennifer Adam: Councillor Edward Grady: Councillor Neill Graham: Councillor Lisa- Marie Hughes: Councillor David McGonigle: Councillor Jim Paterson: Councillor Ben Smith: Webcasting of Meeting This meeting will be filmed for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site – at the start of the meeting the Convener will confirm if all or part of the meeting is being filmed. To find the webcast please navigate to https://renfrewshire.public-i.tv/core/portal/home Further Information - online meetings only This meeting is on-line only but is a meeting which is open to members of the public by prior arrangement. A copy of the agenda and reports for this meeting will be available for inspection prior to the meeting at the Customer Service Centre, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley and online at http://renfrewshire.cmis.uk.com/renfrewshire/CouncilandBoards.aspx For further information, please email democratic-services@renfrewshire.gov.uk MARK CONAGHAN Head of Corporate Governance Page 1 of 11
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22/01/2025 Items of business Apologies Apologies from members. Declarations of Interest and Transparency Statements Members are asked to declare an interest or make a transparency statement in any item(s) on the agenda and to provide a brief explanation of the nature of the interest or the transparency statement. 1 Installation of a Path at Drumcross Road Report by the Director of Finance & Resources. 3 - 6 2 Annual Report of Petitions Received and their Outcomes Report by the Director of Finance & Resources. 7 - 11 Page 2 of 11
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To: Petitions Board On: 27 January 2025 Report by: Director of Finance and Resources Heading: Installation of a Path at Drumcross Road 1. Summary 1.1 The Council has agreed procedures in relation to the submission of petitions including parameters for determining valid petitions and those areas where petitions would not be valid. 1.2 All petitions are to be submitted to the Board for consideration. Where the Head of Corporate Governance does not consider a petition to be valid in terms of the Council’s Petitions Procedure a summary will be provided to the Board outlined the reasons why. However, it is for the Board to determine the validity of such petitions. 1.3 A petition containing one signature has been received from Mrs S Arrol in the following terms: - “I am petitioning for a walking path at Drumcross Road, Bishopton. I would like the Council to action this. Some years ago the farmer at Drumcross Farm was willing to give up land to facilitate this. The road is now very dangerous due to the speeding of vehicles/increased volume of traffic/many delivery vans + larger + wider cars now. I walk this route every week (others walk too) to Bishopton Parish Church and am increasingly feeling unsafe in doing so. Ferry Road pavement is not a good alternative again due to the speed of very busy traffic on this road.” 1.4 The Head of Corporate Governance has reviewed this petition and has considers it valid in terms of the procedures. Item 1 Page 3 of 11
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1.5 The Council’s Infrastructure and Transportation Manager has provided a response to the concerns raised in the petition and where appropriate suggested actions to resolve them as outlined below: - “As a result of the concerns raised by a resident on 13 May 2024 to our Transportation and Active Travel Manager, the Service undertook surveys of the traffic speeds on Drumcross Road as well as monitoring pedestrian usage over a 7-day period. The vehicle speeds recorded, averaged out at 35mph in both directions with the greater majority of drivers not exceeding 41mph. The speed limit on the B815 Ferry Road to the north is 40mph and we are proposing to reduce the speed limit on Drumcross Road to the same in a forthcoming Traffic Regulation Order. It is beneficial that the speed limit on Drumcross Road is consistent with the surrounding area and matches the surveyed behaviour of drivers, an important consideration in ensuring that the speed limit is accepted and adhered to. In general, fewer than 15 pedestrians (in each direction) used the road in any 24-hour period. There have been no recorded pedestrian or cyclist injury accidents in the 24 years for which we hold records. In addition, the location had been assessed against our Road Safety Policy for traffic interventions and found not to hit any of the triggers which justify intervention. The process by which we consider the need for road safety interventions is based on an objective assessment of observed data. This evidence-based approach, as defined by our Road Safety Policy, enables us to direct our finite resources to where the need is greatest. This ensures that as officers, we are using public resources as efficiently and effectively as possible. The cost for constructing a footway at this location based on market prices would be £100 per square metre. Providing a new footway for the approximately 1 kilometre of this road would cost in the region of £200k. That is assuming the adjacent land is flat in nature, however, the land slopes down at sections along the road, therefore, a partial retaining structure would be required. This will significantly increase the cost of construction. Furthermore, this cost could increase if we need to provide drainage and, potentially, streetlighting. Added to this would be the cost and legal implications of acquiring the significant strip of land required to construct the path, as this lies in private ownership. The Service considers that the surveyed usage and lack of accidents at this location are too small to justify the progression of the proposed footway construction. Furthermore, there is an alternative pedestrian route along Ferry Road on a made footway. We have also previously erected ‘pedestrians in road’ warning signs at both ends of the road.” 1.6 The role of the Board is to consider the petition and take the appropriate action in respect of the petition which will be one of the following: (a) that no action is taken, in which case the reasons will be specified and intimated to the petitioner; Page 4 of 11
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(b) that the petition be referred to the relevant director/and or policy board for further investigation, with or without any specific recommendation; or (c) refer the petition to another organisation if the petition relates to that organisation. 1.7 The principal petitioner, together with one supporter has been invited to attend the meeting. 2 Recommendation 2.1 That the Board considers the petition. 3. Implications of the Report 1. Financial – none 2. HR & Organisational Development – none 3. Community/Council Planning - none 4. Legal – none 5. Property/Assets – none 6. Information Technology - none. 7. Equality & Human Rights - none The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety - none 9. Procurement - none 10. Risk - none. 11. Privacy Impact - none 12. Cosla Policy Position – not applicable. 13. Climate Risk – not applicable Page 5 of 11
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List of Background Papers (a) Background Paper - Petition Author: Euan Gray, Senior Committee Services Officer Tel: 0141 487 1099 Email: euan.gray@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 6 of 11
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To: Petitions Board On: 24 January 2024 Report by: Director of Finance and Resources Heading: Annual Report of Petitions Received and their Outcomes 1. Summary 1.1 The annual report highlights petitions considered by the Petitions Board during the period May 2023 to March 2024 during which the Board met on two occasions. 1.2 The Board met on 22 May 2023 and 25 March 2024 and considered three petitions in total. 1.3 Five meetings of the Board were cancelled due to lack of business within the reporting period. These meetings had been scheduled to take place on 4 September 2023, 13 November 2023, 29 January 2024, 3 June 2024 and 2 September 2024. 2. Recommendation 2.1 That the Report on petitions received and their outcomes, be noted. 3. Background 3.1 Three petitions were considered by the Petitions Board during the period covered by this report. Details of the petitions received and their outcomes are set out in Appendix 1 to this report. Item 2 Page 7 of 11
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4. Implications of the Report 1. Financial – none 2. HR & Organisational Development – none 3. Community/Council Planning - none 4. Legal – none 5. Property/Assets – none 6. Information Technology - none. 7. Equality & Human Rights - none 8. Health & Safety - none 9. Procurement - none 10. Risk - none. 11. Privacy Impact - none 12. Cosla Policy Position – not applicable. 13. Climate Risk – not applicable Author: Euan Gray, Senior Committee Services Officer Tel: 0141 487 1099 Email: euan.gray@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 8 of 11
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Subject of Petition Outcome Updates/Progress 1. Petition - Storie Street Parking That the petition be referred to the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure for further investigation without any specific recommendation. A traffic regulation order was promoted and successfully made to introduce pay and display parking spaces on Storie Street between George Street and Barr Way and on Barr Place. A tender to supply and install parking meters has been published and responses are awaited. When awarded, the tenderer will install pay and display meters at these locations and the associated road markings will be applied to bring the parking spaces into use. 2. Milldale Day Opportunities Services That the petition be referred to the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Integration Joint Board. At the meeting of the Renfrewshire Integration Joint Board on 29 April 2024 it was decided: (a) That the proposal to close the Flexicare service, as detailed in section 7 of the report, be rejected; (b) That the proposal to merge Mirin and Milldale Day Services, as detailed in section 8 of the report, be rejected; and (c) That it be noted that as the proposal to merge Mirin and Milldale Day Services had been rejected, there was no decision to be made on the proposed location of the merged service. 3. Safe Travel to School, Elderslie That the petition be referred to the Directors of Children's Services and Environment, Housing & Infrastructure for further investigation without any specific recommendation. Colleagues within Environment, Housing & Infrastructure instructed an independent review of the walking route to Castlehead HS from Elderslie be carried out. This was undertaken by Road Safety Consultants Limited on Wednesday 5 June 2024 between 0815am and 0900am and again on Friday 7 June 2024 between 2.30pm and 4.00pm. The route that was requested to be reviewed was previously examined and approved by Renfrewshire Council in 2010. We asked that the Road Safety Consultants confirm if this route is still a suitable walking route. Following the review it was confirmed in a report from Road Safety Consultants Limited the Route was safe. There was a recommendation of the following: “The junction with Fulbar Road should be reviewed, in particular the dropped kerb crossing points that should be repaired to minimise the potential for tripping to occur. This would benefit pupils using the route but also all pedestrians crossing Fulbar Road at this point. Page 9 of 11
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“The pedestrian barrier at the crossing point at West Lane is damaged, this should be repaired/replaced. Page 10 of 11
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The above suggested repairs have been ordered to be done through our maintenance colleagues, on a 28 day completion deadline from 5/11/24. Page 11 of 11