KEETCH MEETS RESIDENTS ANGERED BY LACK OF COUNCIL CONSULTATION

11.00.00am GMT Mon 7th Feb 2005

Hereford's MP, Paul Keetch met residents of the Three Elms Road area of Hereford at a packed meeting on Friday night and heard their concerns over lack of consultation from Conservative controlled Herefordshire Council. The meeting was called to form a residents' association in the area and was chaired by Amelia Hughes, the Development Manager of Herefordshire Voluntary Action.

Over 50 local residents attended the meeting with apologies from 50 more households. The Mayor of Hereford, Polly Andrews, attended in her role as a Ward Councillor and local policeman, PC John Westlake, was also present.

"I am pleased that so many local residents have come forward to form their own Three Elms Action Group," said Mr Keetch.

"Although the new Whitecross School has prompted this move, I and the vast majority of residents are totally behind the new school. The concern lies in issues such as the number of entrances to the school, new cycle paths and new pedestrian crossings. There is also genuine concern about the amount of extra traffic that will be generated and what traffic calming measures can be introduced.

"What amazed me though was what appeared to be total lack of consultation by the Council to local residents about proposed changes. One shop owner on the Whitecross roundabout told me how surveyors were measuring up for a new cycle path and crossing outside her shop which she had not been given the opportunity to comment on.

"Other residents told me that there were conflicting numbers of access points to the school and all were very angry about the lack of information and consultation the Council had provided.

"I will be writing to the Conservative Leader of the Council to ask him to look into this lack of consultation. It's not the first time - when traffic lights were put up at the Church Road and Ledbury Road junction in Tupsley, I and other residents were not consulted then.

"What I find amazing about this Council is that they consider cutting concessionary parking for elderly people, cut back funding for voluntary groups and reduce school transport for youngsters, yet seem to have a bottomless pot of money to put traffic lights in where they are not needed and put cycle paths in that apparently go nowhere.

"If the Tories who run Herefordshire Council attended public meetings like I do they might hear what the people actually want."