Brighton Conservatives call for delay to 20mph decision

Local Conservatives are calling for the decision on whether to implement Phase 2 of the Green Administration’s 20mph proposals to be deferred to enable proper consideration of the consultation results.

The decision is due to be taken at the Council’s Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee next Tuesday November 26 but the report on the results of the public consultation has still not been published.

Legally, reports have to be published five working days prior to a Council meeting unless there is a very good reason for it to be late.

Conservative Group Leader, Cllr. Geoffrey Theobald, said: “This is such an important issue for the city that it really isn’t good enough for the report on the consultation to still not be in the public domain just two working days before the meeting. The taxi trade are adamant that they have not been properly consulted and the Committee members themselves cannot be expected to carefully consider in two days, the results of a consultation that attracted over 15,000 responses. We are asking that the decision is deferred to a special meeting of the Committee in the next couple of weeks.”

Group Transport Spokesman, Cllr. Graham Cox, added: “We continue to support 20mph limits in residential streets and around schools, hospitals and parks where there is support. However, I think it is only fair that the decision on phase 2 of the scheme is deferred for a short period in order to get agreement across all sections of the community.”