a)    Councillor E. Wilson will ask the following question of Councillor M. Airey, Lead Member for Environmental Services:

Thames Valley Police have recently reported an increase in burglary in the Dedworth area.  Has the Council received any requests from Thames Valley Police for additional CCTV in the area?

b)   Cllr Sharma will ask the following question of Councillor Dudley, Leader

            of the Council:

A November 2018 letter to Housing Minister James Brokenshire signed by more than dozens of Conservative council leaders, Mayors and MPs had called for the ‘Overhaul of Compulsory Purchase laws’ so that local authorities can buy up agricultural land at dramatically reduced prices to help to solve housing crisis. Residents want to know, is he also one of the signatories?

c)    Councillor C. Rayner will ask the following question of Councillor Bicknell, Lead Member for Highways:

Following another road traffic death of a pedestrian on Wraysbury Road on 17 March, when will funding be available for CCTV cameras and Auto Number Plate Recognition cameras, operated by Thames Valley Police but which can be part-funded by the RBWM Council in Horton and Wraysbury. I have been campaigning for this since the last pedestrian death on Staines Road.

d)   Councillor C. Rayner will ask the following question of Councillor Bicknell, Lead Member for Highways:

Please can you list all the accidents causing injury or death on roads in Wraysbury and Horton, including Staines Road and Wraysbury Road, since 5th June 2005?

(The Member responding has up to 5 minutes to address Council. The Member asking the question has up to 1 minute to submit a supplementary question. The Member responding then has a further 2 minutes to respond.)

a)    Councillor E. Wilson asked the following question of Councillor M. Airey, Lead Member for Environmental Services:

Thames Valley Police have recently reported an increase in burglary in the Dedworth area.  Has the Council received any requests from Thames Valley Police for additional CCTV in the area?

Councillor M. Airey responded that the council had not received any requests from Thames Valley Police for additional CCTV coverage in the Dedworth area.

The council was implementing a £1.3m project to build a state of the art CCT facility including an upgraded control room; 200 cameras had been upgraded or relocated. The current Thames Valley Police strategy was to encourage people to improve home security and promote general awareness of security around properties. We will continue to work closely with TVP on a joint approach to community safety and we continue to monitor the incidence and type of crimes throughout the Borough.

By way of a supplementary question, Councillor E. Wilson commented that, notwithstanding that fact that no formal request had been received, would the Lead Member ask officers to review the need in Dedworth. There was a very real need in the view of a majority of residents to make them feel safer and reduce the incidence of crime.

Councillor M. Airey responded that he would work with ward councilors and officers to review the situation.

b)   Cllr Sharma asked the following question of Councillor Dudley, Leader of the Council:

A November 2018 letter to Housing Minister James Brokenshire signed by more than dozens of Conservative council leaders, Mayors and MPs had called for the ‘Overhaul of Compulsory Purchase laws’ so that local authorities can buy up agricultural land at dramatically reduced prices to help to solve housing crisis. Residents want to know, is he also one of the signatories?

Councillor Dudley responded that, no he had not signed the letter.

By way of a supplementary question, Councillor Sharma commented that residents feared if the proposed law passed it would begin the end of farmland and Green Belt in the borough. He asked if the Lead Member would write to the Minister to say that the council was against the proposed changes in the current law?

Councillor Dudley responded that there were no proposed changes to the law and any such arrangements would be a violation of private property interests.

c)    Councillor C. Rayner asked the following question of Councillor Bicknell, Lead Member for Highways:

Following another road traffic death of a pedestrian on Wraysbury Road on 17 March, when will funding be available for CCTV cameras and Auto Number Plate Recognition cameras, operated by Thames Valley Police but which can be part-funded by the RBWM Council in Horton and Wraysbury. I have been campaigning for this since the last pedestrian death on Staines Road.

Councillor Bicknell responded that the project to upgrade the CCTV network across the Royal Borough was well advanced with existing cameras and back-office systems replaced with new technology and functionality.

In Wraysbury there were two existing cameras which were being upgraded and slightly repositioned to improve coverage. The new cameras offered ANPR functionality which was available for targeted campaigns and other regular activity. In addition, the Parish Councils had requested three, new additional cameras which were the subject of a capital bid for 2019/20 but were not currently funded. A joint funding package with a contribution from the Royal Borough and funding from the Parish Councils had been proposed but was still under discussion.

By way of a supplementary question, Councillor C. Rayner commented that the cameras did not cover Hythe End or Staines Road. In his time as a councillor there had been too many families who had lost loved ones. He had visited both the relatives affected and the residents who had to deal with the accident in March. Speeding was a key factor and he hoped the council could find it in their heart to find the funding to stop speeding. He asked the Lead Member to assure, if he were still in post, to find the funding for the residents of Wraysbury

Councillor Bicknell stated that would be an affirmative.

d)   Councillor C. Rayner asked the following question of Councillor Bicknell, Lead Member for Highways:

Please can you list all the accidents causing injury or death on roads in Wraysbury and Horton, including Staines Road and Wraysbury Road, since 5th June 2005?

Councillor Bicknell responded that since 5 June 2005, across the whole of the Wraysbury and Horton area, there had been 110 crashes reported to the police, resulting in 3 fatalities, 19 serious casualties and 129 slight injuries.  Of these, 86 were vehicle drivers; 29 passengers; 15 motorcyclists, 11 cyclists and 10 pedestrians. Every casualty was one too many but the borough invested annually in road safety delivering local safety schemes, road safety education to vulnerable groups and campaigns. The borough’s road safety record had seen a reduction in the overall number of casualties over the previous 10 years and was currently at its lowest level. However, the focus would be maintained to deliver even more improvements and reduce further.

By way of a supplementary question, Councillor C. Rayner commented that this was a shocking number of deaths in a small village of 3000 people therefore it was about time money was spent in Horton and Wraysbury  on vehicle recognition. He hoped that whoever won in the ward would not have to visit affected families too many times.

Councillor Bicknell responded that the council should and would look at every opportunity to reduce fatalities, however he commented that there were approximately 2-3 fatalities and 50 serious casualties on borough roads each year. Every fatality was investigated jointly with Thames Valley Police and contributory factors identified.

Before the meeting closed, a number of councillors wished to speak.

Councillor McWilliams highlighted that Councillor Bullock, who was retiring, had first stood for election in Cox Green in 1976. He had been a councillor until the early 1990s and had then come back later in the 2000s. Councillor Bullock had helped set up the Cox Green Community Centre and helped defend the precious Green Belt in the ward. Councillor McWilliams wished to place on record his thanks to Councillor Bullock for all his advice.

Councillor Majeed thanked Councillor Burbage for his trust and support when he had been Leader of the Council, particularly during his Mayoral year. He was grateful to his fellow ward councillors Hill and D. Wilson. He also thanked Councillor Story for his strong leadership as Chairman of the Conservative Group, Councillor Hunt, Councillor Brimacombe, Councillor Cox, Councillor Sharp, Councillor Rankin, Councillor Stretton, Councillor Sharma, Councillor S Rayner, Councillor C Rayner, Councillor Lenton, Councillor Shelim and Councillor Bicknell. He also thanked Councillor Hollingsworth who was the reason he had become a councillor in the first place. He thanked the Opposition councillors for their professionalism and courtesy. He thanked officers for their professionalism and knowledge. In Duncan Sharkey he saw a Managing Director who made decisions in a balanced way.

Councillor Cox thanked officers who were a tirelessly dedicated group of individuals. He gave the example of the officers and Members pulling together during the flooding in the borough, at which time he had been Lead Member for Environmental Services.  He thanked all Members, with whom it had been a privilege to work.

The meeting, which began at 7.30pm, ended at 8.26pm.

Chairman……………………….

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