a)    By Councillor D. Wilson:

The Post Office has announced that it may close or franchise its branch in Maidenhead.

This Council expresses concern at the loss of services that are currently to the local community, which will be a loss, and will press the Post Office to rethink their decision.

b)   By Councillor Smith:

Many residents speak to me with concerns of cars speeding in residential areas. Current government regulation prohibits councils from putting up 30mph 'repeater' signs and painted roundels on street lit roads. I ask that:

This Council writes to the Minister of State, asking him to scrap this regulation, clarify the law, and delegate to local authorities like Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead the power to put up 30mph repeaters and roundels where they are needed.

By Councillor D. Wilson

Councillor D. Wilson introduced his motion. He explained that the council was

concerned at the proposal by Post Office Ltd. to either close or put out to

franchise the service in Maidenhead High Street. The issue was beyond politics

and he urged all to sign up to the petition on the council’s website. With other

smaller branches closing the main Post Office was needed, particularly in light of

demographic changes.

Councillor Ilyas stated that the closure or franchising out would have a

substantial effect on the community. The Post Office had recently completed a

consultation in Furze Platt to move the post office to another location and reduce

services. The communication about this consultation referred residents to use the

main Post office in Maidenhead if services were reduced.

Councillor Hill commented that one third of small businesses used the Post Office

every week. A study in Essex assessed the impact of a Post Office closure,

which resulted in small businesses losing 25% of turnover. He requested the

opposition direct people to the petition on the council’s website. He also asked

the press to publicise the link to the petition.

Councillor Brimacombe commented that the council had been told the post office

in Maidenhead was uneconomic yet there had been no transparency in their

calculations.

Councillor Werner stated that all were in agreement that it would be ridiculous to

close the Post Office in Maidenhead or move it to another location. There was

very high internet usage in the borough but not all elderly residents were able

or willing to use it therefore the Post Office was a vital service. He had heard a

rumour that the Post Office were deliberately trying to cause queues on the

branch to stop people wanting to go there. The Post Office was located at  the

quiet end of the High Street and its closure would be drastic on the businesses

there. Councillor Werner was happy to recommend people to go to the council’s

e-petition. He was aware there was already one of over 2000 signatures in the

Post Office itself. He suggested all be encouraged to sign each other’s petitions.

It was proposed by Councillor D. Wilson, seconded by Councillor  Werner and:

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That this Council expresses concern at the loss of services that are currently to the local community, which will be a loss, and will press the Post Office to rethink their decision.

By Councillor Smith:

Councillor Smith introduced his motion. He explained that in 2002 councils had

been prohibited  from using 30mph repeaters and roundels. This general

prohibition had come about as a result of case law as it was difficult to gain

convictions if some roads had the signs and others did not. Nationally the

problem of speeding in 30mph areas had declined however the DfT stated that

45% of drivers still speeded. In his ward there were long straight roads in semi-

rural areas that were a particular problem.

Councillor E Wilson endorsed the comments of Councillor Smith. He commented

that people often said they were not aware of the speed limit in roads they used

 everyday. It was absurd that the council could not put up signs.

Councillor M. Airey supported the motion, referring to a problem road in his ward

(Tinkers Lane) that suffered from speeding day and night.

Councillor Werner commented that the DfT had said drivers should be aware of

the limit based on the distance between lights on a road, however they were

often not on both sides.

It was proposed by Councillor Smith, seconded by Councillor E. Wilson and:

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That this Council writes to the Minister of State, asking him to scrap this regulation, clarify the law, and delegate to local authorities like Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead the power to put up 30mph repeaters and roundels where they are needed.

Councillors C Rayner and S Rayner left the meeting at this point.