Further update on School Road

In the last day and a half I have had about 250 hits on this pages entries re: School Road.

Thank you for this. The important thing is for everyone to fill in the consultation document. Even though I have requested that the process be suspended for the reasons below.

Here is what I have sent to NSC

Dear Sirs,

I am writing to express my concerns regarding the consultation on Wrington Pedestrian Safety and Active Travel Improvements. I believe this consultation is not legally constructed for several reasons:

1. Limited Discussion Space: The consultation provides very little room to discuss the real flaws in your proposal, some of which I consider to be illegal, or to suggest changes to your proposals.
2. Form Submission Issues: I attempted to complete the form and save it to return later for edits. However, this was not possible, and the form I inadvertently submitted is not legitimate.
3. Non-compliance with Government Guidelines: The process does not follow government guidelines or statutory regulations. According to the GOV.UK Consultation Principles, consultations should be clear, purposeful, and inclusive. You can read the full guidelines

.

Violation of the Gunning Principles: The consultation process does not adhere to the Gunning Principles, which are enshrined in common law. These principles ensure that consultations are fair and effective. They include:

• Formative Stage: Consultations must occur while proposals are still at a formative stage, meaning decision-makers are genuinely open to influence.
• Sufficient Information: Adequate information must be provided to allow for intelligent consideration and response.
• Adequate Time: Adequate time must be given for consideration and response.
• Conscientious Consideration: Consultation responses must be conscientiously taken into account before making a final decision.

For more detailed information, you can refer to the or the

Additionally, there are several other flaws in the process:

• Limited Notification: The consultation was notified only on Facebook on 6th December, to run from 10th December to 17th January. As a result, many residents are unaware of it. Moreover, your website shows a closing date of 17th December (10 days), but the countdown clock shows 6 days.
• Insufficient Comment Space: The survey provides little room for additional comments. How will the results be communicated to the residents?
• Lack of Engagement: Our local councillor, Tom Daw, assured us that a leaflet drop around the village would be carried out and that he would personally visit each house in the affected roads (School Road, Orchard Close, Bells Walk, and South Meadows). However, I have spoken to several residents, and none have been visited.

In light of the above, I believe the entire process should be suspended. Residents must be involved in reformulating the consultation document and processes, not just Wrington Parish Council, the school, and NSC.

I stress that I agree changes need to be made, but the residents know better than anyone what needs to be done.

I look forward to your urgent response.

Regards,

Trevor Parnham