The crossing at Kent Elms is in need of being looked at. For years there were six Liberal councillors between Blenheim Park and St Laurence, what happened then? Not a lot.
Mark Flewitt became a councillor in 2004 and has looked into the matter several times since then. When I got elected in May it was an issue that was raised on the doorstep and has been mentioned to me many times since.
I contacted Mark and asked what the position was – he told me that he had ordered a report into the junction when he was the portfolio holder that included transport. This report has been a long time coming and we have been chasing hoping to get an update out very soon.
However Mark and I are realistic – the changes needed to the crossing are not small and they will cost money (yes opposition councillors will say that old chestnut, but what library or other service should we close/reduce to fund it? Not quite so easy now is it?). We won’t be drawn into promising what cannot be achieved, but will work together to ensure that we get the best for residents both north and south of the A127.
Why am I saying this? Well take a peek here (bottom page)… Anyone would think that Carole Roast is going to stand as a candidate for St Laurence next year and that she is trying to stir up a bit of a storm about the cross – that can’t be true can it? 🙂
Mark has worked hard on the crossing for years and we have both committed to getting it sorted – we wouldn’t have distributed over 1,000 leaflets (as posted on my blog before) telling residents that we would do if we weren’t. We aren’t that stupid!!
