Valerie holds meeting for residents of Walstead Road

On Friday 4 July 2014, Valerie and local residents met with Council Officers at Delves Community Baptist Church to discuss problems which have resulted from the installation of speed humps on Walstead Road without meaningful consultation.

Valerie said:

“I arranged the meeting with Council Officers because residents of Walstead Road are rightly angry that Walsall MBC did not carry out a meaningful consultation before traffic islands and large speed humps were installed. The residents are the people who are most affected by the scheme and also the people who know the road best. I was delighted that so many residents turned out to make clear to the Council Officers present that they are now having to live with a scheme that is damaging their cars, creating disturbing noise and vibrations and which makes it difficult for them to reverse out of their own driveways.”

“When the Council initially consulted on the scheme it was for just three weeks during the school summer holidays when many residents were away. Outrageously, non-responses to the consultation were taken to indicate support for the Council’s proposals. This is not a practice used by other Councils in the region and it is not the way to properly understand the views of residents. It should not have taken my intervention for the Council to meet with residents.”

“I previously arranged a meeting with Council Officers in February so that they could hear the views of residents but residents were not satisfied with the Council’s response to their views. I hope that following this meeting the Council will now properly take on board residents’ concerns and make changes to the scheme which fully address the legitimate concerns of residents. I am pleased that the Officers committed to review a number of aspects of the scheme.”