Council Meeting Tuesday 23 February 2016
Proposer: Councillor Adam Smith; Seconder: Councillor Colin Rayner
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.
Update: Cllr Colin Rayner wrote to the Secretary of State about 30mp repeater signs and received the following response:
Dear Councillor Rayner,
Thank you for your letter of 11 March to the Secretary of State, about 30mph repeater signs. I am replying as Minister responsible for this issue.
I understand that the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead's Councillors have voted to ask for the law to be amended to allow them total discretion in the placing of 30mph signs. however, I should explain that the 30mph terminal sign indicates the speed limit to road users and the method of reminding them, as prescribed in law, is by the presence of street lighting acting as the speed limit repeater. As 30mph limits are mainly set in built up areas, this is a straightforward and economic solution due to the vast amount of streets which have this speed limit.
In the rare situation where there is a 30mph speed limit in an area which has no street lighting, repeater signs are allowed. The legal requirements for complying with speed limits are set out in the Highway Code and it is the responsibility of the road user to ensure that they know and apply the rules.
We have no current plans to amend this legislation, as the existing arrangements are well-understood and appear to be working well. However, I do accept that this will be a disappointing reply for the Council.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Jones.
Council Meeting Tuesday 15 December 2015
Proposer: Councillor Adam Smith; Seconder: Councillor Simon Dudley
Resolved Unanimously: That this Council Resolves to:
- Update the Open Space Audit, which was last published in 2008, and identify actions for the future;
- Include a feature on the various RBWM-operated open spaces in Around the Royal Borough to raise awareness;
- Continue to market and promote spaces in all parts of the Royal Borough that are open to the public.
Update: Features on open space in Around The Royal Borough and on website New events held in open spaces where appropriate New Playing Pitch Strategy published in 2016, Open Space Strategy due to be commissioned in late 2016
Council Meeting Tuesday 22 September 2015
Proposer: Councillor Richard Kellaway; Seconder: Councillor Colin Rayner.
Resolved Unanimously: that this council recognises the importance to the local economy and environment of the rail branch line to Furze Platt and Cookham, warmly supports the plans to electrify the line as part of the overall electrification of the Western Rail Line and urges the Department for Transport to move ahead with the scheme as soon as practicable.
Update: The council met with Network Rail’s sponsor for the electrification project. He confirmed that the branch line cannot be electrified because the distance between the buffers and points at Bourne End is too short for the electric trains. Instead, Local Growth Fund bids have been submitted for points and signalling improvements that would allow the service frequency to be improved from 1 hour to 30 min.
Council Meeting Tuesday 22 September 2015
Proposer: Councillor Wesley Richards Seconder: Councillor David Burbage
Resolved Unanimously: That this council supports the Prime Minister's announcement on 7 September 2015 that the UK will accept up to 20,000 Syrian refugees from camps over the next five years.
Update: The council has plans to accept 10 Syrian families from the programme over 5 years and has at July 2016 resettled one family in RBWM
Council Meeting Tuesday 22 September 2015
Proposer: Councillor Maureen Hunt Seconder: Councillor Paul Brimacombe
Resolved Unanimously: That this council seeks to waive legal costs to Alexander Devine relating to necessary highways works arising from the building of the new hospice.
Update: The Council waived all legal fees relating to highway works associated with the Alexander Devine Hospice development.
Council Meeting Tuesday 28 July 2015
Proposer: Councillor Rayner Seconder: Councillor Kellaway
Resolved Unanimously: That this Council:
- Urges Highways England to explore further options for the Bisham Roundabout on the A404 that are not currently being consulted on, such as a flyover on the single carriageway A308;
- Reinforces its commitment to close working and consultation with local communities, including Parish Councils, in its representations to Highways England on this issue;
- Encourages Highways England to carefully consider the open landscape and impact on the Green Belt as well as the needs of cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders in any of its future work to develop solutions for the roundabout.
Update: Further options will be developed as part of Highways England’s route strategy for the A404(M) corridor.
Council Meeting Tuesday 28 July 2015
Proposer: Councillor Dudley Seconder: Councillor Bicknell
Resolved: That this Council:
i) supports the Conservative majority government’s plans to decriminalise non-payment of the TV licence fee
ii) calls upon the Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport to go further and abolish this regressive tax
Council Meeting Tuesday 28 July 2015
Proposer: Councillor D Wilson Seconder: Councillor Burbage
Resolved unanimously: That this Council pays tribute to Sir Nicholas Winton who sadly passed away on 1 July 2015 and is committed to ensuring that his extraordinary life and achievements both locally and internationally are suitably honoured by the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead.
Motion: Developer Contributions
Proposer: Councillor Werner Seconder: Councillor Dudley
Resolved unanimously: That, to demonstrate its commitment to fairness and transparency and allow all publicly funded schools to have equal opportunities to access developer contributions, this council will:
i) Formally contact all publicly funded schools in the borough that could benefit when developer funding is or is likely to be available;
ii) Contact those eligible schools at the same time without preference, giving reasonable timescales for their responses;
iii) Set out clear eligibility criteria to access those funds and provide a clear public audit trail of the process.
Update: To honour the extraordinary life and achievements both locally and internationally of the late Sir Nicholas Winton, the Borough Council constructed a Memorial Garden at Oaken Grove Park, Maidenhead – which is close to where Sir Nicholas used to live. This Memorial Garden was developed in consultation with Sir Nicholas’s son Nicky and daughter Barbara. The Memorial Garden includes a meandering path, which represents the difficult choices made by families, with railway sleepers to represent the Kindertransport’s journey to safety from Czechoslovakia to the UK. A bridge over a small pond to a raised mound provides a narrative for journeying over the English Channel with an uphill journey to an island of refuge and safety. It also includes an information panel and along the route rocks inscribed with quotes by Sir Nicholas. This Memorial Garden offers residents and visitors a tranquil place to sit, contemplate, relax or/and enjoy. The Memorial Garden was officially opened on Friday 14 July 2017 by the Prime Minister, Theresa May MP.
Council Meeting Tuesday 28 July 2015
Proposer: Councillor Sharma, Seconder: Councillor Walters
Resolved Unanimously: Sunday 21 June 2015 will not only be the longest day this year, but marks the first ever International Day of Yoga. the event has the support of over 170 countries following adoption by the UN of a motion put forward by the Indian Prime Minister. Given enormous benefits physically, mentally and spiritually, this council:
- encourages residents of all ages and abilities to explore the health and wellbeing benefits of yoga on International Yoga Day.
- Supports local initiatives to celebrate and promote the International Day of Yoga on 21 June 2015 as part of our commitment to helping residents lead healthier lives.
Update: Yoga day held in 2015 and in 2016 Legacy Leisure offer a number of yoga and Pilates classes for residents in the leisure centres