Rundle Raps County Council Over Transport Plan

2.00.00pm GMT Mon 4th Dec 2006

Tory-run Oxfordshire County Council decided in September that Hamats (the Headington and Marston Area Transport Strategy) had run its course because "many of the most significant elements of the original OTS and HAMATS have now been introduced."

The City Council voiced its concern in October, as did the North East Area Committee. David Rundle, who chairs the committee, has written to Cllr David Robertson, the County Council's transport cabinet member, to express our discontent. Here's his letter:

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Dear Councillor Robertson,

I write to add the voice of the City Council's North East Area Committee to the chorus of concern expressed following the recent announcement about the future (or lack of it) of the OTS / HAMATS steering group. You will already have received a response from Cllr Jean Fooks expressing the views of the City Council. The Committee supports her comments but felt it is important to put on record our views as the body which represents the area overwhelmingly affected by HAMATS.

At last month's meeting of the Area Committee, there was nothing short of anger expressed at the way the Steering Group had been cancelled at short notice and without mention to local members of either the City or County. Considering the County Council's present poor reputation at consultation, one might have thought there would have been an effort to engage with local people before any decision was made. But instead of using this as an opportunity to show how things can be done, the process has to be added to the catalogue of mistakes of recent months.

More important than that, however, are questions about how we take matters forward now the Steering Group is dead and buried. There was certainly room for improvement with a body that met only twice a year and then felt more like an information session rather than a meeting of substance. For things to improve, the scale of the task needs to be recognised. It has to be said that the Area Committee remains to be convinced that the County Council is aware of the magnitude of the issues affecting our area. It is very disturbing to read that you believe 'most of the significant elements of … HAMATS have now been introduced' when there is so much more work to be done.

We are relieved to hear that there will be 'stakeholder steering groups' for each element of work happening in the near future, like the London Road changes. We hope and expect that the Area Committee will be represented on the relevant groups. We would also like to be reassured that those meetings will be open and public. At the same time, such steering groups will not be enough if each focuses on one particular aspect of forthcoming work. For too long, HAMATS has been a set of tactics rather than a strategy and the approach about to be taken is liable to make that worse rather than better. There is a clear need for decisions to be made at a strategic level, engaging the relevant communities and the Area Committee. We note that you propose 'strategic discussions' in the future, but would hope that they were more than fireside chats. Moreover, as we represent a Council committed to devolving decision-making to the most local level practicable, we expect that you and your colleagues will appreciate the need to involve the North East Area Committee in decision-making when it comes to HAMATS.

Please acknowledge receipt of this letter and consider how best to respond to the points raised.

Yours Sincerely,

Cllr David Rundle

Chair, North East Area Committee