Marianne Overton

By Marianne Overton overton

On July 16 the Planning and Regulation Committee of the Lincolnshire County Council agreed to put forward proposals to reduce the speeds on the B1188 and give the public the opportunity to respond.

The B1188 is the only red route with a serious accident rate that has not seen any improvement in the rate of serious accidents.

It is desperately sad that people die needlessly in this way or are seriously injured. Many will have seen the 2 Fast, 2 Soon presentation from the Road Safety Partnership, where the ‘actors’ are not actors, but people whose lives have been devastated in car accidents.

“To save lives and heartache, we need to reduce the speed limit”

We have had a series of serious and fatal accidents along the B1188 from Lincoln through Branston, past Dunston and Nocton. This included nine serious and four fatal accidents on the Branston – Ruskington stretch alone. Concerns from residents about this stretch have been raised repeatedly, at almost every Parish Council meeting.

We’ve had site meetings with the Parish Councils, Lincolnshire Road Safety, Lincolnshire Highways and the general public to find all possible solutions.

We have cut back the verges to improve visibility,  we’ve improved signing and speed traps, but it’s not enough. This is the only red route that has not had the full gambit of safety measures, including the 50mph maximum, and it has the worst accident record in Lincolnshire.

Experience has shown that big improvements only come with reducing the speed limit. The proposal is for a 50mph maximum speed limit on the B1188, Branston to Ruskington.

“Lives have been saved”

Nocton village in particular has been deeply concerned about the junction to the village on a blind rise, where there are also homes with young children who may play outside and walk to school.

Even though not all cars comply with speed limits, they do bring down the overall speed of traffic and reduce accidents.

I have obtained and compared the accident record for the B1188 and the A607. Since we got safety improvements on the A607, serious accidents fell to a quarter. Lives have been saved.

According to hospital admissions, North Kesteven District Council residents have the highest risk of serious road injury in the whole country. To save lives and heartache, we need to reduce the speed limit.

Branston and Mere Parish Council have long campaigned for lower speed limits through their village and asked for the 50mph maximum to be continued from Branston to Lincoln.

“The B1188 has the worst accident record in Lincolnshire”

This was recommended by the officers who had researched the issue, but refused by councillors on the Planning and Regulation Committee.

I welcome the proposals but feel there was a missed opportunity by not including the last Lincoln to Branston section. As development increases, so does the traffic.

Branston has huge volumes of traffic and many driveways go straight on to the main road. We got the lights at the crossing and safety improvements outside the school on Station Road, but more is needed.

Reducing speed on the approach to Branston from Lincoln would be a further help. The long village straddles what is now a very busy road and there are many of us who will continue to campaign tirelessly for road safety improvements.

Marianne Overton is the Independent County and District Councillor for Navenby and Branston District and the Cliff Villages. Also leader of the Lincolnshire Independents, a county-wide support network. Twice elected national Leader of the Independent Group of councillors for England and Wales and Vice Chairman of the Local Government Association.

By Marianne Overton overton

Ever wanted to control the police force? Here’s the next best thing!

Against fierce opposition, the government has decided to create a new well-paid, but part-time elected position, worth around £75,000 per year to hold the Chief Police Constable to account.

Currently this is done by the Police Authority, consisting of a majority of elected and some appointed individuals, who bring skills and knowledge of different parts of the county. These will be swept aside as the commissioner takes over.

The new police commissioner will have a whole panel to hold him to account. The panel of twelve in Lincolnshire has to be politically representative of councillors in Lincolnshire. It also has to be geographically representative and have people with appropriate skills.

For Lincolnshire, the structure has just been agreed and nominations to the panel are rolling in from the District and County Councils. There are also two places for independent members of the public. Applications are opening soon.

So where does the general public accountability come in? The public get to elect the Police Commissioner. On November 11, the people of Lincolnshire get to choose.

To be credible and respected, the elected person needs to be independent, not tied into the strings of any particular political party.

It will be hard for a party politician not to be seen as partisan. This job is about trust in the British Police Force and it follows the British justice system.

How can we trust the Police Commissioner not to be biased, if he has declared political prejudice, an allegiance?

For the sake of trust in our police and justice, this person must be politically independent. The only thing he must have signed is to do his job properly.

I look forward to the announcement of a genuinely independent candidate, with sufficient track record and experience of dealing with intensely difficult situations that enable us to know they can do the job, and will do the job, with the fairness and integrity that we need.

Marianne Overton is the Independent County and District Councillor for Navenby and Branston District and the Cliff Villages. Also leader of the Lincolnshire Independents, a county-wide support network. Twice elected national Leader of the Independent Group of councillors for England and Wales and Vice Chairman of the Local Government Association.