| Topic: | Re:Re::Crossing outside the Belmont School | |
| Posted by: | Paul Corcoran | |
| Date/Time: | 03/09/14 14:46:00 |
| It is at times like this that we learn to appreciate the value of Chris Calvi-Freeman. He would have been able to give informed advice. Much of what I write below is guesswork. I think you need to separate the issues to maximise your chance of achieving anything. Firstly the lights on the sign are probably now the responsibility of Hounslow Highways. Their contract may or may not give them an obligation to repair the lights within a certain time. If it doesn't it may be next to impossible to get them fixed as there will be no budget for this kind of repair. To get a crossing will require a lot of patience and effort. There isn't likely to be a pot of money just sitting there waiting to pay for the crossing which these days will cost more than £10,000 to implement. Even if you start now you will probably be just one of a number of similar possible projects across the borough and so when money does become available you are not guaranteed to get it. As I said previously, take the time to write a letter rather than e-mail or phone. Then if the person you write to says it is 'not my department', they will be obliged to tell you exactly who the best person is to contact. Once you have identified them, write to them again and then show the letter to the Head Teacher of the school and the PTA and ask them to write to the same person in support of your request. Don't expect an immediate result. You may have to keep on writing for a couple of years and even then have no prospect of success - it all depends on available funding and how it is allocated. In this regard, going to the press would be counterproductive. Councils officers will be loath to give preference to those who make the biggest public fuss and are much more likely to give favourable consideration to a well organised but low-key campaign. |