Lord Bach and Alberto Costa deserve credit for taking action
AS a founder member of Sharnford Traffic Action Group, while I totally agree with much of B Jackson’s letter in last week’s Hinckley Times (May 3, 2017), some of the content needs to be straightened out.
While STAG has been campaigning for over 10 years to ameliorate the appalling situation on the B4114 through the village, the appointment of Police and Crime Commistioner Lord Willy Bach and the arrival of our “new” MP Alberto Costa in 2015 transformed matters. Both individuals came to Sharnford to see the situation for themselves, and I think it is fair to say that they were both appalled by what they saw.
Lord Bach immediately took steps to highlight the dangers of the situa- tion, and the unacceptability of the reasons for inaction imposed from Whitehall. Mr Costa implemented a programme to generate a Westminster Hall parliamentary debate on the situation in Sharnford, which was based on a house-by-house survey of villagers’ views.
The level of response was almost overwhelming.
Due to the calling of the General Election, this process will now, hopefully, be completed after election day. In case anyone deems this to be a “political” letter, it should be said that Lord Bach and Mr Costa come from opposite points of the political spectrum. Both took immediate action to work with STAG and collectively we achieved a long- desired result, which Leicestershire County Council are in the process of implementing, following a total change in central government guidance on average speed cameras.
So, very far from the Police Commissioner, the Leicestershire Police and our M.P. washing their hands of Sharnford’s problems they could not have been more effective. In conjunction with LCC it represents local government at its best. As a result Sharnford will be a much safer, saner, environmentally cleaner and more pleasant place to live or work in and drive through. Mr Jackson is quite correct that that is a “no-brainer”! Mike Lee Sharnford Traffic Action Group