Radio Station : Jack FM
here.
Presenter : (News) Tony Adams
Topic : BBC Reports that :
BBC Reports wrote:
Oxfordshire speed cameras 'could return in April'
HereTime : unknown - pre-recorded for tomorrow at some point.
Plus Oxfordshire Police / Local Authority (as I understand it sent a statement) :
Mabberley, Marcus - Corporate Core - Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs wrote:
Speed cameras:
"It was common knowledge that the Government would be making huge cutbacks from April 2011 onwards, however it could not have been foreseen that there would be huge and dramatic cutbacks to grants that had already been agreed and signed off by the previous Government for the 2010/11 financial year. There was therefore no way any of us could have known that the Road Safety Grant would be cut - and that is what led to the switching off of speed cameras in Oxfordshire on August 1.
"We've been in discussion with our partners at Thames Valley Police and we're close to an agreement to have the cameras switched back on in the future. We look forward to being able to reveal the detail of that agreement in future weeks.
"Since the cameras were switched off on August 1, we have remained open to solutions that would enable them to become operational once more. We have reached the current situation simply by having been in constant dialogue with the police throughout.
"Funding structures would obviously be very different under a new arrangement as compared to the previous system. The council had its Road Safety Grant cut by Government and that is not going to come back. It needs to be clearly understood that the new way forward will involve minimal funding from county council coffers. This is very definitely not a case of money being taken from other services to pay for a new arrangement with speed cameras. Further detail can be revealed when we have a full and finalised agreement.
"We understand that the agreement that we are close to reaching has to be cleared through the police's national structures before final sign-off can be achieved."
Winter preparations:
We have a higher amount of salt in stock currently than we did this time last year and we will continue salting 43 per cent of our roads (or 1,200 miles) as and when the conditions require.
Weather forecasts are closely monitored on a daily basis, and a decision on whether to salt overnight is usually taken during the afternoon.
Note this is here for reference and info - I will place in a new thread shortly for discussion. ...