Salisbury city councillors react as support pledged for future scheme

Here are the councillors who voted in favour the motion: Cllrs Tom Corbin, Jon Farquhar, Brian Dalton, John Baber, Jo Broom, Derek Brown, Caroline Corbin, Matthew Dean, Jeremy Nettle, Mike Osment, Ian Tomes, and John Walsh.

Here is what they had to say.

"There are no winners"

Cllr Tom Corbin (Bemerton, Labour) said that although he "appreciates Cllr Wayman's comments", he does not believe that Wiltshire Council (WC) will be interested in reinstating the scheme, "especially as the inexperienced ruling administration has made it clear that they do believe in the Salisbury Central Area Framework".

He added: "The narrow vote will not give WC Councillors confidence that experimental investment is worthwhile. The utter incompetence shown by Salisbury City Council administration is alarming. There are no winners."

"A recognition of our inadequacies as a council"

Cllr John Farquhar (St Pauls, Conservative) called for the meeting, and said the motion being passed was "a moment of recognition of our inadequacies as a Council".

He added: "It meant we have a fractured Council, largely because we didn’t make the effort to try to persuade a majority of Councillors on my side that the ramifications of not supporting Wiltshire Council’s attempted implementation of the Central Area Framework report’s aspirations were that we would be likely to forfeit goodwill and resources from many government departments and agencies.

"It also meant that we as a council were negligent in not getting involved earlier in the PFS programme and owning it, preferring to leave it all to Wiltshire Council, thus avoiding the blame that was bound to arise. We need to recognise that we shirked our responsibilities and did not provide the sort of leadership the community has a right to expect.

"The CAF describes the PFS as one of its aspirations; the ETRO was Wiltshire Council’s instrument for implementing the PFS."

"Better late than never"

Cllr Brian Dalton (Harnham, Liberal Democrats) said it was a "good debate", but that it should have happened before now.

He also adds that WC need to get public behind the scheme, otherwise it is doomed to fail.

He said: "It's reminding me of the High Street pedestrianisation 20 years ago. No one can imagine traffic on the High Street today.

"Wiltshire Council has the ability to consult with all households in the city and provide facts about the scheme. Without getting 'people' behind people friendly streets, it's doomed to fail.

"Although it was a great debate, the city council is not the instigator here. It's Wiltshire. No bypass petition will ever work."

"We need a trail"

On Monday night, Cllr John Baber (St Marks and Bishopdown, Conservative), said he is not persuaded by the "do nothing argument", or "the impassioned plea in favour", as neither arrive at a plan.

He added: "We need a verifiable set of data, not impassioned opinion. We need a trial."

"It needs proper leadership, dialogue and support"

Cllr Jo Broom, (St Martins and Cathedral, Conservative), said she was against the introduction of the PFS scheme earlier, not in principle but by the fact she felt it had been rushed through and felt people didn't understand what was happening.

She added: "We have to make improvements and can't keep pushing it into the long grass. It needs proper leadership, dialogue, and support, and if we can get that in place, then we should do what we can to make it happen."

"Let's remember it was experimental"

Cllr Derek Brown (St Marks and Bishopdown, Conservative), said he would like to see the scheme reintroduced some time in the new year, so that we can gather the evidence properly.

"We already know 70 per cent of traffic is just passing through the city centre. The traffic coming into shop can still do that. All car parks were still accessible. Nothing has changed in that context."

"Wonderful opportunity"

Cllr Caroline Corbin (Bemerton, Labour) said that although the newly-installed cycle lanes were a separate issue, both schemes being introduced at the same time was "a bit of a mistake".

"My fear in stopping the process is that actually if we haven't got solid support from all the councillors, why would Wiltshire Council want to put more money in when in May there may be new views?"

City Council elections take place in May.

"Very sorry to see it pulled"

Cllr Matthew Dean (St Pauls, Independent) said he was "very sorry" to see the scheme suspended.

He added: "The results were very interesting, even for the short time the scheme was running.

"It seems to me that its central aim of reducing traffic while maintaining footfall without adversely affecting the A36, was successful. If that is the case, I am very sorry that it has been pulled".

"It is about what is best for Salisbury"

Cllr Jeremy Nettle (Fisherton and Bemerton Village, Conservative), voted in favour of the scheme, despite saying People Friendly Salisbury "was not what was asked for".

He added: "There will be people who love this and hate it. It's about 50 per cent. I think that is the issue. It is not about politics, it's about what's best for Salisbury".

"Very disappointed we pulled the plug"

Cllr Mike Osment (Bemerton, Labour), said he was "very disappointed" the plug was pulled on the scheme after a month.

He said: "There is a wider issue here. The CAF. It's very important.

"It's about the vibrancy of the city going forward. The high street is never going to be the same again but we need to give it the best chance going forward."

"The High Street blossomed"

Cllr Ian Tomes (St. Martin's and Cathedral, Labour), said there was massive opposition to the pedestrianisation of the High Street 20 years ago, including a 5,000 strong petition, but it "blossomed".

Cllr John Walsh was chairman of the meeting, and didn't talk on the matter.

These are only some of the comments councillors made.

For more, click here.