The Cabinet is asked to note any announcements made by the Leader of the Council.
Minutes:
Ian Davidson, Chief Executive
The Leader of the Council, on behalf of the Cabinet, extended best wishes to Ian Davidson, the Council’s Chief Executive as he recovered from a medical procedure.
Harwich – BREXIT Opportunities
The Leader of the Council read out the following statement:-
“As Britain prepares to leave the EU on March 29th there is still much uncertainty as to what our future trading arrangements are going to be, particularly the customs and regulatory arrangements for goods being imported from and exported to the EU.
New arrangements, new systems and new ways of doing business might well create a lot of challenges for the business community and indeed the country as a whole but amidst that fog of uncertainty there could be opportunities to create new jobs and employment in this district and specifically in and around the International port of Harwich and I am determined that we explore every possible opportunity that could arise regardless of the sort of Brexit we end up with.
I make no comment or prediction about which version of Brexit might be best for the country or the national economy, I just recognise that history is very clear that with every dramatic change of circumstances that has befallen this country there have followed challenges and problems, of course, but also new openings and opportunities. I want us to be on the front foot as a district, seeking to exploit any possible advantages for this area and for our residents. Fortune favours the bold, and this Council has always been at its best when it has been bold.
I am not going to attempt to prophesise what those opportunities will look like, as it all depends on the precise details of the deal that gets agreed, or even the lack thereof. It might simply be that Harwich could provide additional capacity for Felixstowe, which is only 2 miles across the River Stour and where currently 40% of all UK imports are landed. Or perhaps we could see a requirement for new customs posts to inspect goods or collect import duties coming in from the EU, and we could help to establish that facility in Harwich. Whatever the scenario is we need to do all we can to identify as soon as possible the impact of leaving the EU and to exploit any opportunities we can to the benefit of this District.
I make this statement today to announce that I am asking our officers to draw up a report, as a matter of urgency, to look at how we can address these aforementioned issues, how we can make sure we are in the strongest possible position to identify the opportunities from Brexit and to have in place the necessary resources to exploit those opportunities to the fullest extent.”
Manningtree Rail Crossing Road Improvements
The Leader of the Council read out the following statement:-
“My other announcement today concerns the Manningtree rail crossing. This is an issue I have raised before on several occasions. The situation is that the Norwich to London mainline crosses the A137 by means of either an unmanned level crossing which is frequently closed due to the volume of rail traffic or via an underpass of restricted height and width which severely impedes the free-flowing movement of road traffic. And this is all in immediate proximity to the entrance to the railway station, to a major roundabout and also a bus stop.
Use of the Station has increased hugely over the past few years and despite a second-storey extension being constructed the car park is again full to capacity on a daily basis and this extra usage is adding further to the traffic problems.
The congestion in that area at peak times has to be experienced to be believed; Just this morning traffic was stationary for not just the entire length of Cox’s Hill, but also along Wignall Street and adjoining roads for some distance. It is an unacceptable situation that is entirely avoidable with the proper road and rail planning and given the huge amount of new housing development taking place in and around Manningtree, including the Suffolk side of the river, the problems are only going to get worse.
We have made strenuous efforts – in particular Carlo and I have between us attended countless meetings with untold agencies, partners, MPs, County cabinet members etc, etc in an effort to get some short-term improvements made now whilst working towards a longer-term solution that will solve the problem once and for all. But even getting a simple traffic light system installed to control the traffic flow under the rail line has so far failed to materialise and I find that failure of action to be totally unacceptable. Trying to make meaningful progress on this issue has not been helped by the failure of the rail industry to take their responsibilities seriously and to engage with us.
I propose therefore to write to the Transport Secretary and ask him personally to look at this issue as a matter of urgency. I shall also set up a meeting to which I shall invite the Chief Executives of Network Rail and Greater Anglia, the Leaders of Essex and Suffolk county councils, the MPs for that area as well as other key stakeholders and partners to attempt to thrash out a solution to this problem as it is only fair that people and businesses in the area know what is being planned and when it is going to happen.”