By coincidence I have been contacted by considerable numbers of people who have been fined for exceeding the reduced 30 mph speed limit on Chester Road South and also by others who feel that speed limits in other places are too high for safety.

If a speed limit of 40mph within an area with an existing 30 mph limit is reduced to 30 the authorities do not have to put up a 30 sign when they remove the 40 sign. Red patches on a road only denote that there is a speed limit in force. By law they do not have to contain the relevant figure. One has to assume one is in a 30 mph limit if there are lampposts without derestriction or repeater signs on them. I think this is unrealistic when a longstanding limit is reduced and I have written to the Minister of Transport to request better signage at a time of change of speed limit so that people with previously blameless records can avoid acquiring penalties. I plan a meeting with the local police traffic management officer and I will hope to learn more then about reasons for the absence of speed limits considered appropriate by residents in other areas.

I have had another of my regular meetings with the County Director of Education and I was pleased to learn that exam results on average across the County are above the national average. The battle continues for fairer funding for Shire County Schools like ours. I have had many letters from people supporting this battle. There are four options before the Government, only one of which will benefit Worcestershire.

During a debate in the Commons on Tuesday night a Government Minister reassured the counties that are at the upper end of the funding range that they would see no reduction. The decision about counties at the lower end does not appear to have been made yet.
As we are doing well even though under funded, I am not hopeful of generosity.

Rumours that parts of our hospital site are to be sold off for housing are not accurate. This could only be possible if the District Local Plan that preserves the site for health use is overturned at the Local Plan Inquiry to be held on 31 October at Stourport Civic Centre.

The Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) is due to inspect the county hospitals in the near future. Anybody wishing to make comments about current hospital provision can make them direct to the CHI Inspectors who are visiting Kidderminster on 6 November. For an appointment please telephone : 0845 601 3012.

R.T.