March Town Council has decided not to spend any money towards speed reduction measures on Norwood Road and Hundred Road following a debate in which a former mayor felt there was no problem with existing limits.

The town council was considering whether to continue its bid to a county council scheme which allows local councils to contribute, yearly, ten per cent towards a single road safety scheme in their area.

But the town council heard from Councillor Kit Owen that he believed a traffic count carried out earlier this year – which he was aware of - showed there was not a problem along Norwood Road.

The county council has released raw data to March Town Council but this is yet to have been fully analysed.

However the town council believes the outcome will show there is “no speeding traffic whatsoever and a minimal number of LCVs and HCVs.

“Consequently, concerns were expressed about the need for the scheme. March Town Councillors were informed of this at the time, and these latest results merely confirmed the suspicions already held.”

Although the county has yet to analyse the data and give a view, the town council believes that “the average speed in each of the three areas checked was below 30mph.”

The council has written to county council leader Steve Count, whose ward includes Norwood Road, claiming that the report to the town council endorses the view that no reduction will be needed.

The town council says that during a separate agenda report, police had told councillors that “their number one priority at this time is protection of the vulnerable.

“In consequence, community policing would be adversely affected with fewer resources available to enforce such matters as parking, speeding and minor nuisance issues”.

The letter to Cllr Count, signed by the mayor and Cllr Owen, leader of the Conservative group, says their decision “saves money for Council Tax payers by not allowing a scheme to proceed

Last year Cllr Count offered to promote a scheme which he said would “help to reduce speeding and larger lorries impacting on the populations that live on Norwood and Hundred Road areas”.