Residents speak to council about school traffic and the Ellen Badger

Two parishioners addressed the Town Council during the Open Forum section of the Town Council meeting on 12th October. Lisa Hadland and Hannah French raised concerns about traffic near Shipston Primary School and the redevelopment of the Ellen Badger Hospital respectively.

Lisa explained that measures in response to Covid 19 have compounded existing issues caused by people parking in dangerous locations. She sought support from Councillors for a lollipop person, zebra crossing or other means of providing a safe way for children to cross the road. Several potential solutions were discussed, including sharing the cost of a lollipop person across several schools and encouraging parents to follow an unofficial one-way system when accessing the school. Cllr Ian Cooper and Cllr Fay Ivens both noted that the “footprints” leading to a safe crossing place had been removed when Shipston Lodge was built and Warwickshire County Council no longer installs these measures. The Town Council will discuss the issue at a future meeting after further investigations have been carried out.

Representing the Ellen Badger Hospital League of Friends, Hannah French expressed concern about the revised plans for the hospital. South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust has announced that work will now be done in two phases with the second phase dependent on the outcome of a county-wide bed review. The League of Friends has been fundraising and purchased a plot of land based on a single-phase plan that would guarantee the future of hospital services in Shipston. An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of the Town Council may be considered in future to discuss the Ellen Badger redevelopment plans, dependent on the evolving situation.