QUITE rightly you have given wide coverage to the management of the current phase of roadworks on the A338 southbound around the Blackwater junction.

In response to emails received by the Daily Echo, from business interests in Bournemouth asking me to see what I could do to influence some relief of the situation, you put my comprehensive response onto the Echo website and included some selected comments in the paper itself.

I hope that those who have expressed anger towards me have found the time to take a look at that full reply in order to confirm the facts.

What should be clear to everybody by now is that it is Dorset County Council who are managing the roadworks and who are the responsible council authority, and NOT Bournemouth council. Obviously, I cannot instruct the county council to make changes, although I shall continue to do all I can to influence improvements, which after all is what I was being asked to do.

I was contacted by Paul Kinvig from the Bournemouth BID and Tony Brown of Beales to try to see how I could influence the programming of the works to help ease the congestion.

PaulKinvigletter.docx

This I have been doing consistently over the past two months and by working with council officers have managed to get some important changes made.

Many people have commented and been highly critical of me even though they must know by now that I have no authority to make any changes myself.

Far from having my ‘head in the sand’, as I have been accused of, I have been using all the influence I can muster to try to do as Bournemouth businesses have asked and help Dorset County Council to make the changes needed which will ease congestion at peak times, especially in the morning rush hour.

Outside the peak morning period, delays are much less and Bournemouth is completely open for business, especially at the times of day when shoppers and visitors are coming into town.

I repeat, let’s all work together to make sure we do everything possible to tell those coming into Bournemouth that at most times of the day and especially at weekends, they have little to be concerned about and will not be unnecessarily delayed.

The county council have repeatedly told me that the reality is that they have limited time in which to complete these works, but have agreed to end lane closures for four weeks over Christmas to help ease the situation.

However, we have insisted that they must be completed by June so that they do not impact on the summer tourist season.

I shall continue to do all I can to influence any further possible changes, including increased night work, to help lessen congestion for those coming into Bournemouth.

CLLR JOHN BEESLEY

Leader of Bournemouth council,

Bournemouth Town Hall