In June 2011 Fareham, Gosport

and Havant will each lose their current Road Safety Groups and ‘merge’ with the

one currently situated in Eastleigh.  Hampshire County Council is insisting on the

move in a bid to meet the large spending cuts that have been demanded. 

A further five groups across the county will be disbanded in

favour of three main centres and there are mixed feelings about it.  Some are in favour that the travel to and

from County Council offices will be less of a drive - while others are against

it because they argue that local knowledge of roads and black spots will be

lost.

The Road Safety Groups consist of local residents, councillors,

police and fire service.  Both Hampshire

fire service and constabulary have supported the change and although the

article in The News doesn’t make it clear if members from the disbanded groups

will be invited to take part in the new set up, we can probably assume

not.  Budget cuts always lower headcounts

and this is just one more local and community-based project that will lose its

funding.

It’s almost as if Winchester

is becoming its own mini Westminster

and those of us outside the walls of ‘Whitehall’

are losing out more than, dare I say it, the more affluent areas of our county.