It was standing room only at The Clarke Foley Centre for Tuesday's Extraordinary meeting of Ilkley Town Council.
The purpose of the meeting was for the Town Council to consider its position on the current proposals for a 20mph scheme in Ilkley and Ben Rhydding.
Under the plans Bradford Council will install 133 speed cushions and 10 speed tables, along with the town-wide 20mph limit.
Prior to the meeting, Ilkley's MP Robbie Moore had written to Ilkley town mayor, Cllr Karl Milner, asking the council to revisit the consultation process and look to implement a more targeted traffic calming scheme.
But at the meeting, after a tied vote of 7-7, Ilkley Town Mayor Cllr Milner’s casting votes saw the Town Council vote through the implementation scheme and providing funding of up to £87,500, with local MP Robbie Moore calling the process 'a complete joke'.
Robbie Moore MP said:
"By railroading residents, forcing through these plans, and voting to spend £87,500 of taxpayers money to blanket our town with speed humps and a town-wide 20mph zone, Ilkley Town Council’s coalition of Labour, Lib Dem and Green Party councillors have completely ignored the people of Ilkley.
Ninety-one percent of public consultation respondents strongly opposed these plans. This local opposition was made clear to local Labour, Lib Dem and Green Councillors - including our Labour Ilkley Mayor Karl Milner and Bradford Council - time and time again, and yet they have refused to listen. I wrote to Ilkley’s Labour Mayor urging him to take on board the consultation results, but clearly he wasn’t interested - using his casting vote to rush these plans through.
Only the Conservative councillors wanted to implement a more targeted speed reduction scheme, which I fully support.
What happened at last night's Ilkley Town Council meeting was therefore nothing short of a complete joke and a classic example of those in power not listening. What is the point of holding a public consultation if you do not plan to take on board its results? This decision will no doubt do long-lasting damage to any future public consultation both Ilkley Town Council and Bradford Council plan to hold."
