We asked, you said, we did

We asked for your views on a proposal to prohibit motorised traffic (except for access to off-street premises) in Roughwood Lane, Chalfont St Giles.

The consultation ran from 22 November to 13 December 2024.

We received 601 responses to the consultation:

• 51 (8.5%) supported the proposal
• 519 (86.5%) objected the proposal
• 31 (5.2%) commented on the proposal but did not say whether they supported or objected

View a summary of the responses (PDF 0.44MB).

View the responses in full (redacted) (PDF 4MB).

On 15 January 2025, taking into consideration the consultation feedback, the Leader in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Transport agreed to not proceed with the proposal.

Instead, it was agreed to:

• improve the signs for the existing 7.5 tonnes weight limit in Roughwood Lane
• implement a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to prohibit motorised traffic in Roughwood Lane except for permit holders and access to off street premises from 21 February 2025
• extend the eligibility criteria for a permit to all residents and businesses located in the following five parish council areas:
  • Chalfont St Giles Parish Council area
  • Chalfont St Peter Parish Council area
  • Chenies Parish Council area
  • Chorleywood Parish Council area (Hertfordshire)
  • Little Chalfont Parish Council area

If you are eligible, you can now apply for a permit to use Roughwood Lane.

We asked for views on whether you agreed with opening a Communication and Interaction (Autism) Unit at Overstone Combined School, Wing.

The consultation ran from 30 September to 10 November 2024.

We received 24 responses to the consultation:

• 19 online survey responses
• 5 email and postal responses

On the proposal to open a new Communication and Interaction (Autism) Unit, of the 24 who responded:

• 17 (71%) were in agreement with the proposal; 5 (21%) did not agree; and 2 (8%) didn’t know
• 24 (100%) said that they understood why the proposal had been made

Together with the Governing Board of Overstone Combined School, we have considered the responses to the consultation.

In view of the need for SEND provision and having taken into account all responses received, on 26 November 2024 we published a statutory proposal to open a Communication and Interaction (Autism) Unit at Overstone Combined School.

Buckinghamshire Highways asked residents if they supported the introduction of a 30mph speed limit order on a section of Cheddington Road, Pitstone from the railway bridge to the 'Autumn Leaves' property.

The consultation results showed that 26 people had responded to the consultation, with the results as follows:

• 25 respondents (96.15%) supported the introduction of a speed limit order.
• 1 respondent (3.85%) commented on other concerns in the area.

Buckinghamshire Council made a decision on 17th January 2025 to approve the recommendation to introduce a '30 mph' speed limit order as advertised.

You can find the decision and the report here: Decision - Cheddington Road, Pitstone Proposed 30mph Speed Limit - Modern Council

Buckinghamshire Highways will now start the process of putting this order into effect. A newspaper advert will be published when the order is due to take effect.

We asked you to help us design our library services so that staff are available at the times when you need them most.

The consultation ran from 10 July to 18 September 2024.

We received 1,212 responses to the consultation, including 221 paper surveys submitted. We also ran a number of focus groups and engaged with over 200 local services and organisations.

Your feedback on preferred days:

• Friday and Saturday are the preferred days to access the library, with an average of 73% of respondents indicating these days as a preference
• Monday and Sunday are the least preferred days
  • Sundays are mentioned by less than 25% of respondents on average
  • Sundays are slightly more popular with respondents under 65 years old, but it is still the least popular day of the week for that group

Your feedback on priority times for staff:

• 10am to 4pm are the most important hours to staff the library
  • 10am to 12pm is the strongest preference, with an average of 74% of respondents indicating it as a preference
• 4pm to 6pm is also a priority for respondents under 65 years old, although still a lower priority than 10am to 4pm

Your feedback on Library Flex:

• 39% of respondents are likely to access the library during unstaffed times; 14% are neither likely nor unlikely; 43% are unlikely; and 4% didn’t know
• 20% of respondents consider the changes will have a generally positive impact on access to the library; 26% consider them neither positive nor negative; 46% consider them generally negative; and 8% didn’t know
• 66 respondents said they would be interested in using library spaces during unstaffed hours
  • 36 respondents represented organisations interested in using library spaces during unstaffed hours

How you use the library:

• 88% of respondents use the library to borrow books
• 1% of respondents do not use any library services
• 83% of respondents use the library once a month or more
• Respondents under 65 years old are more likely to use the library for borrowing e-books, using Wi-Fi, using as a work/study space, and for children’s activities

High Wycombe Library

High Wycombe Library was not selected for Library Flex because of the difficulties in adapting the building. Instead, we proposed to open the library on a Monday instead of a Sunday.

We received 162 responses on High Wycombe Library:

• 46% of respondents agreed with the proposal to change the opening day from Sunday to Monday; 14% neither agreed nor disagreed; 38% disagreed; and 2% didn’t know

Burnham Library

Burnham Library was not selected for Library Flex due to the constraints of the building. Instead, we proposed to make savings either through recruiting more volunteers or by reviewing opening hours.

We received 143 responses on Burnham Library:

• generally, using the library in the morning is preferred by over 65s and using the library in the afternoon is preferred by under 65s
• we were not successful in recruiting more volunteers

View the detailed consultation analysis report (PDF 2MB).

On 2 January 2025, Cabinet agreed to implement Library Flex. For more information about what this means for each library, view the Cabinet reports.

Cabinet also agreed to:

• modify the layout of High Wycombe Library and to open the library on a Monday instead of a Sunday
• reduce the opening hours at Burnham Library from 38 to 27 hours per week

We asked for your views on proposals to install electric vehicle (EV) charging points and create dedicated EV charging only bays in Wendover. 

The consultation ran from 15 July to 25 August 2024.

We received 75 online responses to the consultation.

Out of the original 18 locations, 5 have been removed due to objections received in the consultation relating to road safety, accessibility, limited parking spaces, and private/allocated spaces. 

The final shortlist of 13 proposed locations was agreed in collaboration with the Wendover EV Working Group, which includes local councillors, Wendover Parish Council, and interest groups.

On 12 December 2024 the council approved a formal consultation to take place to install at least 10 kerbside EV charging points and create dedicated parking spaces for EV charging only bays in Wendover. 

The formal consultation runs from 8 January to 30 January 2025.

We asked for your views on proposed changes to Buckinghamshire Council’s Housing Allocations Policy. This policy sets out the priorities and processes for the allocation of social housing throughout the Buckinghamshire Council area. 

The consultation ran from 11 July to 22 August 2024. 

We received 261 responses to the consultation: 

• 245 responses were by individuals and 16 on behalf of organisations 
• 21% of the individual responses were from people on the housing register 

Your views on the proposed changes were as follows: 

Policy proposal 1: to remove legacy district boundaries 

• 60% agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal 
• 11% neither agreed nor disagreed 
• 12% disagreed 
• 15% strongly disagreed 
• 2% didn’t know 

Policy proposal 2: to increase the number of years an applicant will need to qualify for residency from two years to five years 

• 64% agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal 
• 10% neither agreed nor disagreed 
• 13% disagreed 
• 13% strongly disagreed 

Policy proposal 3: to introduce residency requirements for those over 55 

• 68% agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal 
• 14% neither agreed nor disagreed 
• 7% disagreed 
• 10% strongly disagreed 
• 1% didn’t know 

Policy proposal 4: to strengthen the priority for households in temporary accommodation 

• 67% agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal 
• 18% neither agreed nor disagreed 
• 6% disagreed 
• 5% strongly disagreed 
• 4% didn’t know 

Policy proposal 5: to strengthen the priority for households that have been assessed as homeless and are not in temporary accommodation 

• 64% agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal 
• 21% neither agreed nor disagreed 
• 7% disagreed 
• 5% strongly disagreed 
• 3% didn’t know 

Policy proposal 6: to redefine the requirements for households under occupying affordable housing that are willing to downsize 

• 81% agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal 
• 11% neither agreed nor disagreed 
• 4% disagreed 
• 4% strongly disagreed 
• 1% didn’t know 

Policy proposal 7: to use automatic bidding to proactively match priority households with available housing 

• 48% agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal 
• 22% neither agreed nor disagreed 
• 9% disagreed 
• 17% strongly disagreed 
• 4% didn’t know 

Policy proposal 8: to add homeless households placed in temporary accommodation under a relief duty to the list of applicants the Council reserves the right to directly allocate housing to 

• 52% agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal 
• 23% neither agreed nor disagreed 
• 11% disagreed 
• 11% strongly disagreed 
• 3% didn’t know 

Policy proposal 9: to revise bedroom standards for households with children over the age of 18 

• 71% agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal 
• 13% neither agreed nor disagreed 
• 6% disagreed 
• 9% strongly disagreed 
• 1% didn’t know 

View the analysis of the responses to the consultation (PDF 649KB)  

On 8 October 2024, Cabinet approved the new Housing Allocations Policy. As consultation respondents were generally supportive of the proposed policy changes, these went forward unchanged. 

The least well supported policy change in the consultation was the proposal to use automatic bidding to proactively match priority households with available housing. The report to Cabinet noted that the comments people provided on this change showed that the way the proposal was set out in the consultation had led to some misunderstanding as to how it would be implemented. 

For clarity, automatic bidding will not be used for most households on the housing register. 

We will use automatic bidding on behalf of households who are in priority but are not using their weekly bids. Automatic bidding will be switched on in conversation with the household as part of their personal housing plan, or if someone is unable to log on to the website to submit bids themselves and they request that we do this on their behalf.  

Where automatic bidding is switched on, the bidding parameters (location, type of property etc.) will be agreed with the household.

We asked for the views of unpaid carers of all ages and levels of responsibility, to help us understand what is important for carers on the following topics:  

• being a carer  
• about the support you receive   
• time away from caring  
• health and wellbeing   
• work, education and training  
• financial support   

Face to face and online engagement activities took place including: 

• 8 face to face engagement sessions with adult carers  
• 2 online engagement events with adult carers   
• 5 face to face engagement events with young carers between the ages of 5-16   

Feedback from professionals and community organisations who support unpaid carers and those they care for, was also received. 

The engagement ran from 22 July to 18 August 2024.

We received 345 responses to the online survey.  

Feedback from all carers, professionals and organisations identified the following key themes: 

• understanding a carers role and identifying carers 
• assessment and care planning process 
• available resources and information 
• communication from Adult Social Care 
• health and wellbeing support for carers 
• carers taking a break 
• financial support 

Young carers also identified the following: 

• establish assessment process for young people 
• siloed support within schools and uncertainty around transitions between schools 
• support at home during school breaks 

We used your views feedback to create our draft All-Age Carers Strategy with 4 equally important priorities: 

• to provide a system that best works for carers, by joining up services and identifying carers at the earliest stage 
• to ensure carers can find information and advice they need easily, when they need it 
• to support our carers health and wellbeing, helping them to access support, meet other carers and prepare for the future 
• to support carers in accessing employment, to minimise the financial impact of caring 

On 4 November 2024 launched a consultation on the Buckinghamshire All-Age Carers Strategy 2025 to 2030. 

Residents and businesses were asked for their thoughts on the following restrictions in the Elm Farm Estate in Aylesbury:

Overall, majority of residents supported the following restrictions:

Following the Informal Consultation, we shared the results with Elected Members for Aylesbury South - East.

We have amended the 'No Loading Mon - Sat 8am - 10pm' restriction to the following:

We asked for your views on the proposal to merge:  

• the Highlands and Watchcroft ward into the Buckingham North ward 
• the Fisher’s Field ward into the Buckingham South ward 

The consultation ran from 7 May to 16 June 2024.  

We received 21 responses to the survey: 

• 18 agreed with the proposal that Highlands and Watchcroft ward be merged into Buckingham North ward; 2 disagreed; 1 didn’t know 
• 17 agreed with the proposal that Fisher’s Field ward be merged into Buckingham South ward; 2 disagreed; 1 didn’t know 

The responses in support of the proposals were generally for community identity reasons.  

The responses against the proposals were: 

• an objection to merging a smaller ward into a larger ward 
• a suggestion that Fisher’s Field was more closely linked to Nelson Street and the town centre and therefore should be in the North ward, rather than the South ward 

The 2 responses that said they didn’t know referred to matters outside of the scope of this review. 

On 10 September 2024, the Standards and General Purposes Committee agreed: 

• to merge Highlands and Watchcroft ward into Buckingham North ward 
• to merge Fisher’s Field ward into Buckingham South ward

This will better reflect community identity, electoral equality and promote efficient and effective local government.

A Reorganisation Order was also agreed by the Committee which means the changes will take effect on 1 March 2025, in time for the next scheduled local elections on 1 May 2025. 

We asked for your views on the proposal to change the parish boundary between Burnham and Dorney to align with the M4 and better reflect the community identity.  

The consultation ran from 7 May to 16 June 2024.  

We received 11 responses to the survey:

• 10 agreed with the proposal to move the parish boundary; 1 disagreed

The responses in support of the proposal were generally for community identity reasons, as was the one that disagreed.  

On 10 September 2024, the Standards and General Purposes Committee agreed to change the boundary between Burnham and Dorney to better reflect community identity.  

A Reorganisation Order was also agreed by the Committee which means the changes will take effect on 1 March 2025, in time for the next scheduled local elections on 1 May 2025. 

We asked for your views on the proposal to increase the number of parish councillors from 12 to 16 due to an increased workload and increasing housing in the area.  

The consultation ran from 7 May to 16 June 2024.  

We received 29 responses to the survey:  

• 21 agreed to the proposal to increase the number of councillors from 12 to 16; 6 disagreed; 2 didn’t know   

The responses in support of the proposal generally referred to increases in population, property development and workload. 

Those that disagreed or didn’t know referred to past councillor vacancies and workload.  

On 10 September 2024, the Standards and General Purposes Committee agreed to increase the number of councillors from 12 to 16 to promote effective and convenient local government.  

A Reorganisation Order was also agreed by the Committee which means the changes will take effect on 1 March 2025, in time for the next scheduled local elections on 1 May 2025. 

We asked for your views on the proposal to increase the number of parish councillors from 7 to 9 due to an increased workload and increasing housing in the area.  

The consultation ran from 7 May to 16 June 2024.  

We received 3 responses to the survey: 

• 1 agreed to the proposal to increase the number of councillors from 7 to 9; 2 disagreed    

The response in support of the proposal referred to increases in population.  

Of those that disagreed 1 questioned the need to increase the council size, and 1 referred to a past vacancy.  

On 10 September 2024, the Standards and General Purposes Committee acknowledged the small number of responses. It recognised that the proposal was supported by the Longwick-cum-Ilmer Parish Council who had requested the review. It agreed to increase the number of councillors from 7 to 9 to promote effective and convenient local government. 

A Reorganisation Order was also agreed by the Committee which means the changes will take effect on 1 March 2025, in time for the next scheduled local elections on 1 May 2025. 

We asked for your views on the proposal to increase the number of parish councillors from 8 to 10 due to an increased workload, taking on the management of the community hall, an increasing population, and a planned housing development.  

The consultation ran from 7 May to 16 June 2024.  

We received 30 responses to the survey: 

• all respondents agreed to the proposal to increase the number of councillors from 8 to 10 

The responses in support of the proposal generally referred to increases in population, new developments, and workload. 

On 10 September 2024, the Standards and General Purposes Committee agreed to increase the number of councillors from 8 to 10 to promote effective and convenient local government.  

A Reorganisation Order was also agreed by the Committee which means the changes will take effect on 1 March 2025, in time for the next scheduled local elections on 1 May 2025. 

You were asked for your views on a speed limit change from 40mph to 30mph between Crosspath Cottages and Thatch Cottage (near the junction of the A355), along with new 30mph terminal and repeater signs and roundels.

94.3% of respondents support the speed limit reduction, with 5.7% objecting or were not sure about our proposal.

Several respondents asked for horse warning signs to be installed as well.

We have produced a report of our findings and submitted it to the Council. They have approved our reccomendations of proceeding as advertised. The report can found here.

From Friday 16th August 2024, a legal order to reduce the existing speed limit of 40mph to 30mph will be effective.

Buckinghamshire Highways will start the Detailed Design process to show the locations of the signs and road markings.

We have also contacted the British Horse Society for their views on horse safety. As a result, we will include temporary posters warning drivers of horses on Magpie Lane.

We asked for views on a statutory notice for the proposed closure of Westcott Church of England School.

The representation period ran from 8 May to 4 June 2024.

This followed an initial consultation on the proposal from 31 January to 13 March 2024.

We received 5 representations:

• 4 online survey responses
• 1 email response

Of the 5 responses:

• 2 (40%) agreed with the proposal to close the school from 31 August 2024
• 2 (40%) did not agree
• 1 (20%) didn’t know or didn’t say

No respondents said they were parents / carers of pupils currently at the school.

On 12 July 2024, the Leader of Buckinghamshire Council approved the closure of Westcott Church of England School with effect from 31 August 2024.

The responses did not include any alternative proposals to closure from external organisations or local schools.

You were asked if you support the proposals to implement Double Yellow Line restrictions at the junction between Stubble Hill, Mill Meadow and Long Leys (which forms part of the Platinum Way Cycleway).

This proposal was to improve the visibility for those crossing the junction, allowing all users to see oncoming traffic more easily. This in turn, will allow users of the Platinum Way Cycleway to be more clearly seen by drivers, reducing the risk of accidents at the junction, and mitigating potential hazards for vulnerable users and other persons, from traffic travelling through this junction

Overall, residents were concerned that the proposals would further limit parking options aready present in the area.

• 27.66% of respondents supported the restrictions
• 72.34% of respondents did not support the restrictions.

Following the end of Public Consultation, Buckinghamshire Council's Parking Team were consulted for their views.

They confirmed the proposals should proceed, in accordance with Rule 243 of the Highway Code.

Nevertheless, it was decided to reduce the extents of the restrictions on both Mill Meadow and Long Leys.

Buckinghamshire Highways produced a report for the Council detailing our findings and our recommendations to proceed, subject to the double - yellow lines being reduced in the aforementioned roads above. A decision was made by the Leader on 15th October 2024, approving our reccomendations. You can find the decision here: Decision - Platinum Way Cycleway Improvements - Stubble Hill - Modern Council (moderngov.co.uk)

From this, Buckinghamshire Highways will now start the process of sealing the Traffic Regulation Order over the next couple of weeks.

We asked for your views on several parking restrictions over several roads in Stoke Mandeville. They consisted of the following proposals:

Following a consultation in April / May 2024, 105 people had responded to our consultation for proposed restrictions on five roads in Stoke Mandeville (420 individual responses in total).

The table below shows the results:

We submitted our findings to the Council for their decision, which came in June 2024.

Following this, we are planning to legalise a Traffic Regulation Order on 25th September 2024 to make these enforceable. In the meantime, we are currently putting together the design package for our contractors.

We asked for views on whether you would prefer to keep arrangements in High Wycombe as they are, or if a town council should be created.

The consultation ran from 12 February to 7 April 2024.

55,000 were invited to take part in the consultation. An information booklet, survey and pre-paid envelope were sent to every household. You could also take part online, email us or write to us.

We received 2,532 responses to the consultation (4.6% of the High Wycombe electorate).

Of those responding:

• 1,517 were in favour of a town council (2.7% of the electorate)
• 1,087 were in favour of a town council and willing to pay for it (1.9% of the electorate)
• 1,162 were unwilling to pay for a town council (2.1% of the electorate)

Responses commonly demonstrated an appetite for local improvements and better engagement, suggesting that this was more important than governance structure.

View the consultation analysis report.

On 18 September 2024, Council approved the recommendations made by the Standards and General Purposes Committee on 10 September to not establish a town council for the whole of the unparished High Wycombe area but rather strengthen the current governance arrangements so that they can deliver improvements in the High Wycombe area.

View the final recommendations on the Buckinghamshire Council website.

We asked for views on whether you agreed with the proposal to close Westcott Church of England (CE) School, Westcott. 

The consultation ran from 31 January to 13 March 2024.

We received 70 responses to the consultation: 

• 61 online survey responses 
• 9 email responses 

Of the 70 who responded, 17 (24%) were in agreement with the proposal to close the school from 31st August 2024; 52 (74%) did not agree; and, 1 (2%) didn’t know or didn’t say. 

Of the 70 responses received 54 (77%) said that they understood why the proposal had been made to consult on closure of the school (even if they didn’t necessarily agree with it). 11 (16%) said that they didn’t understand the proposal and 5 (7%) that they didn’t know. 

The Governing Board of Westcott CE School, together with the Oxford Diocesan Board for Education (ODBE) and the Council, have considered the responses to the consultation. 

As it did not provide any viable options to support the school remaining open, on 8 May 2024 we published a statutory proposal for closure. 

We asked for your views on the draft RAF Halton Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) 

The consultation ran from 22 January to 4 March 2024. 

We received 336 responses to the consultation. 

Comments and suggestions were received about a number of topics including: 

• health, education 
• highways, active travel, public transport, parking 
• heritage 
• dwelling design and type 
• green infrastructure and biodiversity 
• local centre, sports and leisure facilities 

For more information, including our responses please see the Consultation Statement (PDF 1.0MB) 

Some minor changes were made to reflect the consultation responses: 

• the need for the developer to work with the Integrated Care Board to understand healthcare requirements and explore the potential to reuse the existing facilities on site 
• clarification that a contribution towards secondary school provision will form part of the planning application S106 requirements  
• relocation of a play area to be in a more prominent and overlooked position next to the residential area at Chestnut Avenue 
• County Museum Resource Centre to remain in its current location with the potential for artifacts from the Trenchard Museum to be relocated here 
• images inserted to help explain the design of roads and cycle ways, plus the provision of trees and landscaping 
• insertion of a list of Non-Designated Heritage Assets to compliment the map that shows these buildings 
• clarification of the requirement for 25% affordable housing 
• minor wording changes to clarify the need to maintain the openness of the Green Belt and purpose of land swaps 
• further detail on the requirement for the planning application to include the need for an approved phasing strategy to ensure comprehensive development and open book financial appraisal. 

For more information, please see the Report for RAF Halton SPD. 

On 16 July 2024, Cabinet approved the RAF Halton SPD for adoption.