Today, following about 20 hours of work investigating the councils new policy on 20mph limits around schools, I had to challenge the Labour-run Cabinet on the policy, in the interests not just of young people in the area I represent, but for all children across County Durham. Only 33 schools were to be included in the initial roll out of this policy.

I personally believe that wherever possible all appropriate residential areas should have 20mph limits, as should all schools in the County and will continue to push for this.

This is what I said in the meeting and below that, is my interpretation of what they plan to do about my concerns. I hope that at the end of this process Fram Primary Schools and the Comp, as well as New College will have 20mph limits around them.

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Chairman, I did not want to be here today in these circumstances. I wanted to come here and applaud you after six years of this new council for finally listening to our concerns and starting to implement 20mph limits.

Unfortunately I spent most of last night not sleeping over this report – because of the way in which the data has be used and interpreted, which are in my view fundamentally flawed.

Just think for a second if you know anyone whose children or grandchildren go to East Durham College, New College Durham, Bishop Auckland college or Derwentside College.

These colleges offer education to varying ages of 14-19. yet because of a statistical error in the way they are defined on our own Council computer systems they have not been included in the data. All other six form schools have been. At least one, New College would have met the criteria to be included in the 33 schools in this phase. (I showed them a map with the casualty data). Further errors mean that some schools have had their data incorrectly calculated because they are based at more than one site.

In addition every single accident outside any school in the County where it is the parent or grandparent who is injured was excluded when calculating the data. How can this be right.

And critically, it is not the location of the school entry and exit points on which the statistics have been calculated but where on our computer system a schools’ postcode comes up on the map.

In the case of Framwellgate School Durham the postcode point for the calculation is 250 metres from the nearest road. (Everyone had been given a map to show this). Had this been taken into account, this school would have been included as well, along possibly with the Primary School.

I understand the constraints you find yourselves in, but it is clearly unacceptable for at least three of the educational establishments in the area I represent to be discriminated against in this manner.

There are serious errors in this report. It took me a whole week to get the information I needed to analyse it. I have discussed it with three directors, made my concerns known to the portfolio holder and the deputy leader.

So one final time I plead with you to withdraw this report due to its serious flaws and after further work and review has been carried out, bring it back so that roll out of 20mph limits is done fairly.

I do not want accidents on my conscience and I am certain you do not want accidents on your conscience either.

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I believe that what followed was as a direct result of my having told directors and politicians of my concerns in the last few days.

The head of Scrutiny said that a working group would be set up to look at how the 20mph limits are implemented based around this report.

What I now need to see is the terms of reference and whether those schools which have been discriminated against will be included in the review and whether all the issues I have raised will be looked at in  a proper manner.

If it is shown that some schools have been omitted by error or should be included in the initial roll out for other reasons it is essential that the working group is able to get Cabinet to include them with the 33 already included.  Anything less than this cannot be fair.