Ford anger at end of Road Safety Council funding

4.13.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 1st May 2009

Alliance Leader David Ford has expressed anger at the withdrawal of funding for the Road Safety Council and following complaints by the Newtownabbey Road Safety Committee he brought the issue to the Stormont Environment Committee.

David Ford said: "I am horrified that whilst the Department of the Environment is apparently reviewing its roads safety strategy, it has still gone ahead with ceasing funding of the RSC before the review is completed.

"The Newtownabbey Road Safety Committee emailed elected representatives with regard to the decision to withdraw core funding from the Road Safety Council for NI. This has led to problems for the voluntary committees due to bureaucracy within the Department of Environment which was previously effectively co-ordinated by the Road Safety Council.

"At the recent Environment Committee meeting, attended by Road Safety Council representatives and two local Road Safety Committees, at which the funding issue was discussed, the Committee arranged to meet the Minister of the Environment on the issue.

"Road Safety Committees play an important role in helping reduce fatalities and injuries on our roads. They provide an essential local perspective and help raise awareness, and they should not have to deal with such a high level of bureaucracy. The Road Safety Council is essential to allow the Road Safety Committees to operate effectively without getting bogged down in bureaucracy. I believe that any end in funding will have an extremely detrimental impact on the Committees."