TWO ENTRANCES caused a diplomatic incident at a Shinfield school last month – one councillor was at one, while another was at the second gate, so they missed each other at a planned meeting for road safety.
Cllr Parry Batth (Con) hoped to have meet Cllr Paul Fishwick at the entrance to Crosfields School on Shinfield Road, at 8am on a school day so he could witness the dangerous conditions for pedestrians attempting to cross the road.
He told the chamber that on the scheduled day, he waited at the school gates with the deputy head, but Cllr Fishwick did not attend.
“I emailed him and he said he was walking up and down Shinfield Road instead of meeting me and the head. I don’t know why he did, he didn’t show up to met us. Perhaps he can explain,” Cllr Batth said, adding that a safe crossing was needed for the children, but Cllr Fishwick had disagreed.
However, Cllr Fishwick had a different story to tell. “I arrived at 7.45am and hadn’t realised there were two entrances,” he said, adding that he was met by employees of Crosfields who queried who he was. They went to find the headmaster of the school, who met him in reception.
“I had a discussion with him and witnessed a few people crossing the road, but the vast majority were brought in by car, and a few by bus,” he said, adding an assessment was carried out in February last year, and the report would be kept for review at a later date.
