Process and Results of Croydon Council Smitham Station Rename Consultation in Coulsdon

Dear Ms Cameron

Thank you for your letter email/letter dated 7 January 2010 in which you
have requested information in relation to the process and results of
Croydon Council Smitham Station Rename consultation in Coulsdon.

We are considering your request under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000, and hope to respond within the statutory 20 working
days.

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Yours sincerely

Valerie Morris

Contract Monitoring Officer

Chief Executive's Office

Democratic & Legal Services Division

5th Floor South Side

Taberner House

Park Lane Croydon

CR9 3JS

Tel: 0208 686 4433 ext. 62676

Fax: 0208 760 5679

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Dear Ms Cameron

Thank you for your letter email dated 7 January 2010 in which you have
requested information in relation to the process and results of Croydon
Council Smitham Station Rename consultation in Coulsdon. We have
considered your request under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act
2000, and apologise for the delay in replying. Below is our response.

1. The origin of the re-naming proposal was a discussion
begun by local stakeholders' representatives at Croydon's Public Transport
Liaison Panel (PTLP) of July 2006, in connection with the Coulsdon town
centre regeneration initiative. The formal origin of the consultation
proposal was a decision, conveyed to the Council in November 2008, by
Government Ministers following their discussion with officers of the
Department for Transport, to incorporate provision for that possible
name-change into the base specification for what is now the current South
Central rail franchise. That decision by Government included a requirement
to consult.

2. The analysis supporting the concept of a possible
name-change was protracted discussion among a number of local stakeholder
groups represented at Croydon's PTLP, beginning in July 2006 and
continuing to October 2007, when a letter was sent to the train operator
formally raising the issue.

3. The Council's assessment of likely costs to the local
taxpayer was about £2,000, based on the cost of replacing existing
directional signplates within the town of Coulsdon. The minimal costs of
the public consultation process were covered by normal operating
arrangements for the Neighbourhood Partnership meeting where the
consultation was announced. The Council's assessment of likely benefits
included making it easier for people to visit the town by rail, through
identifying and highlighting the connection between the station and the
town of Coulsdon, and helping to promote the image of Coulsdon as a town
that was being regenerated. There was recognition that rail travellers who
were unfamiliar with the area tended to travel to Coulsdon South and then
face a relatively lengthy journey back into the town. The train companies
involved in bidding for the current South Central rail franchise were not
formally asked for their views.

4. The Council consulted on the optional names of
Coulsdon Town station, Coulsdon/Smitham station, and Smitham station (i.e.
retention of the existing name), and additionally invited voters to put
forward their own suggestions. The first two alternatives, i.e. Coulsdon
Town and Coulsdon/Smitham, were derived from extended stakeholders'
discussions at PTLP and informal Member/officer discussion based on those
PTLP discussions.

5. The information relating to the consultation process
is not available on the council's website as we have no statutory
obligation to publish the consultations on our website. However, some
information are available from minutes of the Neighbourhood Partnership
meetings which can be accessed at
[1]http://www.croydononline.org/neighbourho...

6. The consultation was announced at the [early] July
2009 NP meeting for Coulsdon East and Coulsdon West Wards. Two weeks prior
to that NP meeting the Council contacted the Chairs of all known local
residents' associations in both Wards to advise them of the forthcoming
announcement at the NP meeting. Among those Chairs was at least one active
member of the East Surrey Transport Committee, who was thereby also
brought directly into the discussion. Informative posters were mounted at
all railway stations in the Borough. Voters were offered the option of
voting by email, and this internet aspect further widened the reach of the
consultation.

7. Informative posters were mounted at all railway
stations in the Borough.

8. DfT advised Croydon of Ministers' decision regarding a
requirement to consult. The train operator was required by Government to
incorporate provision for a possible name-change into its bid for the
South Central rail franchise, and was kept informed by the Council as to
progress on preparing for and implementing the consultation.

9. The result of the consultation was as follows

Votes % of Votes

Suggested name Cast Total vote received

to 31 Aug to 31 Aug after 31 Aug

deadline

Coulsdon Town 34 26.2 2
Smitham (i.e. no change) 27 20.8
Coulsdon Smitham 21 16.2 1
Coulsdon North 17 13.1
Coulsdon Central 14 10.8

No view / no clear view 5 3.8

Smitham for Coulsdon 4 3.1
Coulsdon Town/Smitham 2 1.5
Stoats Nest Road Halt / Stoats Nest) 2 1.5
Coulsdon Bypass 1 0.8
Coulsdon Town Centre 1 0.8
Coulsdon for Smitham 1 0.8
Coulsdon North for Smitham 1 0.8
Coulsdon - - 1

Total 130 100.0% 4

10. The Council recorded all votes received by post or email
for all names suggested by voters. Soon after the 31 August deadline the
train operator was advised as to the overall outcome of the consultation.
About a month later it became clear that late votes received to date had
made no substantive difference to the voting outcome. It also became clear
at that point that the voting outcome was very unlikely to be affected by
possible further late votes. Only a single further late vote has been
received to date.

11. The voting outcome was announced at Croydon's October 2009
PTLP and at the following Coulsdon Neighbourhood Partnership meeting.

12. The post-consultation legal process for making a
name-change at a station is that the Council Cabinet votes on whether to
ratify the consultation outcome. The outcome of that decision is then
formally conveyed to the train operator. The train operator then formally
applies to the Secretary of State for Transport for permission to change
the name of the station.

13. The Council does not hold this information and advice that
the question might be better directed to the train operator or the
Department for Transport.

If you are dissatisfied with the way the department has handled your
request under the Freedom of Information Act you may ask for an internal
review. You can do this by outlining the details of your complaint by
either:

emailing us at [2][Croydon Borough Council request email]

faxing us on 020 8760 5661

writing FOI Complaints, London Borough of Croydon, Democratic & Legal
Services, Croydon CR9 3JS

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely

James Derby

Corporate Solicitor

Legal & Democratic Services

London Borough of Croydon

Taberner House

Park Lane

CR9 3JS

Tel: 020 8760 5768 Ext. 61359

Fax: 020 8760 5679

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References

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Dear Ms Cameron

Please find attached PDF table of the information

James Derby

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