Twenty miles per hour speed limits do not appear to be any closer to coming to Leek after councillors held a debate to discuss the issue this week.

Leek Nub News reported recently how more than 6,600 people signed a petition calling for the speed limit in Leek town centre, crossing the 5,000 signatures needed to trigger a debate by Staffordshire County Council members.

That debate was held yesterday (Thursday 19th May). However, most councillors were against the idea of introducing 20mph limits in the town centre, and no action was taken.

Leek resident Roger Warrilow organised the petition. Introducing the debate at yesterday's council meeting, he suggested that the removal of the roundabout in the town centre and the construction of Sainsbury's had made the area less safe for pedestrians.

Cllr Charlotte Atkins, representing Leek South, asked councillors to support Mr Warrilow's suggestion.

She said: "Mr Warrilow has clearly demonstrated the community support for this with his petition. It is clear that lower traffic speeds encourage walking and cycling, which the county council wants to support.

"Income from visitors is a vital part of our economy and we want to maximise that by making our town more comfortable for pedestrians."

She also pointed out that the county council had already proposed 20mph limits and other traffic calming measures for St Edward's Street.

However, other councillors did not agree with the idea.

Cllr Gill Heath, of Leek Rural, said: "I go through Leek a lot and I haven't seen people speeding. In fact it's often impossible to do 20 because of the queues. I don't think this is a big problem. We've got speed bumps, loads of traffic lights and pedestrian crossings."

Cllr Paul Northcott, from the Newcastle division, added: "I know Leek very well, and have lived there for several years, and a blanket 20mph limit would do nothing for the flow of traffic. It would contribute to more fuel emissions, and isn't environmentally friendly. Things like targeted speed reduction measures and speed watch groups are more effective. A blanket speed limit is wholly inappropriate."

While Cllr David Williams, representing Penkridge, commented: "Putting a blanket speed limit in will do nothing in my view if there is no way of enforcing or properly monitoring it. If community members feel it is unsafe, I think they need to look at putting physical barriers in place.

"Unfortunately I can't agree with Mr Warrilow's proposition. We use 20mph limits to highlight issues such as schools, and putting in blanket limits doesn't work. More people have accidents trying to watch their speedometer, rather than focusing on driving properly."

Following the conclusion of the debate, no vote was taken by councillors, and the meeting then moved on to the next item on the agenda.