THE leader of Southend Council has confirmed he would support more 20mph roads in the city despite them being branded a “cash cow for councils”.

Transport secretary Louise Haigh has voiced her support for local councils to implement 20mph speed limits.

Southend currently has a number of 20mph roads in areas around schools, including part of Delaware Road in Shoebury.

Daniel Cowan, leader of Southend Council, said he would be in favour of more.

He said: “I am supportive of having reduced speed restrictions in residential areas where they are supported by the community to improve road safety around schools and quiet roads.”

Daniel Nelson, interim leader of the Conservative Group, criticised the idea.

He said: “Roads around schools would have my support but ‘quiet roads’ is a bit of a vague terminology. Bishopsteignton is often used as a through road and Station Road in Thorpe Bay.

“These could be considered quiet roads but they are through roads.”

Mr Nelson added: “All you are doing is creating an income stream for the council, which is all well and good but to do it under the guise of road safety is wrong.

“That’s all it is. It’s councils essentially trying to fill their pockets from people doing 25mph in a 20mph road.

“The fact is if someone is going 80mph in a 30mph road, they are not going to stop going 80mph in a 20mph road.”

Mr Nelson also criticised rumours the Government was considering bringing in pay-per-mile road schemes across the country, saying it would hit businesses hard.

The scheme was discussed by the previous Conservative Government but not implemented.

Mr Nelson said: “If the previous government were going to bring it in, they would have but they didn’t.

“The current rumours from MPs are that the Labour Government is considering this. This a is a pay-per-mile scheme which could potentially be introduced along with many other tax schemes which simply make no sense.”

In response, Mr Cowan said: “The last government has confirmed that a pay-per-mile scheme was considered under their watch. It smacks of political desperation that they now seek to criticise a policy that originated under them.”