I sat as a CTC rep on a few of the local council's Highways committees.
In general the council roads officers were not cyclists, or pedestrians, and did not live in the borough. Their knowledge of the city was based on maps and site visits.
They did, however listen to us a cycling reps and also the rep from Safer Streets and there were small improvements.
I gave up on it because the local councillor assigned to the committee, allegedly a cyclist, supported the closure of a cycle lane through an underpass because, "We will be getting a Debenhams!"
The underpass was filled in and an extra lane accommodated on the ring road.
The crash of 2008 came and the development for the Debenhams didn't.
When Debenhams did arrive some years later, in an existing shopping centre, it only lasted two years and folded for lack of footfall. Doesn't compensate for the loss of the lane through the underpass but it helps.