Agenda item

The management of reactive maintenance work: ticket submission, prioritisation, scheduling and communication.

Officer: Adrian Hampton, Head of Local Highways, Weather, and Streetscene - South

Adrian Hampton, Head of Local Highways, Weather, and Streetscene – South provided information on the management of reactive maintenance work: ticket submission, prioritisation, scheduling and communication.

There had been quite a lot of change over the last 18 months, following the Government Reduction in grants and increase in demand on key services. This had impacted on Highway expenditure and a reduction in back office staff.

Reactive Service Services - Local Highways:

·       Pot Holes

·       Signage

·       Street Name Plates

·       Graffiti Removal

·       Gulley Emptying

·       Litter Collection

·       Fly Posting Removal

·       Shopping Trolley Removal

·       Dead Animal Removal

·       Any Highway Defect Repair

People could now report issues via the ‘My Wiltshire’ web page or use the app via a mobile phone. Link: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/parkingtransportandstreets/roadshighwaysstreetcare/mywiltshirelogin.htm

A meeting for Town and Parish Council’s had been scheduled for 28 April 2015, at City Hall Salisbury, which would talk in a lot more detail about the services available and how to log issues in the parish.

Questions and comments included:

·       There was great frustration when using the online ‘My Wiltshire’ app as once you had submitted an issue, you did not get any feedback on the progress. Answer: We were currently looking at different software, as we are struggling with the current system,

·       There had been an increase in fly tipping, the response was inadequate. Answer: Littering was up 20% nationally. It was clear that some people would rather fly tip than take their waste to a recycling centre.

·       Cllr Johnson noted that it was most frustrating that the Ward Cllrs were not being kept in the loop and therefore could not advise their communities of planned work. Answer: When I have a solution I will be back.

·       There was a lot of litter on the ‘A’ class roads, the Council had a responsibility to clear this. Answer: We had always had the responsibility for collecting litter, but money had become tight and we must make the best use of our services. When the verge cutting was carried out this time, no litter picking was done beforehand. If the community undertook the litter picking themselves, that would be good for the community, but if not then we will do it, but we must prioritise our work.

·       Are we getting good value from our contractors, as it seemed that some things were not getting done? Answer: In Local Highways, £6 million was spent, £140,000 on maintaining play areas. The price for grass cutting per m² was providing value for money.

·       Were all of the gullies being cleared in the contracted year?  Answer: the contracted year runs from 1 June to 31 May, all gullies must be cleared in that year. Sometimes during flooding, we pull them off the schedule to go and sort out areas in trouble. We will empty a gull in an emergency, if there was risk to road safety or flooding to a house.

·       Cllr Thomson added that where work was not up to standard or failed, that was down to the contractor to re-do at their cost. Parishes were urged to report such incidents to Highways Coordinator.