Agenda item

As resolved at the Environment Select Committee meeting held on 14 March 2023, the Committee will receive an annual review of service (2023) from the Highways Service.

Councillor Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Highways, Street Scene, and Flooding, alongside Samantha Howell, Director of Highways and Transport, Dave Thomas, Head of Highways Asset Management and Commissioning, and Chris Clark, Head of Local Highways, presented the Highways Annual Review of Service 2023 for consideration.

Members were informed that on 15 March 2024, after the publication of the agenda, the Leader, Councillor Richard Clewer, announced changes to the Cabinet portfolios. As such, it had been confirmed that Councillor Caroline Thomas had stepped down from her role as Cabinet Member for Transport, Street Scene, and Flooding, with Councillor Nick Holder subsequently taking on the Cabinet Member responsibilities for Highways, Street Scene, and Flooding. Cllr Holder thanked Cllr Thomas for her hard work, commitment to benefitting residents, and integrity during her time as part of the Cabinet.

It was highlighted that 2023 had been a challenging year for the Highways Service in respect of the ongoing national resourcing issues, and the volatile and adverse weather conditions impacting on officers’ ability to maintain the integrity of the network. Despite this, it was highlighted that further long-term investments had been made into the apprenticeship programme which provided good employment opportunities and added additional resource into the service.

Members were reminded that although an annual review of the service was undertaken and then submitted to the Committee, officers also held bi-monthly meetings to discuss performance relative to prior periods and benchmarks. As the Council were dependent on contractors delivering much of the necessary maintenance work, it was reiterated that their performance and value for money was monitored through the contract management process and agreed upon KPIs. The importance of high levels of communication and engagement between the Council, Wiltshire residents, Parish and Town Councils, and other partners was emphasised, and it was noted that there would be a focus on how to improve these communication channels and networks to ensure that there was a greater understanding of the Council’s procedures and processes within the Highways Service.

Cllr Holder then thanked those officers for their hard work in creating a comprehensive and informative report, in addition to those officers across the service for their continued dedication, hard work in responding to scores of queries received from the public and press on all aspects of the service, and focus on the safety of all road users, be they driver or pedestrian.

During the discussion, points included:

·       Members reported concerns from residents with regard to road conditions in both rural and urban areas and noted that some rural roads were not fit for purpose. It was acknowledged that road maintenance was a challenge when accounting for recent extreme weather conditions leading to quicker road deterioration. However, Members felt that strengthening, resurfacing, and road preservation should be prioritised, particularly when considering the continuing effect of climate change. 

·       Members were pleased to hear that there was a focus on improving communications.

·       Freight routes were raised, and officers confirmed that the Local Transport Plan was under review which would include the prioritisation of a review of the Freight Strategy.

·       Members highlighted drainage and the backlog of gully clearings, and queried how officers were intending on rectifying the issue. In response, it was noted that prolonged extreme weather had delayed clearings as officers had prioritised responding to the storms affecting Wiltshire. However, Members were informed that additional investment had been received for highway maintenance activities, therefore officers were working with Area Boards to understand local priorities and develop scheduled regimes in order to target local investment in more productive ways. Furthermore, it was highlighted that there was a discretionary clearing service that could be utilised by Parish Stewards, therefore Members were urged to liaise with their respective Town and Parish Councils, LHFIG Officers, and Parish Stewards to request the service if needed.

·       Members sought clarification on the figures in the report with regard to resurfacing compared to the number of miles that the network covers. It was confirmed that the figures in the report were accurate, and although officers were managing to complete a relatively small amount of resurfacing each year, they were doing what was achievable with the available budget.

·       Officers acknowledged that signage when road maintenance was taking place needed to be clearer, with better reasons as to why and for how long work would be taking place for in order to improve residents’ understanding of the highways process.

·       It was explained that officers evaluated different innovative techniques for road surfacing through a collaborative framework between officers, consultants, and all contractors to look at the available options for material choices and performances to improve asset management. It was highlighted that within the construction industry, there was a focus on net zero and carbon reduction in the supply of black top type materials and lowering the laying temperatures of materials to reduce the overall impact of carbon which could lead to better performance in the future. As such, all factors were being considered when looking at locations and determining the best materials to use for each area.

·       Members raised the issue of water from farming lands running off into roads, exacerbating road deterioration, and queried if farmers could be consulted with to help reduce water levels entering the network. Officers noted that there was a complex legal process with regard to this issue, and therefore a detailed briefing note could be provided to Members outside of the meeting.

·       Officers noted that they were content that the conversations between the Council and utility companies were delivering improved outcomes, however these were monitored closely in order to ensure that utility companies were held to account when conducting works across the network.

·       Officers welcomed the feedback from Members and emphasised that although there was a lot of resource deployed in responding to Storm Hank, officers were focusing on ensuring clear, open, transparent, and improved communications to residents on what is achievable within an appropriate timescale in the medium to long term.

Following which, it was:

Resolved:

The Committee:

1)    Endorsed the Highways Annual Review of Service and confirmed that the performance of the Council’s highways contractors has been good during 2023.

2)    Welcomed the additional funding provided by the Council for highways activities in 2023.

3)    Acknowledged the extensive programme of road resurfacing and highway maintenance being proposed for 2024-25, and the additional funding being made available by the Council to help support this.

4)    Requested a report on the Highways Service and the performance of the Highway Service’s contractors in a year’s time.