Agenda item

As resolved at the Environment Select Committee meeting on 19 September 2023, the Committee are to receive an update on the first year of the Milestone contract to include Key Performance Indicators including carbon reduction, savings, and outcome targets alongside updates on gully clearing and potholes.

Councillor Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Highways, Street Scene, and Flooding, updated the Committee on the Highways Term Maintenance Contract Year 1 performance, alongside Dave Thomas, Head of Highways Asset Management and Commissioning, and Chris Clark, Head of Local Highways and Countryside Access.

It was explained that officers maintained regular meetings with senior Milestone staff through monthly Contract Monitoring Progress Meetings in which Milestone staff would report and evidence the performance of their services across a number of different aspects as part of the contract, including carbon reduction and social value. The Contract Performance Objectives were then highlighted as per Paragraph 16 of the report, and the calculation for the final Contractor’s Annual Score was explained as per the information detailed in the appendices to the report, with the overall score for Year 1 being confirmed at 8.16 out of 10.

Further updates as per the report were briefly highlighted such as the substantive update of gully asset data, increased highway investment funding allowing for additional tankers for both planned and reactive gully activities, and increased resources for pothole repairs including further machinery and different repair methods.

During the discussion, points included:

• In response to a question regarding the differences between the different types of machinery used for pothole repair, it was noted that a number of videos had been published through the Communications Team which explained how each of the machines worked and what they were used for. Members were encouraged to contact the Communications Team if they had not seen the videos and were also encouraged to pass these on to residents or Parish/Town Councils where requested. It was further explained that the newer machinery increased capacity as there were now two different teams operating 3 machines, however it was highlighted that although the new technology provided more long lasting, durable, and effective repairs over a greater area, it did occasionally lead to longer network closures.
• Members queried the impact of the increased funding on Milestone’s capacity and capability to deliver their services and meet performance objectives. Officers explained that not all of the additional funding made available was being invested into the Milestone contract and was instead being split across a number of different contracts such as machine surfacing and surface dressing. However, Members were reassured that officers had been working closely with Milestone to ensure that sufficient resources were in place to handle the additional expenditure. Furthermore, due to national recruitment issues for fully qualified staff, a portion of the investment was being absorbed through sub-contractors, thus allowing Milestone to react and deliver the additional investments more quickly. In response, Members requested a report be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee to further understand the details and progress of each of the aforementioned contracts.
• Gully clearing was raised, and officers reassured Members that the additional investment into enhanced data recording and further tankers was making a significant impact on mitigating against future flooding concerns. Furthermore, officers were focussing on developing new clearing schedules to prioritise higher risk areas, engaging with landowners, and identifying persistent gully failures to enter into Drainage Improvement Programmes. Officers then explained that the Discretionary Gully Emptying Service had experienced staff outages which impacted on the ability to deliver the service fully, however they were confident that the enhanced schedule alongside the additional investments would address those issues.
• When contemplating road closures, officers focussed on combining works where possible such as grass cutting, gully emptying, drainage works, and pothole repairs. Ahead of any potential road closures, Members were reassured that all relevant Councillors were contacted in order to relay any information to their residents, yet it was highlighted that utility companies had the statutory right to install and maintain their apparatus on public highways and as such, there could be times in which officers may be unaware of works being conducted at a certain time. However, the process by which this was undertaken was explained; namely, nationally agreed permit conditions and standards in terms of timescales, operational hours, reinstatement of carriageway, and temporary traffic management etc. Members were reassured that there was a level of accountability taken by the Council and repeated failures would lead to an escalation process that could result in the non-issuing of permits until officers were satisfied as to the resource management, capability, and performance of a utility company.
• In response to the increased number of potholes being reported, officers had made the decision to divert staff to help support repair work. Members commended officers, stating that they, and local residents, had seen a noticeable improvement. 
• With regard to the additional investment received, it was reiterated that the Council were reliant on settlements from Central Government with no guarantee that funding levels would be replicated year-on-year. Furthermore, with price, material, and contract inflation, there was not a guarantee that as much work could be undertaken as had been possible with previous budgets.
• When assessing potholes, it was explained that inspections of the area as a whole was undertaken, but engineering decisions were made on the basis of the extent of works needed against budgeting considerations. Additionally, scanner surveys were being trialled to provide data relating to the condition of a carriageway, but these incurred challenges in respect of the volume of data gleaned. However, officers were continuing to pursue further trials and would update Members in future reports.
• Members raised the MyWilts app regarding pothole reporting and it was explained that updates to the app had taken longer than anticipated due to the complexities of updating both the functionality of the app alongside the integration into in-house Council highway systems. However, once an update was ready to be announced, information would be shared with Members and the public.
• The importance of communication between the Council, Members, and residents was emphasised, with officers encouraging Members to contact them with further feedback or questions.
• Officers were thanked for their presentation and hard work.

At the conclusion of the discussion, it was:

Resolved:

The Committee:

a)    Noted the contents of the report, and the progress and methodologies being used to assess performance, carbon reduction, and social value.

b)    Requested a further update to the Committee on completion of the second year of the contract.

c)    Requested a separate report regarding the future spend and impact of the increased funding for highways by Spring 2025.