Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/24/28) relating to the County Road Highway Maintenance Capital Budget, including progress on 2023/24 Schemes and proposals for the 2024/25 Programmes and the On-street Parking Account 2024/25, attached.

The relevant Impact Assessment is the Budget Impact Assessment, which has been previously circulated, and is attached as a link for the attention of Members at the meeting - Budget Impact Assessment 2024-25.

RESOLVED

(a) that the progress on 2023/24 capital funded highway maintenance programme, as detailed in Appendices B and C of the Report, be noted;

(b) that due to the Department for Education Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Safety Valve Programme Grant funding agreement being more than anticipated at budget setting in February 2024, it is noted it is now possible to release £10 million of Capital Receipts to support Highways Infrastructure;

(c) that an increase of £10 million to the Climate Change Environment and Transport 2024/25 capital programme funded by capital receipts be approved;

(d) that a further increase of £639,551 to the Climate Change Environment and Transport capital programme be approved, being £455,000 in 2024/25 and £184,551 in 2025/26, funded by the DfT Traffic Signal Obsolescence Grant and Green Light Fund.

(e) that the capital funded highway maintenance programme for 2024/25, as set out in Appendices D and E, be approved;

(f) that the detailed allocation of the available budget is determined by the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highway Management, on the basis of the Highways Infrastructure Asset Management Plan, and within the limits of the approved budget; and

(g) that the programme funded from the On-street Parking Account for 2024/25, as set out in Appendix F, also be approved.

(Councillors Biederman, Dewhirst, Whitton and Wrigley attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/24/28) which sought approval of the County Road Highway Maintenance Capital Budget, gave a progress update on 2023/24 Schemes and outlined proposals for the 2024/25 Programmes and the On-street Parking Account 2024/25. The Report had been circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

The Cabinet noted that the 2024/25 indicative funding awarded to the Council from central government included in the Report had been approved by Full Council in February 2024.  Consideration had been given to the deteriorating condition of the road network, and the need for additional investment, to try to prevent a further decline. As such an in-year increase of £10 million to the capital programme was proposed, utilising capital receipts funding now available following conclusion of the Government’s SEND Safety Valve settlement. 

The Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan (HIAMP), approved in April 2023, was a positive output of consolidated learning in recent years, providing a framework to enhance existing good practice and improve the effectiveness of decision making. To better reflect current working practices, elements of the Plan were updated dynamically to better match the changing environment in which the Service operated.

Also, to meet the changing dynamics and challenges in managing highway infrastructure the service must continue to engage with the market sector to encourage innovation that would serve to provide the service with the means to be more versatile in meeting changing environmental, political and funding pressures. Increased engagement through formal programmes of testing and trialling of new proprietary treatments and technologies would inspire development and add value to how the service was delivered. The Report outlined the Cross Asset Innovation Programme which had seen 34 innovation proposals submitted and highlighted that the Council in 2023 had been one of 7 successful bidders to ADEPT’s (Association of Directors of Environment Economy Planning and Transport) Live Labs 2 programme, a £30 million Department for Transport (DfT) funded scheme which aimed to decarbonise the local road network. The Council’s bid (with Milestone Infrastructure and the University of Exeter), would receive £3.68 million to use on bringing innovations together on the A382 scheme with the aim of constructing a carbon negative project.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the capture and monitoring of asset condition was developing at pace and had also been recognised by the DfT who were currently reviewing its road condition data standards through the trial of emerging AI technologies.

Section four of the Report focussed on the Capital Programme and for 24/25 the indicative Highway Maintenance Block (HMB) funding was £29.346 million. In addition to the HMB funding was the 2024/25 Potholes Fund indicative allocation of £23.477 million, plus an extra allocation of £6.663 million from the Network North announcement, which totalled £30.140 million  ...  view the full minutes text for item 543