Agenda item

Report of the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HIW/16/6), attached.  Representatives will be present from South West Water, Wales and West Utilities, British Telecom and Western Power Distribution.

(Representatives of the four main utility companies attended and spoke at the invitation of the Committee, namely:

BT Openreach - M Wrightson and A Swift

Wales and West Utilities – G Bond and R Long

South West Water - L Melluish and B Taylor

Western Power Distribution - S Brothwell and G Halladay).

The Committee received the Report of the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HIW/16/6) on the Council’s role in co-ordinating and monitoring the actions of utility companies and their contractors undertaking work on the highway and providing information on current performance and coring compliance.

The Report acknowledged that the impact of the activities of utility companies on the integrity and accessibility of the highway network had long been a concern of the Council.  Utility companies had a duty to ensure that any reinstatements were in compliance with all aspects of the nationally approved specifications.  Non-compliance could lead to early life failure of the asset.

Members noted that since July 2015 the Council had revised the annual coring programme by coring monthly instead of quarterly.  The coring programme for 2015/16 had involved the sampling of 301 reinstatements randomly selected across the County, with 146 carriageway sites and 155 footway sites.

The Committee then received a brief presentation from each of the utility representatives referred to above on their performance and plans to improve the quality of reinstatements and prevent sub-standard work.

Those representatives also responded to a number of questions and issues raised, commenting in particular upon:

·         their recognition of problems and failures of performance and identification of problem areas;

·         measures put in place for improvement including action plans, regular reviews of reinstatements, meeting with sub-contractors; introduction of own coring programme; removal of non-performing contractors and financial penalties imposed upon sub-contractors for failure of reinstatements;

·         the effectiveness of action taken by the Council for consistently poor compliance, including prosecutions;

·         the statutory duty imposed upon utilities for appropriate signage to be displayed at site works;

·         the desire to work more closely with the Highway Authority to adhere to best practice and if possible to utilise the County Council Laboratory to test utilities’ own core samples;

It was MOVED by Councillor Radford, SECONDED by Councillor Hook and

RESOLVED

(a) that the Committee welcome the recognition by the Public Utilities that performance needs to be improved and of the benefits of closer working in the County Council;

(b) that Place Scrutiny Committee Members be provided with results of the coring programme direct on a regular basis to enable Members to monitor performance on an ongoing basis;

(c) that the Public Utilities be asked to

            (i) confirm in writing the detailed steps they and their contractors are and will be   taking to improve performance with a view to ensuring a significant improvement in   the level of performance in 2016/17 (equating to at least the level of the highest             performing utility company in 2015/16) against which further assessment may be             judged; and

            (ii) comment upon the use of new and innovative technologies to replace traditional         trenches;

(d) that Officers provide an update on performance for 2016/17 as soon as practicable and that

            (i) a phased approach to monitoring the standard of compliance with the Specification    for the Reinstatements of Openings of the Highway through structured monthly coring        be continued;

            (ii) all Statutory Undertakers and their contractors looking at systems and methods of      working be continued;

            (iii) meetings be initiated involving all Statutory Undertakers and their contractors             and       information shared regarding achieving compliant reinstatements;

            (iv) local areas with low compliance rates being looked at and the reasons           investigated;

(e) that, should any prosecutions be undertaken for failure to comply with national specifications as identified through the annual coring programme, a community impact assessment or equivalent be submitted to the Court evidencing the costs of rectification works and the financial impact upon the community, on seeking any award for costs;

(f) that Members be encouraged to report perceived failed utility reinstatements to the Neighbourhood Highway Team or failure to erect appropriate signage.