Present:-

Devon County Council

Councillors Marsh, McInnes, Sanders and Sellis

West Devon Borough Council

Councillor Benson and Leech

*28 Minutes

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meetings held on 31 March and 14 July be signed as correct records.

*29 Devon Highways - One Team

The Devon Highways Change Manager made a presentation which set the scene and highlighted the need to find 8m reductions from Highway Management budget in 2011/12 and the subsequent Highway Management Review which resulted in three key recommendations:

Move to joint working with South West Highways in a Virtual Joint Venture .

Centralise key works programmes and processes to increase efficiency and ensure consistency;

Establish Highway Neighbourhood Teams to support Members and meet the new Localism agenda;

The presentation went on to outline the detailed working of this new joint venture which would be known as Devon Highways under the headings of Key Purpose and Group Purpose. The Devon Highways Change Manager concluded by saying that the staff consultation described in the presentation had finished on 10 November and the new joint working arrangements and staff structure would become completely operational before the new financial year beginning April 2012

Members asked questions and made comments in relation to

whether the additional 9.3m funding from Government, to address the damage sustained by the highway as a result of last winters severe weather, was focused on the worst affected parts of the highway including market towns;

roads freshly resurfaced by DCC in Tavistock being opened up by utility companies;

Cornwall County Council s bid to take over maintenance of trunk roads within its County boundaries;

the importance of communicating and liaising with the parish councils as well as between councils,

the suggestion that parish councils might be able to take on grass cutting and gully emptying and the capital cost to parishes of buying equipment to do those jobs;

County officers completing current projects before taking on new roles set out in the joint venture.

The Chairman thanked the Highways Change Manager for his thorough and interesting presentation.

*30 A386 Grenofen Proposed Improvements

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Highways and Traffic Management (HTM/11/30 - text only | pdf HTM/11/30) seeking approval to widen the footway at Grenofen. Councillor Sellis distributed a letter from Plasterdown Grouped Parish Council making objections to the proposals set out in the report. Members discussed these objections and other details of the scheme in detail.

It was MOVED by Councillor Sellis and SECONDED by Councillor Marsh and

RESOLVED that a decision regarding approval to widen the footway at Grenofen be made via Chairman and Vice-Chairman s approval following a site visit of Members and a representative of the Parish Council to be held on 22 November 2011 at 9am.

*31 Action Taken Under Delegated Powers

The Committee received the report of the Head of Highways and Traffic Management (HTM/11/31 - text only | pdf HTM/11/31) on the action on advertised traffic orders (double yellow lines at Foundry Mews, Tavistock) and action on highway improvement works (bus stop improvements at Plymouth Road and Grenville Drive).

*32 Dates of Future Meetings

The Committee noted the dates of the following meetings:-

29 March (Okehampton), 14 June (Tavistock), 22 November 2012 and 27 March 2013.

Meetings to start at 11.00am and alternate between Kilworthy House Tavistock and Town Council Offices Okehampton.

*DENOTES DELEGATED MATTER WITH POWER TO ACT

The Minutes of this Committee are published on the County Council's Website at:-

The meeting started at 11.00am and finished at 12.20pm