Present:-

Devon County Council:-

Councillors Ball, McInnes, Sanders and Sellis

West Devon Borough Council:-

Councillors Benson and Leech

*1 Election of Chairman

RESOLVED that Councillor McInnes be elected Chairman for the ensuing year.

*2 Election of Vice-Chairman

RESOLVED that Councillor Sellis be elected Vice-Chairman for the ensuing year.

*3 Minutes

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 27 March 2013 be signed as a correct record.

*4 Committee Terms of Reference and Responsibilities

The Committee received a presentation by the Head of Highways, Capital Development Waste on the workings of Highways and Traffic Orders Committees, covering their constitution, terms of reference and the scheme of delegation, and focusing on the processes for the approval of Local Transport Plan schemes and the advertisement and determination of Traffic Regulation Orders.

Members expressed concern about the relatively high costs involved in making minor changes to traffic regulations, such as short extensions to double yellow lines. The Head of Highways, Capital Development Waste indicated that this issue had recently been the subject of a national, Government, consultation exercise to which the County Council had contributed but the outcome of which had been to retain the status quo. Members agreed to refer the matter to the Cabinet and were prepared to make representations to their local Members of Parliament.

It was MOVED by Councillor McInnes, SECONDED by Councillor Sellis and

RESOLVED that in the light of the reduced funding available to highways authorities, the Cabinet be requested to lobby Government to reduce the cost of making Traffic Regulation Orders for minor changes to regulations through a relaxation of the requirement to advertise Orders in the press.

*5 Market and Coastal Towns Rural 'Foundation' Programme

The Committee considered the joint Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation Environment and the Head of Highways, Capital Development Waste (PTE/13/36 - text only | pdf PTE/13/36) summarising the proposed local schemes programme for the Market and Coastal Towns and Rural Devon Foundation element of the Local Transport Plan Integrated Block for 2013/14 in the West Devon area.

A revised Integrated Block programme reflecting the outcome of bids for further transport infrastructure funds which had recently become available would be submitted to the Cabinet in July 2013 when the funding for the programme would be confirmed. The revised programme would then be reported to the HATOC in November 2013.

The Report also commented on the larger schemes element of the Market and Coastal Towns and Rural Devon Foundation Programme, the Market and Coastal Towns and Rural Devon Targeted Capital Investment Programme and the Countywide Foundation Programme as they related to West Devon, and progress on Year 1 (2012/13) of the local schemes programme.

It was MOVED by Councillor McInnes, SECONDED by Councillor Sellis and

RESOLVED

(a) that the funding provisions for local schemes in West Devon included in Report PTE/12/24 - text only | pdf PTE/12/24 Devon and Torbay Local Transport Plan 2011 to 2026: Proposed Programme 2012/13 to 2014/15 for Devon considered by the Cabinet in December 2011 be noted;

(b) that arrangements be made for a site visit for all members of the HATOC in relation to the proposed scheme for the Launceston Road Footway, Tavistock.

*6 Highway Asset Management Plan

The Committee received a presentation by the Head of Highways, Capital Development Waste on the County Council s Highway Asset Management Plan for the highway infrastructure owned, controlled or influenced by the County Council which was valued at approximately 11b and the work of the Highway Asset Management Team covering areas including: condition surveys; treatment selection; budgets, costs and maintenance backlog; preventative treatment regime; roads beyond economic repair; service levels; maintenance standards; drainage priorities; and storm damage legacy from 2012/13.

The Head of Service responded to questions from Members and explained that under the preventative road surface treatment regime and the associated value for money principles, unless safety issues were involved, the worst road surfaces were not always given priority for repair.

(NB a copy of the Plan may be viewed at:

http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/councildemocracy/decision_making/cma/cma_document.htm?cmadoc=minutes exc_20130313.html)

*DENOTES DELEGATED MATTER WITH POWER TO ACT

The meeting started at 11.00am and finished at 12.25pm.