Issue - meetings

Report of the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HIW/20/19) seeking approval of the County Road Highway Maintenance Capital Budget, including progress on 2019/20 schemes and proposals for the 2020/21 programmes, attached.

(Councillors Biederman, Connett, Dewhirst, Greenslade, Hannaford and Whitton attended remotely in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure, Development and Waste (HIW/20/19), 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 Report provided an update on progress on delivery of the 2019/20 Highways Capital programme and sought agreement of the programme for 2020/21. The approved Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Policy, Strategy and Plan (HIAMP) provided the framework and approach in deciding on the capital investment in the highway assets and was used in recommending programmes and schemes contained in the Report. Investment was required to arrest or slow deterioration and add value to highway assets, keeping them structurally sound and reducing the risks of defect formation.

Section 3 of the Report detailed the proposals for capital funding of highway maintenance schemes in 2020/21 and relevant funding sources.

The 2020/21 funding awarded to Devon from central Government was approved by Council on 20 February 2020, of £48,155,000. The Report sought approval to allocate the funding across the programmes and schemes proposed in 2020/21 as listed in appendices IV and V. The allocations include an adjustment for the LTP over programming carried forward from 2019/20 of £1,943,000.

The key elements of the programmes and schemes included Highway Structural Maintenance (HSM): Principal Roads (A class roads), Skid Resistance Treatment (SCRIM), HSM Non-Principal Roads, Pothole Action Fund (PAF), Footways, Drainage, Road Restraint Systems, Road Weather Systems, Highway Lighting and Street Lighting LED, Bridges and Structures and Storm Damage (resilience contingency).

The Report also highlighted the impact of the Coronavirus lockdown, in terms of contractors, material manufacturers and suppliers closing down, restrictive working, supply chains and quarries etc limiting the ability to maintain the delivery of the capital programme. Whilst there had been some deferments in the 2019/20 programme, the current programme could also be curtailed depending upon how long lockdown restrictions were applicable.

The Report also provided an update on each of the main asset groups and how they had been performing, showing that bridges continued to be well managed and that the Council was ensuring continued investment in retaining walls following storm damage events earlier in the year. There had also been good progress on the investment in street lighting infrastructure which contributed a massive reduction to the County’s carbon usage and brought year on year savings to energy costs.

The Report gave an update on the ‘Doing What Matters’ (DWM) project which continued to provide learning from the two test areas in West Devon. Following on from the successes within those areas, the DWM learning would be expanded into East Devon, with initial focus on the Broadclyst Division.

The Cabinet also noted that Government  ...  view the full minutes text for item 501

Report of the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HIW/19/38) seeking approval of the County Road Highway Maintenance Capital Budget, including progress on 2018/19 schemes and proposals for the 2019/20 programmes, attached.

(Councillors Connett, Hannaford and Greenslade attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HIW/19/38) seeking approval of the County Road Highway Maintenance Capital Budget, including progress on 2018/19 schemes and proposals for the 2019/20 programmes, 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.

This Report dealt with capital funding of planned, programmed or structural maintenance, to restore or replace highway components which were dilapidated, due to traffic loading, weather impacts or aging of assets.  The investment was to arrest or slow down deterioration and add value to the highway asset. 

It further presented information on the progress of highway capital maintenance programmes and schemes delivered in 2018/19 with Section 3 detailing the proposals for capital funding of highway maintenance schemes in 2019/20. It highlighted the latest network condition information and key performance indicator data which measured performance against the levels of service agreed in Devon’s Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan (HIAMP), adopted by the Council in November 2016.

The 2019/20 funding awarded to Devon from Government included in the Report, was approved by the Council on 21 February 2019.  The Report sought approval to allocate the funding across the programmes and schemes, as listed in appendices III and IV.  The allocations also included an element of the estimated funding carried forward from 2018/19.

Devon’s Local Transport Plan (LTP) Needs Formula Settlement 2019/20 was £34.042 million. Other capital funding previously awarded or anticipated was in relation to the Incentive Fund Self-assessment return where Devon had entered its third successive year as a band 3 Authority (the highest rating) attracting an additional £7.09 million funding for the current year. Also, the Pothole Action Fund at £2.273 million, an £800K balance of £2.5 million DfT grant for coastal protection works to A379, Slapton Line. As part of the Outturn report, Cabinet approval would be sought to carry forward from 2018/19, approximately £15.754 million (under-programming as a consequence of the additional £18.754 million DfT Local Highway Maintenance Fund awarded in October 2018).

The Report also outlined Trends in Road Condition ‘A’ Road Assessment Vehicle (SCANNER) which was used to collect data on road surface condition.  The data provided information on condition and trends for ‘A’ roads, ‘B’ roads, ‘C’ roads and Unclassified roads.  Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 to the Report provided a summary of road condition indicator data in a graphical form using the national indicator bands to reflect road condition. The Cabinet noted that the A and B network were in reasonably good condition.

In relation to 2019/2020, the Capital Highway Maintenance Programmes allocation was proposed as £54.503 million, with £46.503 million on Highway Structural Maintenance. However, since the report was published, the Pothole Action Fund award was confirmed as £2.273 million (an additional £353,000), therefore the total was now £54.856 million. The Report included the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 329

Report of the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HIW/18/20) on the County Road Highway Maintenance Capital Budget, outlining progress on the 2017/2018 Schemes and the proposals for 2018/2019, attached.

(Councillors Atkinson, Biederman, Connett, Dewhirst, Greenslade and Hannaford attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HIW/18/20) on the County Road Highway Maintenance Capital Budget 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 Report updated on the progress with Schemes for 2017/2018 and outlined proposals for the 2018/2019.

This Report provided an update on delivery of the 2017/18 Highways Capital programme and presented high-level performance information based on the 2016 Cabinet approved Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Policy, Strategy and Plan (HIAMP). It further sought agreement of the programme for investment of the Government’s grant for highway capital maintenance in 2018-19.

The Cabinet Member for Highway Management further highlighted that Devon had been successful in securing almost £16.5 million in Challenge Fund monies since 2015-16 and was currently in its second year as a Band 3 authority, the highest level within the Incentive Fund banding and attracting the highest level of funding.

Additionally, funding for 2018-19 included an award of £2.2 million for the third year of the Pothole Action Fund part of which would be targeted towards addressing the maintenance backlog on the minor road network.

The Report presented carriageways data showing that the A and B Road network was in a relatively good state with only 3 % in need of treatment soon. The C and unclassified network was not doing as well, hence the additional funding.

Government had determined its formulae for the allocation of highway capital maintenance funds, which included a Needs Allocation, an Incentive Fund, a Challenge Fund, a Pothole Action Fund and the allocations to Devon were outlined in the Report. It further detailed the proposals for capital funding of highway maintenance programmes and schemes in 2018/19 which included capital maintenance of carriageways, footways, cycleways, drainage systems, road restraint systems, street lighting, bridges and other highway structures.

The Report sought approval of the schemes and programmes and Cabinet noted that they were in accordance with the requirements of Financial Regulations.

A copy of an updated overview of the Budget 2018-19 Equality Impact Assessment for all service areas had been previously circulated separately and was available to all Members of the Council at:https://new.devon.gov.uk/impact/published/budget-impact-assessment-201819/

The matter having been debated and the options and/or alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, sustainability, carbon impact, risk management, equality and legal considerations and Public Health impact) set out in the Chief Officer’s Report and/or referred to above having been considered:

It was MOVED by Councillor Hughes SECONDED by Councillor Hart, and

RESOLVED

(a) that the progress on 2017/18 capital funded highway maintenance schemes, as detailed in Appendices I and II to the Report be noted;

(b) that approval be given to the capital funded highway maintenance programmes for 2018/19, as set out in Appendices III and IV;

(c) that the detailed allocation of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 161

Report of the Acting Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HCW/17/34) on progress with the 2016/17 programme of capital funded schemes and proposals for capital funding of highway maintenance programmes in 2017/18, attached.

(Councillors Brazil, Connett, Julian, Owen and Westlake attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Acting Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HCW/17/34) on progress with schemes in the 2016/17 programme and approval of proposed programmes for capital funding of highway maintenance in 2017/18.

The Cabinet noted that the capital funding settlement for 2017/18 had, for the third year in succession, been based on the Government’s national formula for allocating Local Highway Maintenance, comprising a needs element, incentive funding and a Challenge Fund. The overall levels of funding to this and other Councils generally fell well short of the amount needed to maintain all elements of the highway in a steady state.

The County Council had been allocated £37,611,000  in 2017/18 for the needs based formula based on all highway features, not just carriageway structural maintenance. The ‘incentive formula’ allocation was not yet known but could secure an additional £3,617,000. The Council had to date also been awarded £3,192,000 for its Pothole Action Fund and £3,169,000 from the National Productivity Investment Fund. £3,962,000 had also been allocated under the Challenge Fund for street lighting and further bids for other schemes were being prepared. The settlement for 2018/19 had been confirmed at £34.042m with a similar indicative allocation for each of the following 2 years.

The Chief Officer’s Report now submitted recommended the adoption of a programme which had been designed to make best use of the available financial resources using the Council’s approved Asset Management approach; recognising that without a significant injection of additional funding by Government it would continue to be the case that there would be insufficient resources to allow the County Council to maintain all of the network as it would wish, working towards the objectives of the Council's Strategic Plan.

Members acknowledged that through use of the asset management approach and by selecting preventative treatments, rather than the “worst first” approach, a greater length of the network could be treated thereby delaying further deterioration: nonetheless and in light of the funding issues outlined above some minor road carriageways would remain in a poor state of repair receiving only reactive maintenance to deal with large defects, in accordance with policy. Consequently, the need for careful monitoring of all maintenance work undertaken was regarded by Members as essential both to ensure value for money and effective service delivery.

The Head of Service’s Report referred to the ‘Budget 2017/18 Impact Assessment’ - which related to this programme - previously considered by and taken into account by the Cabinet and County Council in determining the Budget for 2017/18 noting also that individual schemes – which could make a considerable contribution to supporting equality through improving the network - would be fully assessed as would the environmental aspects of any proposals through the separate Environmental Impact Assessment process. 

The matter having been debated and the options and/or alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 182