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Issue - meetings

Meeting: 09/11/2016 - Cabinet (Item 100)

100 Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Policy, Strategy and Plan pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Report of the Chief Officer for Highways Infrastructure Development & Waste (HIW/16/3) reviewing the existing Highway Asset Policy, Strategy and Plan adopted in 2013, also encapsulating the views expressed at the Place Scrutiny Committee’s Focus Group held on 13 October 2016, attached.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

(Councillors Brazil, Connett, Greenslade, Julian, Owen and Westlake 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 & Waste (HIW/16/3)reviewing the Council’s current Highway Asset Policy, Highway Asset Strategy and Highway Asset Plan,approved by Cabinet in March 2013, to ensure the Council’s policies and practices for the management and maintenance of the highway network were  robust, capable of stringent scrutiny and comparison with national guidelines. The Report alsoencapsulated the views expressed at the Place Scrutiny Committee’s Focus Group held on 13 October 2016.

 

The review had taken account of the Council’s strategic plan, latest national guidance and codes of practice and emerging best practice, to ensure the Council could maximise funding grant for highway maintenance. The difference in projected levels of capital funding between a Band 1 and Band 3 rating in 2020/21 would be £7,000,000.  Members acknowledged that effective maintenance of the highway network was fundamental to the delivery of the Council’s wider vision and objectives and the specific highway asset management planning strategies for  driving efficiency; managing demand and enabling community self-help.

 

Members present expressed continuing concerns at the effect of historic levels of funding made available by Government for highway maintenance which was no longer sufficient to meet current demands let alone the growing backlog of work required.  Members attending under the provisions of standing orders also expressed concerns at the apparent divide in the treatment of urban and rural areas and the impact upon the economy of the County as a whole.

 

The Cabinet noted that the Place Scrutiny had reviewed the draft Highways Infrastructure Asset Management Policy, Strategy and Plan on 20 September 2016 and had established a separate Focus Group, which had taken place on 13 October 2016, at which all Members were involved in helping shape the key performance measures used to monitor the levels of service set out in the Plan.  A summary of the views expressed thereat and recommendations arising therefrom was set out at Annex 4 to the Chief Officers Report: those recommendations having been incorporated in the performance indicators now presented to Cabinet.  The indicators, if approved, would not only allow the effectiveness of the Council’s approach to asset management to be measured but would allow plans to be adapted, with the passage of time, to demonstrate best value for money.

 

The Chief Officer’s Report also incorporated an Impact Assessment relating to the possible impacts of the proposal, which had been circulated previously for the attention of Members at this meeting, in order that as part of its determination of the next steps in the process the Cabinet might have full regard to the responsibilities placed upon it to exercise its Public Sector Equality Duty, under s149 of the Equality Act 2010, where relevant.  It recognised the impacts relating to highways asset management would be regularly reviewed with the Asset Management Plan developed as a ‘living document’,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 100



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