Agenda item

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 proposed breakdown in relation to Principal Roads (A class roads), Skid Resistance Treatment (SCRIM), Non Principal Roads, Pothole Action Fund (PAF), footways, drainage, Road Restraint Systems, road weather stations and then bridges and also storm damage.

The Cabinet noted that the programme for 2019/20 optimised the use of the available funding and followed the approved HIAMP to reduce whole life maintenance costs.  Any reduction would compromise Devon’s ability to the agreed levels of service and reduce the resilience of the network. It also highlighted that Government provided insufficient capital funding to meet all network maintenance needs, but the programme was designed to make best use of the available financial resources.

The Report also reflected on the results of the 2018 National Highways and Transport (NHT) Public Satisfaction Survey, analysis of which showed the condition of the highway network and speed and quality of repairs were important to the public. The complete survey could be seen at NHT Survey.

A copy of an updated overview of the Budget 2019/20 Equality Impact Assessment for all service areas had been circulated separately and was available to all Members of the Council at:  https://www.devon.gov.uk/impact/budget-2019-2020/

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) as set out in the Chief Officer’s Report and referred to above having been considered:

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

RESOLVED

(a) that progress on 2018/19 capital funded highway maintenance schemes detailed in Appendices I and II to the Report be noted;

(b) that the capital funded highway maintenance programmes for 2019/20, as set out in Appendices III and IV, be approved; noting the pothole action fund line has increased to £2.273 million; and

(c) that the detailed allocation of the available budget be determined by the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highway Management, on the basis of the Highways Infrastructure Asset Management Plan, and within the limits of the approved budget.

[NB: The Impact Assessment referred to above may be viewed at: http://new.devon.gov.uk/impact/].