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Agenda item

Report of the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HID/19/7), seeking approval  to increase the 2018/19 Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HIDW) capital programme with the additional funding received by the Government, attached.

 

Minutes:

(Councillors Connett, Dewhirst, Hannaford, Hodgson, Prowse and Whitton 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/19/7) which sought approval to increase the 2018/19 Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HIDW) capital programme with the additional funding received by the Government.  The Report also clarified how the Council proposed to allocate the funding and was 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 highlighted the announcement from the Chancellor of the Exchequer in November 2018, that Government was allocating £420 million in the 2018/19 financial year for local highways maintenance, including the repair of potholes, to keep local bridges and structures open and safe, as well as to aid other minor highway works that might be needed. The Council’s share was £18.754 million, in addition to the £41.132 million included in the County Road highway maintenance capital programme (Cabinet report (HIW/18/20) 11 April 2018).

 

The Department for Transport expected local authorities to make available on their website by the end of March 2019 details of how original funding and this new extra funding had been utilised. A selection of schemes needed to be published with pictorial evidence showing ‘before’ and ‘after’ photographs of works undertaken.

 

The Report outlined the proposal to allocate the new funding across the following programmes of the highways and structures capital programme.

 

Programme

Value £’000

Principal Named schemes

4,932

Principal Pre-patching for 2020/21 Preventative programme

1,099

Non-Principal Road Recovery Programme

6,501

Non-Principal Pre-patching for 2020/21 Preventative programme

4,434

Spray Injection Patching

   530

Major refurbishments – bridges

1,258

Total

         18,754

 

The Report outlined the data used to generate a list of schemes and how these might be prioritised, including taking into account future road conditions and the role of the Asset Management Plan.

 

The overall programme had been identified and programmed for delivery through a range of highway contractors and there was sufficient capacity in the market to complete the works during the remainder of the financial year. The Report also highlighted how the Council would ensure that all electoral divisions benefitted from the funding with the Cabinet noting that officers would work with elected members to propose and agree how a minimum of £60,000 would be allocated within each division.

 

The Cabinet Member for Highways Management commented that the additional funding provided a welcome injection of funding and would help in providing a value for money approach in reducing the backlog of repairs required to maintain and operate the highway network more effectively. 

 

The recommendation proposed enabled the Council to take best advantage of the funding allocation and minimised disruption to the current programme and by taking a longer-term approach, all localities would see benefits and the funding used in an effective way to address the backlog of highway and structures repairs.

 

Members also noted that a copy of an updated overview of the Budget 2018-19 Equality Impact Assessment for all service areas had previously been circulated separately and was available 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 (including 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 increase in the 2018/19 Highways, Infrastructure, Development and Waste capital programme by £18,754,000, funded by external grant, be approved;

 

(b) that the proposed allocation of these monies to the programmes identified in the Report be noted; and

 

(c) that the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways Management, be given delegated powers to make variations to the programme to maximise delivery.

Supporting documents:


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