Agenda item

Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport, (CET/23/28) seeking adoption of the updated Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan, attached.

This review of The Plan fits within a wider framework of documents including the Highway Asset Management Policy and Strategy, which was approved by Cabinet in April 2022. As part of this approval an Impact Assessment was prepared which can be seen here: Highway Infrastructure Strategy and Policy - Impact Assessment (devon.gov.uk). This impact assessment contains an Equality Analysis and is also attached.

The Corporate Infrastructure and Regulatory Services Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 23 March considered the Report of the Standing Overview Group: Highways Asset Management Plan  which covered the Highways Infrastructure Asset Management Plan, Strategic Asset Management and the impact of funding challenges.

The Corporate Infrastructure and Regulatory Services Scrutiny

Committee accepted the Report as an accurate record of the meeting and recommended;

(a) that the Highways Infrastructure Asset Management Plan contains

further reference to taking opportunities for joint working with districts, towns and parishes on wider aspects of road maintenance such as litter picking; and

(b) that a map system to allow Councillors to easily identify the

maintenance category of Devon roads be developed (alongside the plans to provide Councillors with access to the asset condition map) and that Members be permitted the ability to discuss with Officers the maintenance hierarchy of roads.

Cabinet is to note that the Plan has been updated to incorporate the recommendations.

RESOLVED

(a) that the updated Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan and associated Annexes be adopted;

(b) that the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highway Management, be given delegated authority to make minor amendments to the Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan and associated Annexes; and

(c) that the Report be shared with Devon Members of Parliament.

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

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport, (CET/23/28) which sought approval to adopt the updated Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan, 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 Corporate Infrastructure and Regulatory Services Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 23 March 2023 had considered the Report of the Standing Overview Group: Highways Asset Management Plan  which covered the Highways Infrastructure Asset Management Plan, Strategic Asset Management and the impact of funding challenges. The Committee had accepted the Report as an accurate record of the meeting and subsequently recommended;

(a) that the Highways Infrastructure Asset Management Plan contains

further reference to taking opportunities for joint working with districts, towns and parishes on wider aspects of road maintenance such as litter picking; and

(b) that a map system to allow Councillors to easily identify the

maintenance category of Devon roads be developed (alongside the plans to provide Councillors with access to the asset condition map) and that Members be permitted the ability to discuss with Officers the maintenance hierarchy of roads.

Cabinet noted that the Plan had been updated to incorporate the recommendations and the Cabinet Member for Highway Management thanked the Members involved in helping to shape its development.

He added that together with additional feedback from key stakeholders the Plan provided the Council with the best possible platform for which to adapt and evolve to best match the ever-changing environment it operated in.

The Cabinet noted that the updated Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan and associated Annexes (The Plan) was the next important suite of documents that sat alongside the Highway Asset Management Policy and Strategy, which had been approved by Cabinet in April 2022. (Report available here: Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Policy and Strategy, Minute *143 referred Cabinet 13 April 2022).  The Plan allowed for more focus and detail to be applied to key asset groups, describing the asset management tools and processes that the Service used to plan, operate and monitor their ongoing management and maintenance. The Plan was attached to the Report as Appendix B.

Through national performance measures such as the Incentive Fund, the Service reflected a strong maturity level in terms of its approach and adoption of asset management practices, a review was an important process to ensure good practice and a positive culture was incorporated and maintained.

Updates to national guidance, notably a revised code of practice ‘Well-managed Highway Infrastructure’ had also steered this review and heavily influenced its structure. Link available here: Code of Practice | CIHT

The key elements of strategic asset management were:

•       individual Asset strategies were required for each asset group and should be appropriate;

•       asset plans must be aligned with larger corporate priorities;

•       risk, cost and performance over time must be balanced; and

•       Cultural challenges should be considered just as much as technical challenges.

This Plan had been derived from the Asset Management Policy and Strategy, (approved by Cabinet in April 2022) and provided more detailed information relating to how the organisation’s asset management objectives could be achieved and how asset life-cycle decisions were put into practice. It introduced key asset management concepts and associated individual Annexes had been developed for twelve key asset groups, which allowed for focused maintenance strategies to be applied.

These asset groups were:

Annex 1 – Carriageways (Road Surface)

Annex 2 – Footways

Annex 3 – Cycleways

Annex 4 – Drainage

Annex 5 – Fences and Barriers

Annex 6 – Trees and Soft Landscape

Annex 7 – Road Markings and Studs

Annex 8 – Signs and Other Traffic Assets

Annex 9 – Park and Ride Sites

Annex 10 – Public Rights of Way

Annex 11 – Structures

Annex 12 – Traffic Signals and Street Lighting

Due to the current level of investment into highway assets, decline of some roads was unavoidable. The Service had therefore developed a framework of Maintenance Strategies ranging from 'improved condition’ through to ‘safety only’. These could be applied to the various asset types to create a set of Maintenance Standards.

This review of The Plan fitted within a wider framework of documents including the Highway Asset Management Policy and Strategy, which had been approved by Cabinet in April 2022. As part of this approval an Impact Assessment had been prepared which could be seen here: Highway Infrastructure Strategy and Policy - Impact Assessment (devon.gov.uk). The impact assessment also contained an Equality Analysis.

The Plan had been subjected to an Independent Peer review as well as Internal Review.

It further aligned with the Strategic Plan with ‘Best Place’ priorities flowing through the Plan. The Report further explained (section 7), that in order to provide context to the main overarching Asset Management Strategy of ‘managing decline’ it provided the current national picture, and the impact this had to Devon, which was profound.

The matter having been debated and the options and alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, sustainability and carbon impact), risk management, equality and legal considerations and alignment with the Council’s Strategic Plan) set out in the Director’s Report having been considered:

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

RESOLVED

(a) that the updated Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan and associated Annexes be adopted;

(b) that the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highway Management, be given delegated authority to make minor amendments to the Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan and associated Annexes; and

(c) that the Report be shared with Devon Members of Parliament.