Agenda item

Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/23/86), attached.

Councillor Hughes, Cabinet Member for Highways Management attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(1) and spoke to this item.

The Committee considered the Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/23/86) on a proposal to trial the self-delivery of minor improvement works to the highway network (e.g. 20mph speed limits or provision of footways) by Parish and Town Councils on behalf of their communities. This proposal would help address local requests that the County Council had been unable to carry out due to its limited resources, both financial and staffing.  The emphasis was on enabling communities where they had the funds and ability to take on this commitment, but not a requirement to do so.  The Report included a draft guidance document in Appendix 1 which was intended to help communities to understand what steps would be required such as the need for adequate consultation if a Traffic Regulation Order was required.  The trial would act as a proof of concept, with the with the learning and feedback such as the level of officer support required, the ability to resolve legal issues, and Public Sector Equality Duty considerations used to inform the next steps.

It was proposed to take a Report to Cabinet’s next meeting, following consideration by this Committee.   

Discussion and Member comments included:- 

- the need for a clear step by step checklist for parishes, to include links to the Association of Consultancy and Engineering (for competent practitioners) and a Bond calculator;

-policy to be clear and accessible, to include details such as responsibility, involvement of local County Councillors, requirements to seal Traffic Regulation Orders, quality assurance; adoption of schemes and maintenance costs;

-to establish the likely take up and how well this was to be received by communities;

-whether it would be more efficient for communities to pay DCC who had the expertise to do these types of schemes, but recognising there was a staffing capacity issue across Devon, local authorities and engineering consultants nationally, for traffic management knowledge together with how DCC could respond to the long term workstream;

-capacity/resources of smaller communities to be able to take on minor works projects and that collaborative, partnership working may be a suitable alternative for these communities;

-examples of experience where this type of scheme was currently being progressed within the county (small scale, ad-hoc basis);

-suggestion to start the trial on a small scale with simple, easier to deliver works, prior to any phased further expansion; and

-consideration of any further promotion communications.  

It was MOVED by Councillor Dewhirst and SECONDED by Councillor Atkinson and RESOLVED

(a) that the Committee support the proposed trial to enable communities to fund and self-deliver their own minor highway improvements in line with the guidance notes included in Appendix A; and

(b) that Town and Parish Councils be supported in self-delivery by having a checklist as part of the guidance supporting the community in carrying out these works; and

(c) a Report be submitted to this Committee on progress and take up of the scheme from Town and Parish Councils.