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Agenda item

Report of the Head of Highways, Capital Development and Waste (HCW/16/39) on a proposed revised Highway Safety Policy reflecting the outcomes of trial policy changes  previously authorised by the Cabinet, attached

Minutes:

(Councillors Brazil, Connett, Hook, Julian and Westlake attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

 

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Head of Highways, Capital Development & Waste (HCW/16/39) on, and seeking approval to, a revised Highway Safety Policy.

 

The proposed operational policy (Version 6, May 2016) had been designed to enable the Council to meet its statutory duty to maintain the highway network as safe as was reasonably practicable in  all the circumstances and in so doing had also taken account of:

 

·         guidance provided in the National Code of Practice (Well Maintained Highways);

·         the draft update of the National Code of Practice (Well-managed Highway Infrastructure);

·         best practice in other authorities and the results of trialled policy changes.

 

The Policy would, as now proposed, enable defect repairs to be focussed on the highest priorities, improve resilience and enable more effective working; reflecting the trialled changes on footway cracks and gaps, roadmarkings, road traffic signs, potholes and obstructions set out in detail in Appendix B to Report HCW/16/39 which had generally proved successful and upon which no negative impacts had been observed. 

 

The main change from the proposals considered previously and upon which the aforementioned trials had been based would, if now adopted, also see the introduction of a risk matrix to assess the impact of a defect and determine the most appropriate response, to  see if action was required immediately or whether repairs could be undertaken later as part of any planned maintenance work. This would provide a practical, risk based approach to highways safety inspection and defect repair throughout the County.

 

The Place Scrutiny Committee had, as promised, been asked for its views on the results of the trialled policy changes which it had welcomed as providing a more flexible approach to highway maintenance generally although concern was expressed by Members attending this meeting under Standing Order 25 at any reduction in standards contained in the revised policy.

 

The Head of Service’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. That assessment recognised that while, inevitably, highway defects could expose highway users to risk, the Policy attempted to mitigate those risks through a risk based approach, appropriate reporting and corrective mechanisms being undertaken at an earlier opportunity than hitherto and more resilient repairs. No unmanageable impacts had been identified.

 

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) set out in the Head of Service’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 Highway Safety Policy set out in Appendix A to Report HCW/16/39 be approved and the Head of Highways, Capital Development & Waste be authorised, in consultation with the County Solicitor and the Cabinet Member for Highway Management and Flood Prevention, to approve further minor amendments to the Highway Safety Inspection Policy prior to the next full review in September 2018;

 

(b) that Highways & Traffic Order Committees be made aware of the revised operational policy.

 

[NB: The Impact Assessment referred to above may be viewed alongside Minutes of this meeting and may also be available at:  http://new.devon.gov.uk/impact/].

Supporting documents:


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