Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors B Adams, C J T H Brewis and S P Roe.

The Chief Executive reported that under the Local Government (Committee and Political Groups) Regulations 1990, he had appointed Councillor W J Aron to the Committee, in place of Councillor B Adams, for this meeting only and had appointed Councillor Mrs P Cooper to the vacancy until further notice.

There were no declarations made at this stage of the meeting.

ESOLVED

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 10 September 2018 were agreed as a correct record subject to Mark Heaton's job title being amended to "Programme Leader Surfacing and Patching"; "Councillor Mrs P Copper" being amended to  "Councillor Mrs P Cooper" minute 18) and "Highways Agency" being amended to "Highways England" (minute 23).

No announcements were made.

(A report by Andy Gutherson, County Commissioner for Economy and Place, which provides an update on the ongoing Network Rail/LCC relationships, the purpose of which is to provide strategic direction for the development and delivery of schemes which interact with the railway infrastructure of Lincolnshire)

The Committee received a report in connection with ongoing Network Rail/County Council relationships the purpose of which was to provide strategic direction for the development and delivery of schemes which interacted with the railway infrastructure of Lincolnshire.

Paul McKeown, Route Investment Director, Network Rail, attended the meeting and responded to questions from the Committee.

·         Paul McKeown stated that it was hoped to start construction of the Brayford Footbridge on 29 October 2018 and added that objections were being examined. He stated that any costs associated with the diversion of the foul arising main would be met by Network Rail.

·         The visit by Network Rail to Spalding to discuss various issues in connection with the Spalding Western Relief Road Section 5 (Northern Link) had been welcomed. Paul McKeown stated that Network Rail welcomed the opportunity to meet Local Authorities and other partners to discuss and resolve problems.

·         Proposals to construct two new bridges over the Lincoln to Nottingham railway line as part of the Western Growth Corridor project would have implications for transport in the City of Lincoln. Officers stated that the Western Growth Corridor was a City of Lincoln Council project and the County Council and Network Rail would be consultees on the planning application which was expected in November 2018. Officers stated that any new crossing of the Lincoln to Nottingham railway line would be considered as part of the wider traffic network and that the implications of any crossings could be considered as part of the Lincoln Transport Strategy. Simon McKeown stated that Network Rail had consultations with the City of Lincoln similar to those which took place with other local authorities.

·    The Langwith level crossing's surface on the A158 was not smooth and this route formed part of the Coastal Highway. Paul McKeown stated that he would ask Network Rail's Head of Maintenance to investigate this matter, adding that Network Rail was required to follow many maintenance standards and any work carried out was dependent on the availability of funding and priorities.

·    The Executive Councillor for Highways, Transport and IT expressed disappointment about the relationship between Network Rail and the County Council, highlighting specific issues arising from the development of the Grantham Southern Relied Road and the Lincoln Eastern Bypass. He was frustrated because basic administrative procedures had not been followed and added that the issues could have been resolved earlier.

·         Paul McKeown acknowledged the issues raised by Executive Councillor R G Davies and accepted the need to make improvements.

Paul McKeown was thanked for his attendance and contribution.

RESOLVED

That Paul McKeown's responses to comments and questions by the Committee be noted and actioned where appropriate.

(A report by Paul Rusted, Infrastructure Commissioner, which provides an update on the work being carried out to replace the Lincolnshire Highways Alliance. The three contracts which form the Alliance are due to reach their full term on 31st March 2020)

The Committee received a report which provided an update on the work being carried out to replace the Lincolnshire Highways Alliance.

Comments by the Committee and the responses of officers, where appropriate, included:-

·    Had officers noticed any cost savings in the contract preparations? Officers stated the contract specification had been updated to meet EU legislation and savings might be achieved in the tendering process. An example was given of potential savings by the stockpiling of materials for reuse at three locations in the county.

·    With Highways England not supporting the national specification document for Local Authorities in the future could this lead to disparity of outcomes between counties? Officers stated that the Highways Standards Group was examining performance, materials and in the case of the latter, officers were examining materials lasting 20 to 25 years for value for money purposes.

·    What steps was the Council taking to ensure the KPIs were obtainable? Officers stated the Council was discussing KPIs with their partners/suppliers and that a performance level for Lincolnshire was being examined. Value for money was also being tested with the market.

·    The interest being shown by potential tenderers was welcomed and should lead to competitive tenders being received.

Executive Councillor R G Davies stated that the preparations to replace the Lincolnshire Highways Alliance had been very detailed, expressed pleasure with the response from the market and stated that the process was proceeding well.

The preparations for the new contract were welcomed by the Committee.

RESOLVED

That the report, the comments made by the Committee and the responses of officers, be noted.

(A report by Paul Rusted, Infrastructure Commissioner, in connection with consideration of the value for money assessment for the New Highways Operating Model)

The Committee received a report describing the progress with the Value for Money Assessments carried out for all of the elements of the Highways Future Operating Model following the Fundamental Budget Review and the Financial Challenge which had resulted in the need to identify savings in core highway functions.

Comments by the Committee and the responses of officers, where appropriate, included:-

·         The report showed that the Council was performing well in comparison with other Councils.

·         It would be useful if the Committee could scrutinise the action plans to get some idea of those areas where improvements could be made. Officers stated that they would examine producing action plans for consideration by the Committee at a future meeting.

Executive Councillor R G Davies stated that the Value for Money Assessments helped the Council to manage the highways service, that communication by the Council with Parish Councils could be expensive depending on the service provided and that more money allocated for this area meant less money spent on other areas of the highway's budget.

RESOLVED

That the report, comments made by the Committee and the responses of officers, be noted.

(A report by Satish Shah, Network Manager, in connection with a review of the work being undertaken to enhance service users' experience with regards to the Highways and Transport services)

The Committee received a report on the measures being taken to improve communication in the highways service and officers demonstrated the FixMyStreet website.

Comments by the Committee and the responses of officers, where appropriate, included:-

·    Could more information be provided to the public and Members on the timescale for repairs? Officers stated that the current system only allowed a generic response to be provided and agreed to investigate the specific issue raised by Councillor E W Strengiel.

·    Officers stated that it was important for the public to communicate with their local highway's office through the Customer Services Centre if they wanted a more detailed response.

·    The new system of reporting faults was welcomed and some Parish Councils had stated that they were pleased to have a copy of the Winter Maintenance and Highways Asset Management Plans.

·    Quoting the street name seemed to get around the problem of reporting incidents involving trees.

·    It was important for highways to comment on planning applications and it was agreed to examine highway's feedback on planning applications at the next Member Engagement meeting.

·    The request for grit bins by Parish Councils was an issue in some cases. Officers stated that the deadline for Parish Councils to respond to requests/removal of grit bins had been extended to the end of November 2018 (originally end of October 2018) and they would speak to Councillor Mrs W Bowkett about the issues she had raised about her area.

·    Executive Councillor R G Davies stated that regular updates were sent to Parish Councils and stated that it was important that Parish Councils kept the County Council updated of any administrative changes because communication was an issue. He stated that if a District Council area did not have any Parish Councils, e.g. the City of Lincoln, information was sent to the District Council and to all Members in that District.

·    Parish Councils had responsibility for reporting any issues with grit bins in their areas.

The Chairman stated that the meetings between Members and the Highways Managers were welcomed and that the procedure for reporting highway faults would be examined at the next meeting.

The Chairman stated that Members had a tendency to email highway issues to the Customer Services Centre because it was a less complicated method of communication. Officers stated that Members should escalate feedback on the reported highway issues to Business Support if the Highways Manager was not available.

Executive Councillor R G Davies stated that a follow up report on FixMyStreet would be submitted to the Committee in six months following the winter period.

RESOLVED

(a) That the review of highways communication be noted and that the comments made by the Committee and the responses of officers, be noted.

(b) That the reporting of highway faults by Members and highway comments on planning applications be considered at the next Member Engagement meeting.

(c) That a further report on FixMyStreet be submitted to the Committee in six months following the winter.

(A report by Daniel Steel, Scrutiny Officer, in connection with the latest update of the Committee's Work Programme)

The Committee received a report in connection with its Work Programme.

RESOLVED

That the Work Programme be noted and updated as follows:-

The addition of the Western Growth Corridor (in the Local Transport Strategy) to the meeting on 10 December 2018

Cycling Strategy to be scheduled at the next meeting