Agenda and minutes
Venue: Council Chamber, County Offices, Newland, Lincoln LN1 1YL. View directions
Contact: Rob Close Democratic Services Officer
Media
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Appointment of Chairman Minutes: RESOLVED
That Councillor Strengiel be elected as Chairman for this meeting of the Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee.
COUNCILLOR STRENGIEL IN THE CHAIR |
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Apologies for Absence/Replacement Members Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from Councillors B Adams, Mrs A Austin, A Hall, R Gibson, and Mrs S Rawlins. |
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Declarations of Members' Interests Minutes: No declarations of interest received. |
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Minutes: RESOLVED
That the minutes of the meeting held on 19 July 2021 be confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record. |
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Announcements by the Chairman, Executive Councillors and Chief Officers Minutes: No announcements were made. |
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Winter Service Plan 2021/22 PDF 383 KB (To receive a report from Matt Huddleston, Materials Engineer, which presents the Committee with the proposed amendments to the Winter Service Plan for 2021/22, in line with national guidance and best practice) Additional documents:
Minutes: Consideration was given to a report from the Materials Engineer on the Winter Service Plan 2021/22. The plan was updated annually in line with national standards, no amendments were proposed as part of this report. The Council had 43 gritters able to treat the entirety of the Precautionary Salting Network within three hours. The Winter Service Plan identified that a minimum of 25,000 tonnes of salt should be in stock for the start of the Winter Season. Over 26,856 tonnes of salt were used over 99 precautionary salting runs in 2020/21. The Committee considered the report, and during the discussion the following comments were noted:-
RESOLVED 1. That the Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee unanimously agreed to support the recommendations to the Executive as detailed in the report.
2. That the comments listed above be passed on to the Executive in relation to this item. |
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Passenger Transport Update PDF 672 KB (To receive a report from Anita Ruffle, Head of Transport Services, which presents the Committee with an annual update on Passenger Transport Matters since the previous report considered by the Committee) Additional documents: Minutes: Consideration was given to a report from the Head of Transport Services updating the Committee on Passenger Transportation. The market for passenger transport was extremely fragile and small, requiring support to be provided by Government and the Council. A shortage of PSV (Passenger Carrying Vehicles) drivers was having a detrimental effect on the market's ability to deliver local bus services and home to school contracts. Passenger numbers were beginning to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, with adult and child fares being 70 – 75 per cent of pre Covid-19 journeys. However, older age concessionary pass holder journeys had only recovered to that of 45 – 50 per cent of pre Covid-19 figures. Government offered funding to facilitate designated buses to separate students from the wider public, while the Council allocated some of its Covid-19 funding to support operators with cleaning regimes and additional PPE. Covid-19 Bus Service Support Grant (CBSSG) was due to end in September 2021, but further Recovery Funding would be provided until April 2022. Reduced passenger numbers and driver shortages were resulting in routes failing to remain profitable, likely requiring support from the Council in the future. The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) had lobbied for support to relive the financial impact. Coach operators were struggling to remain compliant with the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR); however, the Department for Transport were extending an exemption, originally due to expire 1 January 2020, to 31 March 2022. The Committee considered the report, and during the discussion the following comments were noted:-
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Lincolnshire Enhanced Partnership Scheme & Bus Service Improvement Plan PDF 385 KB (To receive a report from Anita Ruffle, Head of Transport Services, which presents the Committee with an overview the Lincolnshire Enhanced Partnership Scheme & Bus Service Improvement Plan) Additional documents:
Minutes: Consideration was given to a report from the Head of Transport Services on the Lincolnshire Enhanced Partnership Scheme & Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). The alternative option of a franchising scheme was not available to the Council as it did not have an elected Mayor or control over planning policy. The funding opportunities would allow the Council to further invest in the strategic bus network and support the development of the economy. Bus Services offered a significant opportunity to reduce carbon emissions of the transport network. The BSIP would include:
The Committee considered the report, and during the discussion the following comments were noted:-
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Highways Quarter 1 Performance Report (1 April to 30 June 2021) PDF 549 KB (To receive a report from Paul Rusted, Head of Highways Services, which sets out the performance of the highways service including the Major Highway Schemes Update, Lincolnshire Highways Performance Report and Transport Complaints Report) Additional documents:
Minutes: Consideration was given to a report from the Head of Highways Services updating the Committee on the performance of the Highways Service including the Major Highway Schemes Update, Lincolnshire Highways Performance Report and Transport Complaints Report. Significant issues developed with the supply and delivery of materials such as concrete and steel with some significant cost increases. The Lincoln Eastern Bypass was now complete, Grantham Southern Relief Road was near completion with links to the A1, the Spalding Western Relief Road was awaiting a response from the landowner solicitor, work had recommenced on Roman Bank, Skegness, however, issues had arisen with water utilities. Though quarter 1 over 16,000 defects were repaired including 12,515 potholes. The rate of repairs had increased by over 1000 when compared to quarter 1 2020/21. 141 miles of surface dressing, 39 miles of carriageway patching and surfacing and 55 miles of footway resurfacing had been completed which would hopefully show a benefit soon. 399 minor works jobs had been completed including civils, minor patching, and drainage. An AdEPT peer review had been carried out in parallel with a LGA peer review. It was considered that the Council was a service that delivered excellent value for money and used data intelligently. Customer complaints relating to highways and transport had seen an increase from the last quarter by 33 per cent; this may, however, have been due to increased use of highways. The Committee considered the report, and during the discussion the following comments were noted:-
RESOLVED
That the report and comments be noted. |
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Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee Work Programme PDF 626 KB (To receive a report from Kiara Chatziioannou, Scrutiny Officer, which enables the Committee to consider and comment on the content of its work programme) Minutes: The Committee received a report from the Scrutiny Officer, which enabled the Committee to comment on the content of its work programme for the coming year to ensure that scrutiny activity was focussed where it could be of greatest benefit.
That the work programme presented be agreed. |