Agenda item

Report by Assistant Director (Highways, Transport and Planning).

The Committee is asked to scrutinise the performance of the services and works delivered through the contracts for Lots 1 to 6 and progress of the new contract model for West Sussex Highways Services through 2021-22.

44.1     The Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Cllr Dennis, introduced the report and informed the Committee that she was pleased to see a significant improvement in performance over the last year thanks to new ways of working, improving processes, etc.

44.2     The Assistant Director Highways Transport and Planning gave an updated presentation to the one given to the Committee in September 2021, giving an overview of the delivery model.  The Committee were also joined by Mr Walsh, Area Director for Balfour Beatty. 

44.3     Members of the Committee asked questions and a summary of those questions and answers follows.

44.4     The pothole jet packer machinery was only useable in weather conditions which suited the infill material used.  Work was being done on a new approach with a smaller pothole pro machine for use in smaller locations.  Emergency defects would receive a 2-hour response time for teams to decide whether a short-term fix was suitable or whether the defect needed to go onto the list for a larger or permanent repair.  This would be decided on based on the safety of highway network users.  The trials had helped the service understand how best to utilise the machinery which it was expected would be back in use from April 2023.

44.5     Roadside grass verges were usually cut three times a year in rural areas and five times a year in urban areas.  Some communities ask that verges were not fully cut to support flora and fauna.  Within the South Downs National Park area there was only one cut a year.  Unusually dry conditions in July 2022 had meant that one routine cut had been dropped from the schedule and contractors were redeployed to other work.  The service shared the grass cutting schedule with district and borough colleagues so that they had the opportunity to undertake litter picks before verges were cut.

44.6     Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) – The KPIs in the report were primarily used for operational purposes to monitor the performance of the contracts and had evolved over several years.  They had been agreed between the County Council and contractors as useful and effective measures.

44.7     KPI 6.1 Amount of construction and demolition waste reused and recycled – The Assistant Director agreed to provide some figures to the Committee on this KPI.

44.8     KPI 5.2 and 5.3 Make Safe and Repair – Whilst the performance to March 2022 showed to be below target, officers were pleased to report that since May 2022 all targets had been met or exceeded.  Targets were still expected to be met despite the recent adverse weather conditions as close observation was being kept on volumes and resources adjusted accordingly.

44.9     It was acknowledged that some areas of the highways network presented challenges for those with disabilities or particular needs, e.g. pushchairs, mobility vehicles.  Designs were looked at within disability guidelines and safety criteria, but more work could be done with the disabled community to make areas more accessible.

44.10  The service did envisage extra investment would be needed to keep the highway network resilient and sustainable in light of the damage caused by climate change and recent extreme weather events.  More planning would have to go into medium and long-term plans in relation to climate change.

44.11  The County Council was responsible for hedge cutting on highways land which was done on a two-year cycle to maintain safety and functionality.  There was no responsibility for privately owned hedges or hedge maintenance.

44.12  Weed control was maintained twice a year using a glyphosate product, which is not harmful to animals, as this was the most cost-effective product at the moment.  A trial of a foam-based product had not been effective and was significantly more expensive.

44.13  There are 12-15 underpasses in West Sussex and they have experienced flooding in the recent extreme rainfall events when pumping could not keep up with rising water levels.  The Service is looking to commission work to understand where there could be better alternatives to an underpass, how it could be made clearer to the public when an underpass is not accessible, and potential improving road crossing facilities where we have them.

44.14  Road Space – paragraph 2.17 – It was difficult to pinpoint any one activity that reduced road space.  The County Council was investing more in the highways network with more than 200 active schemes.  Utility companies were investing in their networks across the county which would improve longer term resilience.  The Lane Rental Scheme had encouraged utility companies to work together and undertake works more quickly to reduce costs.  Initial feedback on the Scheme was positive and the Committee would be updated on progress at a later meeting.

44.15  The upskilling of staff where the County Council had established a model of different contract lots, had meant that staff were much more involved in the day-to-day management of activities and an updating of skills was needed, e.g. on the annual mini procurement exercises.  This had resulted in staff having greater ownership and understanding of processes and it also highlighted areas of weakness.  Support from the Cabinet Member had ensured there were the correct number of posts to deliver the service under the new model but there were pockets within the service where it had been a struggle to recruit to the level necessary.  Work was ongoing to resolve this.

44.16  The reporting of defects on highways or footways had moved to an in-house online reporting tool.  The original app had inherent drawbacks, and it was felt this was a more flexible option going forward with more reports being made than had been received through the app.  Members were asked to pass on any feedback on the new system so that improvements could be made where possible.

44.17  The Committee were reassured by Mr Walsh that, although resourcing personnel was a challenge across most industries, Balfour Beatty had engaged heavily with their supply chain, encouraging contractors to employ locally.  They also invested in early careers and apprenticeships to get ahead of the game.  They anticipated they would be able to keep pace with the skills shortage and aimed to have 5% of their workforce on each contract on an earn-and-learn experience.

44.18  Contractors had reacted well to several exceptional incidents over the year, e.g. Duncton, Pulborough and Pagham, in order to keep the travelling public safe.  An exercise would be undertaken to investigate what had happened, why it had happened, and the lessons learnt.

44.19  Contractors fed back valuable information on problem areas, e.g. regular flooding spots, particularly those they could not resolve, and works could be undertaken to remediate them. 

44.20  The Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Cllr J Dennis, thanked the Committee for their comments and hoped members could see the commitment of officers and contractors to consistently improve and obtain best value for money.

44.21  Resolved – That the Committee:

1.   Thanks the officers and guests for the excellent report which was warmly welcomed by the Committee.

2.   Notes the concerns of members on disabled access within town and city centres and asked that the criteria be reviewed to be improved.

3.   Welcomes the work in hand on the ecology of wildlife on roadside verges.

4.   Is pleased to hear about the review of underpasses within the county which are susceptible to flooding when there is severe rainfall.

5.   Was surprised but pleased to learn that KPIs were not expected to suffer in the light of recent weather events. The Committee also noted that the continued improvements that the service were striving to achieve were being borne out in the KPIs.

6.   Notes there would be greater investment in the highways network in the next financial year’s budget.

7.   Are pleased to hear about the positive impact of the lane rental scheme and looked forward to learning more in the future.

8.   Notes that the priority was to keep members of the public travelling on the road network as safe as possible.  This was reinforced by responses to incidents at Duncton, Pulborough and Pagham, and the Committee appreciated all the work that had been done by officers and contractors.

9.   Asks that the Business Planning Group be updated on work looking at how to improve the resilience of the highway network with the challenges of climate change and major rainfall events.