Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Panel Members, Councillors Beverley Nielsen and Tony Muir, from Cabinet Members Richard Morris and Mike Rouse, from John Hobbs (Strategic Director for Economy and Infrastructure) and Gary Woodman (Assistant Director for Economy).

The Chairman welcomed Councillor Dan Boatright-Greene as a new member of the Panel.

None.

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Assistant Director for Legal and Governance in writing or by e-mail indicating both the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am on the working day before the meeting (in this case 18 July 2023). Further details are available on the Council’s website.  Enquiries can also be made through the telephone number/e-mail address listed in this agenda and on the website.

The Panel heard from one public participant, Steve Mullins who made comments and asked questions in relation to Agenda Item 6 - Performance and Budget Monitoring, specifically Definitive Map Modification Orders (DMMO’s).

The Chairman thanked Mr Mullins for his questions and confirmed that he would receive a written response.

Previously circulated.

The Minutes of the meeting held on the 26 May 2023 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

The Chairman highlighted that there were action points from the previous meeting still outstanding, which needed to be followed up.

(Indicative timing 10.05am-10.45am)

The Assistant Director for Highways and Transport Operations (HTO), the Contract Project Manager for Transport Operations (CPM) and the Principal Lighting Engineer (PLE) attended the meeting to provide the Panel with an update on street lighting, solar energy and electric vehicle charging points.

The CPM highlighted the key aspects of the report. The following discussions took place and responses were provided to Members’ questions:

Streetlighting

Parish Initiative

The Panel was informed that there were currently 14 Parishes included in this initiative, and the benefits that they received from their involvement was explained. It was also highlighted that invoicing had recently been switched from annually to quarterly to allow the parishes more control of their finances.  The CPM advised that there were approximately 150 parishes within the county, although they didn’t all have street lighting. It was confirmed that all parishes had been approached when the initiative was launched in 2008, although they had not been contacted since. The Panel suggested it would be helpful for the other parishes to be contacted again to see whether they were now interested. The Assistant Director (HTO) advised that this could be looked at, but the current position on street assets would need to be gauged first. The CPM added that the joining criteria and costs would also need to be revisited. In response to a question, the CPM advised that the cost of electricity paid by those in the Parish Initiative was likely to be cheaper than the open market, but he would check what some other parishes were currently paying.

Ownership of Streetlights

Members were aware that all lampposts were shown on the GIS map but they were interested in the total number of streetlights in the county and how many of those didn’t belong to the County Council (the Council). A Member highlighted that the infrastructure assets list for the county should make it clear which lampposts were owned by the Council. The Panel was informed that ownership of some lampposts was currently unknown due to records being difficult to obtain. Many were also known to be owned by district councils, housing associations, developers etc. The CPM advised that the Council had written to the Parishes to establish which lampposts they owned, with some responses having been received, whilst others were still awaited. The Council was engaging with Parishes and would re-send the link, and any additional information received would be captured on the GIS system.

Concrete Column testing

The Panel received details of the recent survey of concrete columns, which had ranked the condition of all of the Council’s concrete assets. It was explained that all those identified as Rank 5 (requires immediate attention) and some of the Rank 4 (replace as soon as practicable) had been replaced straight away. With the LED rapid roll out coming to an end, column replacement would now be the key focus from August onwards. It was planned to replace 1500 columns at a cost of £2.2m during this financial year, to ensure maximum  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48.

(Indicative timing 10.45am – 11.15am)

Performance Quarter 4 (January to March 2023)

It was noted that revised agenda pages 30-33 on Development Control Submissions and Bond Values had been circulated to the Panel.

The Panel raised a number of queries relating to the data as follows:

Condition of Footways

In terms of utility companies digging up footways, a query was raised about whether the company could be asked to replace the whole pavement rather than just filling in a trench and leaving the pavement in a poor state. Details of a recent example of this in Badsey would be provided to the Directorate. The Assistant Director (HTO) advised it would depend on the programme of works and that the comparative costs of reinstatement works would need to be considered.

A Member recognised that residents’ satisfaction with roads was continuing to increase, however, problems relating to footways were a regular source of complaint. It was questioned whether satisfaction with footways could be measured. The Lead Analyst explained that the Worcestershire Viewpoint Survey didn’t currently have a specific question covering footways, but it was suggested this could be requested for inclusion going forward, or if a breakdown of analysis could be done to obtain this feedback.  In light of the outcome of the visual inspection which identified that 35% of footways currently required attention, the Panel suggested that the Cabinet Member be asked if the additional investment in footways could be continued for the next financial year, to ensure that improvements were able to be completed.

Gullies

A Member referred to a particular problem of tree root ingress in gullies in their area which caused challenges. The Panel noted the significant increase in PEMs regarding gullies and drainage issues and asked why this was the case. The Assistant Director (HTO) provided background to recent issues including the impact of environmental factors. The Highways Dept had a programme of checking drains with cameras to identify any issues that needed attention. The additional capital investment last year had increased the volume of work able to be completed, including the eradication of certain ‘wet spots’ in the Winter. It was highlighted that some drains were assets of utility companies rather than the Council. The Panel would consider asking the Cabinet Member if the additional investment for drainage issues could be continued for the next financial year.

A Member raised a further issue regarding the importance of householders understanding their own responsibilities regarding run off from their land. The Assistant Director advised that work was carried out within communities on this type of issue, but that some wider communication to residents could be worthwhile. The Panel agreed to raise this issue with the Cabinet Member.

A further question was raised about contractors working on the roads and whether they were required to clean out the gullies after they had completed their work, to ensure that none of their debris was left in the gullies. A written response would be supplied.

Potholes

Members reviewed the performance data on potholes and a query  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49.

(Indicative timing 11.15am – 11.20am)

The Panel considered its current work programme, and no changes were required.