Agenda item

Attending for this item:

John Hobbs, Director of Economy and Infrastructure

Steph Simcox, Deputy Chief Finance Officer

Rachel Hill, Assistant Director for Economy, Major Projects and Waste

Paul Smith, Assistant Director for Highways and Transport Operations

Dave Corbett, Management Information Analyst

The Panel was updated on performance information for Quarter 1 (April to June 2021) and financial information for Period 3.

The following main points were raised:

Performance information

·       It was confirmed that the scrutiny task group on Section 278 Development Control would start its work in October.  Membership was currently being finalised with group leaders.

·       A Member asked for further information on the data relating to potholes.  The chart indicated that 100% of potholes had been fixed (repaired and/or made safe) on time but this did not reflect his experience locally, where a particular road needed major repairs.  Another Member suggested that, if the target was being met 100% of the time, then a more challenging target was needed.  It was confirmed that the target came from the national Code of Practice but consideration would be given to including a more useful local stretch target.  The Director welcomed further evidence from local Councillors ‘on the ground’ as the service needed to know what was happening underneath the apparent high level of performance.  Members’ local experiences should be shared with Highways Liaison Officers.

·       In response to a question about what the County Council was doing to further reduce its own CO2 emissions, Members were informed that there was no magic answer.  A number of smaller projects were being worked on rather than one single action.  It was confirmed that this would include looking at the role of contractors and local businesses.

·       The Chairman requested further details on the condition of unclassified roads and the percentage which were subject to Coarse Visual Inspection (CVI).  It was agreed that details would be provided following the meeting.  Members were reminded that unclassified roads may refer to urban estate roads as well as rural roads.

·       It was confirmed that data on the number of enquiries received via the Member Portal and how many of these were repeat enquiries would be part of a corporate assessment as the portal covered more than just highways enquiries.  It was important to encourage all Members to use the portal to ensure it gave the full picture.

·       Concern was expressed that levels of recycling appeared to have stagnated.  It was confirmed that work was being done with the district councils to encourage greater levels of recycling.  Recycling would be the preferred option ahead of taking materials to the Energy from Waste plant.

·       The Chairman asked about the destination of unrecyclable material recovered at EnviroSort and whether this went to landfill or to the Energy from Waste plant.  An answer would be provided after the meeting.

·       With reference to Countryside Access, a Member asked a question about how members of the public would identify accessible routes.  An answer would be provided after the meeting.  The Chairman expressed concern about the difficulty of viewing the Public Rights of Way interactive map on a mobile phone.

Financial Information

·       The forecast variance showed a £36k overspend.

·       Members were reminded that some of the Directorate’s savings targets had been delayed from last financial year.

·       The Capital Programme was forecast to spend broadly in line with budget with a small movement into 2022/23.

·       The County Council was still awaiting confirmation of funding for the A38 Bromsgrove and the Community Renewal and Levelling Up Funds.

·       Councillor Muir followed up a request from the previous meeting for further expansion of the year-end statement in relation to strategic land and economy.  The Assistant Director for Economy, Major Projects and Waste confirmed this was in train and agreed to check on the response.

·       The Deputy Chief Finance Officer confirmed that the majority of underspends were due to increased income and reduced expenditure rather than capitalisation.