Issue - meetings

The County Council has operated agency agreements with ten of the Surrey District / Borough Councils and one consortium of Parish Councils, to undertake environmental maintenance.  This includes the management and maintenance of highway grass verges, routine weed control and some hedges.  For Woking only this also includes highway trees. 

Due to the financial pressures facing the County Council, there is the need to reduce expenditure for highway environmental maintenance.  Discussions have been held with the Districts and Boroughs as to the best method of achieving this.

Authorisation is sought to enter into agency agreements as detailed within this report, which will reflect the lower level of funding and associated service provision. 

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Environment & Infrastructure Select Committee]

RESOLVED:

The Cabinet agreed that:

1.     Authority be given for the Head of Highways & Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways to enter into formal agency agreements with the District and Borough Councils to undertake highway environmental maintenance works.

2.     Funding levels, at the reduced rates be maintained for the duration of the initial four year agency agreements, with annual adjustment for inflation.

3.     Where no agreement can be made with a District or Borough, the County Council will directly manage highways environmental maintenance for that area.

Reasons for Decisions

Agency agreements need to be established to ensure that the County Council can continue working with Districts and Boroughs so they can provide highway environmental maintenance activities on behalf of the County Council. 

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Environment and Infrastructure Select Committee]

The Cabinet Member for Highways stated that the County Council had operated agency agreements with ten of the Surrey District / Borough Councils and one consortium of Parish Councils, to undertake environmental maintenance.  This included the management and maintenance of highway grass verges, routine weed control and some hedges and for Woking only this had also included highway trees. 

Due to the financial pressures facing the County Council, there was a need to reduce expenditure for highway environmental maintenance and discussions had been held with the Districts and Boroughs as to the best method of achieving this.

It was explained that authorisation was sought to enter into agency agreements as detailed within this report, which would reflect the lower level of funding and associated service provision. 

The Cabinet Member for Communities commended the report and said that it was a good example of collaboration and partnership working.

RESOLVED:

The Cabinet agreed that:

1.     Authority be given for the Head of Highways & Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways to enter into formal agency agreements with the District and Borough Councils to undertake highway environmental maintenance works.

2.     Funding levels, at the reduced rates be maintained for the duration of the initial four year agency agreements, with annual adjustment for inflation.

3.     Where no agreement can be made with a District or Borough, the County Council will directly manage highways environmental maintenance for that area.

Reasons for Decisions

Agency agreements need to be established to ensure that the County Council can continue working with Districts and Boroughs so they can provide highway environmental maintenance activities on behalf of the County Council.