Agenda item

To update the committee on the following matters of local concern:

1.    Gully cleaning

2.    Vehicle Activated Signs

3.    Street Light Replacement Programme

The Local Committee resolved to:

      i.        Note the content of the report.

The Chairman introduced the item and explained that the purpose of the report and upcoming presentations was to address matters of local concern that he and the Vice-Chairman had become aware of since the last meeting of the Elmbridge Local Committee. A number of senior officers were in attendance to answer questions and the Chairman stated that he hoped Members would make the most of the opportunity.

Gully Cleaning

The Highways Area Team Manager informed Members that he, the Chairman and Vice-Chairman had recently met with representatives of May Gurney to discuss the situation in relation to gully cleaning.

During the course of the discussion the following points were clarified:

·         There were approximately 17,208 gullies in Elmbridge and contractors attempted to clean each at least once a year. Whilst the cleaning programme was behind schedule, steps were being taken to improve the situation, with two new cleaning machines recently acquired.

·         99% of gullies in Elmbridge were operating correctly, with only 1% known to be blocked.

·         When a gully was discovered to have become blocked, a follow-up visit was scheduled for within 7 days. However, this had in practice not been happening and was something that needed to be addressed and monitored.

·         Of those discovered to be blocked, most could be cleared relatively easily. However, there were a small number of gullies that had become completely blocked or broken and required extensive repair to rectify the problem.

·         It was acknowledged that having highway officers with a good local knowledge was of great help when dealing with blocked gullies. Whilst natural staff turnover could not be prevented, officers were in the process of putting together a comprehensive asset inventory which would be held centrally and hopefully avoid the loss of local knowledge in the future.

·         At present the highways team were not in a position to notify local Members of every blocked gully in their division. However this was something that could be worked towards.

·         In cases where Members or residents discovered newly resurfaced roads that were not draining water towards gullies, they could report the issue to the highways team who would investigate.

·         The typical definition of a gully was a road side grating into which surface water drained.

·         There were no known microbiological health risks associated with any blocked drains in Elmbridge.

·         Officers had no direct contact point at Thames Water and had to make contact via the company’s call centre. It was acknowledged that this was not a satisfactory arrangement and officers were looking to try and establish more formal relations.

Vehicle Activated Signs

The Road Safety Team Leader provided an update on the repair and replacement of vehicle activated speed signs (VAS) in Elmbridge. During the course of the discussion the following points were clarified:

·         There were a total of 58 VAS in Elmbridge and, at the beginning of the year, 14 were known not to be working. Of these 8 were in the process of being repaired.

·         The signs were not designed to be moved, although the Police did have access to a small number of mobile units.

·         The County Council may have to review its use of VAS as the maintenance budget was not sufficient to ensure all signs were kept in working order. At present the annual budget for maintenance was £10,000, with officers estimating that £30,000 was required.

Trees

At the request of the Chairman, the XX outlined the County Council’s tree maintenance policy. During the course of the discussion, the following points were clarified:

·         There were over 1 million trees in Surrey and the Council therefore had to adopt a minimal intervention strategy so to limit spend.

·         Where a tree was not considered to be dangerous the Council would rarely take any action. Shading, reduced visibility and poor television reception were not considered serious enough to warrant intervention. However, the Council would cut back trees if they were closer than 3m from private property.

·         Trees that were obstructing the public highway due to overhanging branches would be cut back.

Street Light Replacement Programme

The Highways Contract Performance Officer updated the Committee on the progress of the County Council’s Street Light Replacement Programme. It was explained that:

·         Almost 60% of street lighting in Surrey had been replaced. However, some areas such as conservation areas, high speed roads or locations where residents had requested alternative, privately funded lighting, had not yet been done.

·         Individual lighting columns would be remotely controlled from a new control centre near Guildford giving the County the capability to dim the street lights by 50% in residential roads and 20% on main roads between the hours of 11pm and 5.30am reducing energy consumption and in turn reducing energy bills for the County.

·         For the duration of the 25 year contract all the street lights would be the financial responsibility of the contractor. This should not be underestimated as the contractor would be required not only to cover the cost of all maintenance but to carry out their repairs within the prescribed time scales or they would not be paid the full monthly fee. In the past under a more traditional contract the lighting contractor would carry out works at the instruction and cost of the authority based on a defined and often limited budget. This would inevitably mean that the county would not be able to undertake all required works.

·         Once the contract had ended in 2035, all equipment would be guaranteed for a further 5 years of life, again saving considerably on any future maintenance.

·         The new light equipment was designed to ensure the light was directed downwards instead of upwards into the night sky. In contrast to the old orange/yellow lighting this dramatically reduced light pollution in the sky.

·         Through the reduction in energy usage the PFI project is expected to lead to savings of around 60,000 tonnes of carbon.

Following questions from Members, the Officer clarified the following points:

·         40 roads had requested alternative, conservation style lighting, with residents funding the additional cost. Of these, work had been completed in 10 locations, with 40 still outstanding. Residents had been provided with indicative timescales.

·         Column designs for conservation areas in Elmbridge had been jointly agreed between Surrey and the Borough Council. The designs had already been finalised.

·         Due to an error, some roads were quoted a lesser price for conservational style lighting columns. As residents had already begun fund raising, the Council felt it would be unreasonable to alter the price and agreed to honour the original quote. All roads were now being quoted the correct price.

5 year Road Maintenance Programme

At the request of the Chairman, the County Council’s Projects and Contracts Group Manager informed the Committee that Highways were in the process of developing a 5 year Road Maintenance Programme. The project would aim to change the way that the Council engaged with residents to ensure that local communities had a say in the development of local plans. Following queries from Members, the following points were clarified:

·         By moving to a 5-year-programme, the County Council was able to achieve better economies of scale when purchasing materials.

·         Councillors would be kept informed of progress made, and a list of proposed schemes would be brought back to the Committee in February 2013.

·         A number of roadshows had been arranged for residents to come and explain what they would like to see done in their area.

RESOLVED: That

      i.        The content of the report be noted.