Agenda item

This report proposes policy changes and process changes that will deliver Winter Service cost savings in 2017/18 and 2018/19. The report also identifies a number of compensating savings to help achieve savings.

Witnesses:

Colin Kemp, Cabinet Member for Highways

Jason Russell, Deputy Director for Environment and Infrastructure

Amanda Richards, Networks and Asset Management Group Manager

Kristian Fields, Winter Operation Manager, Kier

Declarations of interest:

None

Key points raised in the discussion:

1. The Chairman advised the committee that the report proposed policy changes and process changes that will deliver Winter Service cost savings in 2017/18 and 2018/19. The report also identifies a number of one off compensating savings to help achieve savings in 2017/18. The Select Committee are asked to consider the proposals before they are taken to Cabinet.

2. Members were informed of an update to this report by email on 28 June. This was in reference to the table on page 4 of the agenda regarding (Policy Change 1: Reducing season length to 26 weeks) which had two errors. This was in relation to ‘weeks on standby’ for both Knowsley and Bristol City Council. In the original report the ‘weeks on standby’ for both these authorities was 26 weeks. This has now been corrected to 21 weeks on standby.

3. It was noted in the previous Council term, a Winter Maintenance Task Group was set up as part of the old Scrutiny Board. The task group was responsible for updating the Board on winter performance and scrutinising the winter policy for the Council.

4. It was explained three members made up the membership of the task group. Of these, only one member remains on the newly formed Environment & Infrastructure Select Committee, Cllr Stephen Cooksey.

5. Members noted that prior to this meeting, officers discussed report recommendations with Stephen Cooksey and feedback was noted.

6. It was explained a similar report on winter cost savings came to the previous Scrutiny Board in 2016 but the £340k savings pressure from the Winter Service budget could not be achieved and compensating savings from elsewhere in the budget had to be found.

7. The Committee were advised when considering officer recommendations in the report, members needed to take account of the current financial situation facing the council. £340K savings need to be found from the Winter Service budget.

8. Officers explained that the current report was reviewing different solutions which reduce the impacts on levels of service compared to the previous report. Officers gave a summary of the proposed policy and process changes informing members that the proposed changes would enable the service to meet the £340K savings required with the potential to create additional savings.

9. The Chairman queried why the service did not review the option to remove a mini gritter at an earlier stage seeing as one of the mini gritter’s had not been used for the last 6 years. The Kier representative informed members that both mini gritters had been utilised previously however one mini gritter could meet the demand for the whole County and the other could be released under the contract.

10. Members queried the set up costs of the additional depots at Beare Green and Chertsey. The Cabinet Member for Highways explained that these depots belonged to the Council and would be refurbished to save costs. It was explained that these sites were currently owned by the Council and work was underway to improve these assets rather than acquiring new assets. Officers advised the Committee that a report on these two depots came previously to scrutiny and was approved by Cabinet last year.

11. Officers clarified that policy amendment 1 proposing to not survey or fill any non-members grit bins intended to stop the survey in 2017/18 only but not discontinue the filling or repairing of grit bins where highways are made aware filling is required, informing members that eleven orders had been currently placed to do so.

12. Members questioned whether farmers received guidelines on maintaining their ploughs and asked officers to consider this going forward. It was agreed by officers that forwarding guidelines to farmers would be considered going forward.

13. The Cabinet Member for Highways assured the Committee that grit bins would remain and the policy amendment was for one year only. Members noted grit bins would possibly be removed in certain places, for example where funding for member funded grit bins has expired and the location does not achieve sufficient points against the agreed criteria for a grit bin to be in that location.

14. Following the discussion on grit bins the Deputy Director for Environment and Infrastructure expressed the view that policy amendment 1 was sensible and pragmatic, assuring the Committee that the proposed saving would allow the Council to respond and maintain services.

15. Members suggested a revision to the wording of policy amendment 1 to ensure there would be no further confusion on what was proposed, which was to not survey grit bins for 2017/18 only but to continue the filling of grit bins where highways are informed of low salt levels by residents or members.

16.  In relation to saving recommendation 3 officers were asked to clarify which routes would be removed and whether there was a fair system in place to determine this. The Cabinet Member for Highways explained that a system was in place and that routes would be assessed against a set criteria which is detailed within the approved  Highways Cold Weather Plan.

17. It was noted that the in house solution to replace the Kaarbontech grit bin management software was capable of being delivered by local highways officers despite members raising concern with the changeover of managing the grit bin inventory information and survey.

18. It was explained that there was no dedicated budget for grit bins, if grit bins met the set criteria it would be funded, alternatively if the grit bin did not meet the criteria it would be removed, placing the unused funds in reserve.

19. Members raised the concern with the removal of grit bins, expressing the view that grit was essential for utilising in other areas other than the road, for example, gritting pavements.

20. There was a discussion around Policy Amendment 1 and how it would be re-worded. Members suggested that it should be amended to encourage the public to contact the Council to report low levels of salt in grit bins on inspection. Officers advised the Committee that this information was available online for members of the public.

21. The Cabinet Member for Highways clarified that the treatment time began from the point the salting vehicles left the depot and returned within the 3 hour treatment window.

22. There was a discussion around Policy Change 5 and members sought more clarification around the salting treatment, how this would be determined and what the implications would be going forward. Officers advised that the choice of salting treatment would be reviewed appropriately in line with best practice and explained how Thawrox+ was referenced as an example to show the benefits of moving to an alternative. 

23. It was noted that the service was not proposing to change the gritting criteria however were reviewing whether current routes on the network met the set criteria. Members requested officers provide local committees with the criteria to allow them to assess how routes will be re-evaluated.

24. Members raised the importance of local committee involvement when reassessing lengths of network that did not meet criteria. Members agreed that saving recommendation 3 should be amended to read ‘reassess lengths of network against the criteria in consultation with local committees’. The Cabinet Member for highways agreed with this amendment.

25. Members of the committee were given the opportunity to vote for each of the individual proposals put forward. Members voted in the majority to support the recommendations in the report.

Recommendations:

The Environment & Infrastructure Select Committee endorse the report recommendations, subject to the following amendments to Policy Amendment 1 and Saving Recommendation 3,

1. Policy Amendment 1 to be amended to read: ‘Do not survey any non- member funded grit bins’,

2. Saving Recommendation 3 to be amended to read: ‘Reassess lengths of network against the criteria in consultation with Local Committees’.

Actions:

For the Cabinet Member for Highways to provide the E&I Select Committee with more details around the salt barn replacement.