Agenda item

This report seeks approval of a programme of highway works for Reigate and Banstead funded from the Local Committee’s delegated capital and revenue budgets.

The Local Committee (Reigate & Banstead) agreed to:

General

(i)       Note that the Reigate and Banstead Local Committee’s devolved highways budget for capital works within the Medium Term Financial Plan 2017-20 is £36,363 in 2018/19 and 2019/20 and that the revenue budget for 2018/19 is £40,910.

(ii)      Authorise delegation of authority to the Area Highway Manager, in consultation with the Local Committee Chairman and Vice-Chairman, to agree a revised programme of highway works for 2018/19 if there is a change in the Local Committee’s devolved budget;

(iii)   Note that should there be any changes to the programme of highway works as set out in this report, a report will be taken to a future meeting of Reigate &Banstead Local Committee to inform members of the changes.

And resolved to:

Capital Improvement Schemes (ITS)

(iv)    Agree that the capital improvement schemes allocation for Reigate and Banstead be used to progress the Integrated Transport Schemes programme set out in Annex 1;

(v)     Authorise that the Area Highway Manager, in consultation with the Local Committee Chairman and Vice-Chairman, be able to vire money between the schemes agreed in Annex 1, if required;

(vi)    Agree that the Local Committee Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Area Highway Manager, together with the relevant local divisional Member are able to progress any scheme from the Integrated Transport Schemes programme, including consultation and statutory advertisement that may be required under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, for completion of those schemes.  Where it is agreed that a scheme will not be progressed, this will be reported back to the next formal meeting of the Local Committee for approval.

Revenue Maintenance

(vii)Authorise the Area Maintenance Engineer, in consultation with the Local Committee Chairman, Vice-Chairman and relevant local divisional Member, to use £40,910 of the revenue maintenance budget for 2018/19 as detailed in Table 2 of this report;

And agreed:

(viii)  The Area Maintenance Engineer, in consultation with the Local Committee Chairman and Vice-Chairman, be able to vire the revenue maintenance budget between the identified work headings in Table 2;

And resolved to:

(ix)    Agree that the revenue maintenance gang be managed by the Area Maintenance Engineer on behalf of Member

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS:

To agree a forward programme of highways works in Reigate and Banstead for 2018/19 – 2019/20, funded from the Local Committee’s devolved budget. 

Declarations of Interest: None

Officers attending: Zena Curry, Area Highway Manager

Petitions, Public Questions, Statements: None

Member discussion – key points:

1.    Members were reminded that funding levels for the next financial year had not yet been finalised so the forward programme 2018/19 was based on those for the current year.

2.    In response to members’ queries officers detailed the remit of the maintenance gang (para 2.4 refers). Permitted activities included digging out of gullies, cleaning signs, general cutting back of vegetation, erecting parking posts, replacing minor kerbing stones. Local Surface Repair (LSR) was not within the gang’s scope and the local committee’s budget was not sufficient to cover both LSR and Integrated Traffic Schemes (ITS). There was a central programme to carry out larger patching works but the budget had already been spent. If county members had particular concerns they should use the councillors@surreycc.gov.uk address to raise the issue.

3.    Members were interested to hear whether Highways had already received any Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money from RBBC. No information was available at the time as to the amount already collected by the borough council but officers advised that the majority would have to fund strategic projects and only the neighbourhood element could be used for routine maintenance

4.    Members discussed the limited budget available to the local committee for all works on the highway and expressed their concern that it was insufficient to carry out those small but very visible jobs. In particular they highlighted the low level of funding available for drainage works and questioned how it could fund the amount of gully cleaning needed.

5.    The Chairman reminded the committee of the savings the county council still needed to make. There had been a change in gully contractor and members should continue to report issues through the online facility.

6.    Since this report was written there had been an update on the position of the LEP bid for the Epsom-Banstead Sustainable Transport Package. Officers explained that the bid was now on hold as it had not been successful in securing funding in the first tranche. Other funding options were being considered but on a positive note, work on the Horseshoe crossing on the A217 was progressing.

7.    Members welcomed the installation of the new average speed cameras on the A217 although those through the roadworks were not yet operational and some of the foliage around the cameras still needed to be cut back.

The Local Committee (Reigate & Banstead) agreed to:

General

(i)       Note that the Reigate and Banstead Local Committee’s devolved highways budget for capital works within the Medium Term Financial Plan 2017-20 is £36,363 in 2018/19 and 2019/20 and that the revenue budget for 2018/19 is £40,910.

(ii)     Authorise delegation of authority to the Area Highway Manager, in consultation with the Local Committee Chairman and Vice-Chairman, to agree a revised programme of highway works for 2018/19 if there is a change in the Local Committee’s devolved budget;

(iii)  Note that should there be any changes to the programme of highway works as set out in this report, a report will be taken to a future meeting of Reigate &Banstead Local Committee to inform members of the changes.

And resolved to:

Capital Improvement Schemes (ITS)

(iv)    Agree that the capital improvement schemes allocation for Reigate and Banstead be used to progress the Integrated Transport Schemes programme set out in Annex 1;

(v)     Authorise that the Area Highway Manager, in consultation with the Local Committee Chairman and Vice-Chairman, be able to vire money between the schemes agreed in Annex 1, if required;

(vi)    Agree that the Local Committee Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Area Highway Manager, together with the relevant local divisional Member are able to progress any scheme from the Integrated Transport Schemes programme, including consultation and statutory advertisement that may be required under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, for completion of those schemes.  Where it is agreed that a scheme will not be progressed, this will be reported back to the next formal meeting of the Local Committee for approval.

Revenue Maintenance

(vii)                Authorise the Area Maintenance Engineer, in consultation with the Local Committee Chairman, Vice-Chairman and relevant local divisional Member, to use £40,910 of the revenue maintenance budget for 2018/19 as detailed in Table 2 of this report;

And agreed:

(viii)The Area Maintenance Engineer, in consultation with the Local Committee Chairman and Vice-Chairman, be able to vire the revenue maintenance budget between the identified work headings in Table 2;

And resolved to:

(ix)    Agree that the revenue maintenance gang be managed by the Area Maintenance Engineer on behalf of Members.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS:

To agree a forward programme of highways works in Reigate and Banstead for 2018/19 – 2019/20, funded from the Local Committee’s devolved budget.