Agenda item

To receive an update from the Highways Area Team Manager (North East).

The Runnymede Joint Committee:

(i)       Noted the progress with schemes and revenue funded works for the 2018/19 financial year.

(ii)     Noted the budgetary position.

(iii)     Noted that a further Highways Update will be brought to the next meeting of this Committee.

(iv)     Agreed the proposed capital works programme for 2019/20 shown in table 2 in section 2.3 of this report.

Reasons for recommendations:

The above recommendations are made to enable progression of all highway related schemes and works.

Declarations of Interest: None

Officers attending: Andrew Milne, Area Highway Manager

Petitions, Public Questions, Statements: None.

The Area Highway Manager reminded members that the 2019/20 revenue budget had been reduced to zero, whereas the capital budget had increased to approximately £167,000. He also reminded Divisional Members of their annual £7500 allocation; this represents the only funding available for revenue works and the Area Highway Manager’s recommendation was that it should be held for unforeseen maintenance issues.

Attention was drawn to Table 2 in the report, which showed proposed capital works for 2019/20. The priority scheme was the signalised crossing on St Jude’s Road, Englefield Green, for which design work had already been carried out following requests from local schools and parents of pupils. Other schemes listed represented minor capital maintenance improvements, with a provision for drainage and road markings to counter the loss of the revenue budget.

Member Discussion – key points:

Discussion centred on the £7500 revenue allocation. It was confirmed that any funds that had not been committed by 31^st October 2019 would be lost to the individual Divisional member. However, responsibility for spending the funds would pass to the Maintenance Engineer, and if members had indicated what sort of schemes they would like their funds to support then Highways would undertake to direct the money accordingly.

Officers will contact members with suggestions of where they think a contribution from the allocation could be made to achieve an effective result. Projects that are more expensive than the notional maximum spend of £2500 per item will be permissible as long as they are cleared with the Cabinet Member for Highways.

Specifically talking about Vehicle Activate Signs, it was noted that these cannot be funded from the allocation when they would be sited on Highways land; if they are planned for private or parish land then they can be funded. As the signs have an ongoing maintenance cost attached it would be preferred if the allocations were directed towards activity such as vegetation cutting or drain clearance.

The chairman urged ward members to speak to divisional members and to share their local knowledge to help develop a list of proposed work. Officers were asked to remind divisional members towards the end of summer that the deadline for submitting requests for work was approaching and any uncommitted allocation would be unavailable from the end of October.

Resolution

The Runnymede Joint Committee:

(i) NOTED the progress with schemes and revenue funded works for the 2018/19 financial

year.

(ii) NOTED the budgetary position.

(iii) NOTED that a further Highways Update will be brought to the next meeting of this

Committee.

(iv) AGREED the proposed capital works programme for 2019/20 shown in table 2 in section

2.3 of this report, and shown below.

Reasons for recommendations:

The above recommendations are made to enable progression of all highway related schemes

and works.