Agenda item

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

RECOMMENDATIONS:

The Joint Committee (Spelthorne):

General

(i) Noted that the Joint Committee’s devolved highways budget for capital works in 2022/23 is £609,873, as agreed by Cabinet on 22^nd February 2022.

(ii) Agreed that the devolved capital budget for highway works be used to progress both capital improvement schemes and member capital allocation as detailed in section 1.

(iii) Authorised that the Highway Engagement & Commissioning Manager in consultation with county members, to be able to reallocate budget to reserve schemes should there be a need to change the programme.

(iv) Authorised that the Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager in consultation with county members, be able to allocate any additional funding for schemes, in accordance with any guidance issued surrounding that funding.

Capital Improvement Schemes

(v) Agreed that the capital improvement schemes allocation for Spelthorne be used to progress the Major Integrated Transport Schemes programme set out in Annex 1.

(vi) Authorised that the Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager be able to vire money between the programme of schemes agreed in Annex 1, if required.

(vii) Agreed that Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager, in line with the Scheme of Delegation, is able to progress any scheme from the Major 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 appropriate county member.

Member Capital Allocation

(viii) Noted that, £50,000 is allocated to each divisional member. Up to £15,000 of this could be allocated to minor ITS, or all £50,000 on capital maintenance (recommended option). The schemes are to be agreed by county members in consultation with the Stakeholder Engagement Officer.

Revenue Maintenance

(ix) Noted that the members will continue to receive a Member Local Highways Fund (revenue) allocation of £7,500 per county member to address highway issues in their division.

(x) Agreed that revenue works are to be managed by the Highway Maintenance team on behalf of and in consultation with county members.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS:

To agree, a programme of highways works in Spelthorne for 2022/23, funded from budgets available to enable schemes and works to progress.

Declarations of Interest: None

Officer attending: Zena Curry, Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager, SCC

Petitions, Public Questions/Statements: None

Member discussion – key points:

The Engagement and Commissioning Manager outlined the draft budget report, the funds available for Members and the proposed ITS scheme list (Annex 1). The Stakeholder Engagement Officer had been in touch with County Members to gather their local priorities for expenditure. Additional funds had also been made available county-wide to cover road safety outside schools.

In response to questions from members about items included on the full ITS list (Annex 2), the officer clarified that for 2023/24 the Stakeholder Engagement Officer would be speaking to members from mid-May about which scheme they would like to promote for prioritisation in the context of the new process that is being developed and which would take account of the Greener Futures policy, scheme deliverability, and more engagement across communities. Old schemes still on the ITS list can be reviewed or new ones considered, taking into account how residents’ wishes may have changed since old schemes were originally added to the list. Feasibility and design will start from December 2022, for delivery from April 2023 onwards.

The ITS list does not include maintenance projects.

Clarification was given on the elements contributing to the costs of schemes, including full design, supervision, traffic management for safe construction, advertisement of Traffic Regulation Orders, electrical work e.g. Belisha beacons, movement of underground utilities, ‘civils’ works such as tactile paving, and safety audits. Contracts are benchmarked and compared with similar local authorities, and all are competitively tendered.

It was noted that Sheepwalk could be removed from item 7 in Annex 2 as the issue had now been resolved with the installation of bollards.

A written response would be provided to Cllr Bateson’s (Staines South) question about the Buckland School scheme.

Resolved: