Members of the public are welcome to attend our meetings to watch them in person at any of the venues across the County. Publicly accessible meetings held in County Hall will be webcast, which means they are available to be watched live or recorded on our website. Please see our webcasting notice here. The Committee may, in certain circumstances, resolve to hold part of the meeting in private. If this is the case, you will be required to leave the meeting.
Venue: Committee Room 'B' - The Diamond Jubilee Room, County Hall, Preston
Contact: Gary Halsall
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Apologies Minutes: None. |
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Disclosure of Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests Members are asked to consider any pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests they may have to disclose to the meeting in relation to matters under consideration on the agenda. Minutes: A non-pecuniary interest was declared by County Councillor Rob Bailey as the benchmarking figures presented in the report of Item 4 were provided by his employer.
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Minutes of the Meeting Held on 4 December 2024 Minutes: Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 4 December 2024 be confirmed as an accurate record. |
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Highways Reactive Maintenance Performance Minutes: The Chair welcomed County Councillor Rupert Swarbrick, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Ridwan Musa, Head of Highways Operations and Design and Kirstie Williams, Highways Group Manager – Countywide Maintenance to the meeting.
A report was provided on reactive maintenance performance regarding structural defects including potholes. It was noted that the key national standing was Local Authorities in England had experienced real time cuts in the construction industry, 45% of authorities had reported a cut or freeze in the budget and the additional amount needed to maintain networks was £1.22b, with an average shortfall was £7.2m per authority. Regarding Lancashire, it was noted that there was a 33% overall improvement of ABC road networks and an estimated shortfall per annum of £20-25m. It was further noted that 109,000 highways reports had been received since April 2024 and the top enquires remained the general road condition and potholes.
In response to questions from the committee, the following information was clarified:
· Regarding the unclassified road network at end of life, the committee raised concern that the backlog would not be addressed by March 2025 and queried if this would be addressed after Phase 2. It was highlighted that there was a significant backlog of work and a severe shortfall in funding and so it was unlikely officers would be able to address the backlog in the near future. A future timeline for this could be brought back to the committee at a later date. Further to this, the committee was informed that the cost to bring the whole network to a satisfactory condition was £160m. It was noted that funds could not be focussed on one type of road at a time, as the rest of the network would be neglected.
· It was clarified to members that blacktop repairs referred to tarmac repair (edge of carriageways, potholes) in the footway and road whereas masonry repairs referred to block and stone paving and kerbing (grey materials).
· Information on the number of defects between footways and carriageways was requested.
· Regarding the extra highways funding announced by central government, members were informed that the funds would be received in the 2024/25 financial year and that it equalled approximately £12m. A report on how the funding would be allocated was due to be presented to Cabinet in March 2025.
· It was explained that 5% of all works completed from both contractors and county council staff were inspected. Further to this, it was highlighted that there were processes in place to review the contracts and terminate them with contractors who did not complete works to the expected standards. The Cabinet Member agreed to provide further information on the standard of reinstatements by utility companies.
· Members were informed that contractors were required to complete a pothole repair free of charge, should their original repair be unsatisfactory. However, it was highlighted that pothole repairs were not a permanent solution and did not compare to resurfacing a road.
· It was highlighted that a review of the gully system in Lancashire ... view the full minutes text for item 4. |
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Love Clean Streets App Review Minutes: The Chair welcomed County Councillor Rupert Swarbrick, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Ridwan Musa, Head of Highways Operations and Design, Sarah Scott, Highways Operational Support and Liaison Manager and Ned Dave, Senior ICT Architect to the meeting.
A report was provided on changes implemented to the Love Clean Streets app since December 2023. It was highlighted to the committee that the most reported category remained potholes with a similar number of reports as the previous year (around 14,000). It was noted that the Customer Access call centre had received 40,000 calls between January and December 2024 and 12,900 of these were subsequently logged with the Highways Asset Management System. Furthermore, it was noted that a plan was in place to address faults within the app.
In response to questions from the committee, the following information was clarified:
· The committee raised concern that the 'description' box when reporting a fault was mandatory, and that users couldn't progress their report to the council without completing it. It was felt certain defects did not require a description to be included when using the app and it was suggested that the mandatory requirement be turned off on a trial basis. It was confirmed that this field currently was mandatory however this could be removed.
· It was felt the mapping for gullies and grids was incomplete following recent attempts to report defects with such assets.
· In regard to inputting fault reports into the app, it was queried if duplicate reports were given individual references. It was clarified to the committee that when a report was received, if it met the initial criteria for review, back office staff completed an assessment so an officer could determine the response time. It was highlighted to members that this did not mean a higher reported fault would be repaired quicker. Every report had to go through the triage system.
· The committee expressed their support for the rebranding of the Love Clean Streets App, specifically for the app to be more Lancashire focussed.
· One member reported that people had been instructed by the Customer Access Centre to use the app. It was explained to the committee that whilst the most efficient way to report a fault was via the app, the Customer Access call centre was staffed, and reports could be submitted over the phone. It was acknowledged that the call centre automated message encouraged people to use the app. However, members were advised that if someone preferred to make a call rather than use the app to stay on the call until they reach a person.
· The committee queried if when submitting a report in an area with no phone signal, whether the report would send once the phone received a signal. It was explained to the committee that the supplier of the Love Clean Streets App could provide this information and that officers would look to explore this issue with the supplier to determine if this needed further development.
· On working with parish councils to report defects ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
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Additional documents:
Minutes: The committee considered the work programme for the 2024/25 municipal year, and an update on actions and assurances.
It was noted that the Public Realm Agreement Budget allocations for 2024/25 and projected budget allocations for 2025/26 along with an updated list of Parish and Town Council allocations was awaited.
Resolved: That the;
(i) Work programme for 2024/25 at Appendix 'A' be noted.
(ii) Formal written response from County Councillor Shaun Turner, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change to the Committee's recommendations on Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure at Appendix 'B' be noted.
(iii)Formal written response from County Councillor Jayne Rear, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills to the Committee's recommendations on Skills, Interventions and Initiatives led by the Skills and Employment Hub at Appendix 'C' be noted.
(iv)Actions and assurances at Appendix 'D' be noted.
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Urgent Business An item of urgent business may only be considered under this heading where, by reason of special circumstances to be recorded in the minutes, the chair of the meeting is of the opinion that the item should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency. Wherever possible, the chief executive should be given advance warning of any member's intention to raise a matter under this heading. Minutes: There were no items of Urgent Business. |
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Date of Next Meeting The next meeting of the Environment, Economic Growth and Transport Scrutiny Committee will be held on Monday 17 March 2025 at 10:30am in Committee Room B – The Diamond Jubilee Room, County Hall, Preston. Minutes: The next meeting of the Environment, Economic Growth, and Transport Scrutiny Committee will be held on Monday 17 March 2025 at 10:30am in Committee Room B – The Diamond Jubilee Room, County Hall, Preston. |