Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Environment and Resident Experience. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Resident Services &Tackling Inequality.

This report seeks to outline and seek approval for the Council's highway maintenance and street lighting schemes, programmes and policy updates to be delivered in the next financial year (2024/25).

The Cabinet Member for Resident Services & Tackling Inequality introduced the report which made recommendations for investment in highway infrastructure in 2024/25 and particularly covered footways, carriageways, and street lighting assets as set out in Appendices 1 and 2 of this report. Those appendices also set out expected funding streams for 2024/25 for those various work streams.

In response to questions from Cllr Cawley- Harrison the following information was provided.

• With regards to adding more lighting to Oliver Tambo recreation ground, this was more complicated than putting it on streets, mainly because of animal rights regulations. There were more laws that needed to be observed in relation to it.

• The team had been working with contractors to try and replace the CMS nodes through the contract for some time. There had been issues with some of the replacements being faulty and there being a quality issue from the manufacturer which had delayed how quickly the problem could be resolved. Contractors were being held to account.

• The original timeline could not be met as planned. There had been an expectation to complete the light replacement programme by the end of March 2024 and Cabinet would be kept informed of the progress.

RESOLVED

1. To approve the Highways and Street Lighting Investment Plan for 2024/25 of £6.176m for highway assets as set out in Appendix 1 of this report.

2. To approve the Highways and Street Lighting Investment Plan which includes investment of £1m in lighting assets for 2024/25, as set out in Appendix 2 of this report.

3. To approve the update to the Highways Asset Management Strategy and the Street Lighting Strategy, as set out in Appendices 4 and 5 of this report.

4. To note the draft update to the Streetscape Design Guide as set out in Appendix 6 of this report and the associated consultation process, and delegates authority to the Director of Environment and Resident Experience, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Tackling Inequality and Resident Services, to approve the final document.

5. To delegate decisions relating to highways infrastructure asset maintenance schemes to the Head of Highways and Parking, subject to key decisions being reported to Cabinet.

6. To authorise the Head of Highways and Parking to (a) carry out any required consultation in accordance with Appendix 3; and, having had due regard to all consultation responses submitted as part of the statutory consultation process, and having considered whether the Council should cause a public inquiry to be held, (b) to make any necessary traffic management orders, to give effect to the schemes in Appendix 1 and 2, subject to key decisions being considered by

Cabinet.

Reasons for Decision

This report sets out the 2024/25 investment in the Council’s local highways infrastructure. It provides detail of the funding arrangements and seeks authority to proceed with the development and delivery of these projects, subject to appropriate consultation.

Alternative options considered.

No other options are considered. The Council has a statutory duty to

maintain the public highways network.