Agenda item

The Select Committee gave consideration to a report which provided them with information as requested on the delivery of the highways capital improvement programme detailing measured outputs, and clarified the situation with regards to the corporate indicator M890(CP) Highways: Classified Network Surface Condition (Percentage of Principal roads requiring maintenance), that was above its target for its annual assessment in 2019/2020.

Members were informed that in October 2018, Cabinet agreed to a programme of highway works to be delivered over 3 years (2019/20 - 2021/22) with a capital investment from the Council of £12m in total.

The annual budget of £4m would be allocated to schemes, enabling a programme informed by both condition survey results and local Member knowledge, following analysis of the newly instigated detailed Annual Engineering Inspection (AEI) survey and discussion with districts around the best approach.

A £4m per year programme was put together based on the condition survey with a mixture of ‘red’ (reactive maintenance) and ‘amber’ (preventative maintenance) schemes being proposed.

This approach provided best value for money long term, with high opportunity for cost saving as it delayed surface failure of the carriageway, the full repair of which was many times more expensive. By applying this preventative maintenance principle, much more of the network could be improved at any one time, compared with just tackling only the failed areas. It also progressively removed highways reaching failure condition at all, in accordance with the Council’s Highways Asset Management Strategy.

The AEI survey carried out in autumn 2018 was analysed by officers to ensure that the available funding over the next 3 years would be used in the best way. The findings of the AEI were presented to Members at the District Highways Workshops during January 2019 to aid discussions around priorities of Members in each district.

Targets in the corporate indicator M890(CP) Highways: Classified Network Surface Condition (Percentage of Principal roads requiring maintenance) were met in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

A second Annual Engineering Inspection (AEI) survey of the borough’s highway network was carried out in February 2020, giving data to measure the outcomes at approximately half way through the investment programme. The results showed that the whole network had improved significantly since the 2018 AEI.

Overall, 180km of the network had been brought into Green condition over the period, and significant inroads made into the Amber roads before they deteriorated further had seen the Amber percentage fall from 58% to 21%.

Based on this information, the estimated cost to bring the entire network up to standard had reduced by £12.5m for an £8.5m spend, indicating that, by use of the preventative approach, Oldham was achieving significant value for money on its current surfacing programmes.

Members were informed that all schemes advertised in 2019/20 were delivered in year. 12 additional schemes from years 2 and 3 (worth £1,083,787) had also been delivered. A £700k underspend was realised, which was reinvested into the resurfacing programme to further tackle the remaining roads. From the increased delivery of schemes in 2019/20, and the savings realised, a further 15 additional schemes to the sum of almost £2.6m had been added to the programme.

New products, with extended warranties had been tried and tested, and had resulted in material cost reductions. New frameworks had been put in place ensuring increased competition for works, which had ensured continued value for money was received on all tenders.

Despite the continued significant improvement, the indicator showed as “Above Target – Red” as it was above what was a stretch target applied without appreciation of the overall programme. The entire network was being targeted, and reducing ambers was the area of optimal outcomes.

The indicator was due for review and the current commentary reported against it as at September 2020 was “there is a need to expand the measures to include secondary routes and this will be worked through over the review period”.

It was recommended that a new set of indicators be set up to monitor the delivery of the Highways Improvement Programme that covered all the outcomes.

Members asked for and received clarification on the following:

·         Scrutiny of the standard of work – 100% of works done on the highways by utility companies were inspected.

·         Impact of Covid-19 – the impact was limited as the schedule of works had to be agreed some way in advance to enable materials to be ordered. Although traffic had reduced, the roads in Oldham were still busy.

·         Capacity to undertake AEI – external resources were brought in to complete this in a quick and efficient manner.

·         Whether additional schemes would be red or amber – they would be a mixture of both, as they would be the schemes at the head of the planned programme.

RESOLVED that the actual detailed measured successful outputs of the programme so far, the ongoing detailed interactive monitoring of the programme and the need to review, update and expand the corporate indicator(s) accordingly be noted.