Issue - meetings

ES20169

The Assistant Director for Highways gave a brief introduction to the report and stated that in 2016 there had been a capital investment programme. The revenue budget had then been frozen for five years, but it was now coming back online from April 2022. It was therefore now the case that £2.5m was available for highways maintenance work which would be split between roads and pavements. Detailed surveys had been undertaken to prioritise where this work should take place and more data concerning this could be provided to Members if required. The report before the Committee requested the authorization to initially use £1.7m/£1.8m of the budget for the initial programme of works which had been subject to member consultation.

A Member noted that 17% of the highways currently required maintenance and a discussion took place as to whether or not the highways network was deteriorating, improving, or staying the same. The Assistant Director for Highways stated that ideally he would prefer the 17% figure to reduce to somewhere in the region of 10% which would provide a safer network, but more funding would be required to achieve this. It was probably the case that the overall condition of the carriageway had remained about the same.

A Member asked if footways were always replaced in a like for like manner. The Assistant Director responded that it was always the Council’s policy to do this and if Members were aware of any instances where this was not the case, please could they let him know so that he could investigate further. In such cases there could be an issue with root damage or utilities works.

A discussion took place as to whether or not the maintenance works would be reactive or planned and the Assistant Director said that there was a careful combination mix of planned and reactive works, but it was better if as much work as possible could be planned maintenance.

A Member asked if she could be provided with a detailed map which explained (with respect to her ward) which roads and sections of roads would be the responsibility of Bromley Council and which would be the responsibility of other councils. The Assistant Director for highways confirmed that this data could be provided.

It was confirmed that in terms of road maintenance, Bromley was now using warm asphalt in all cases and indeed Bromley was the first London borough to adopt this practise wholesale.

RESOLVED that:

1) The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Community Services agreed that the schemes listed in Appendix ‘A’ and Appendix ‘B’ be included in a programme of planned highway maintenance for 2022/23, to be undertaken by the Council’s existing highway term maintenance contractor.

2) The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Community Services agreed that the decision to include additional schemes in the Planned Highway Maintenance Programme be delegated to the Director of Environment & Public Protection, based on the results of further condition assessments.