Agenda item

ES20063

Members were presented with the Riney Contract Performance Report which provided an update regarding the performance of the Council’s Highways Contractor during the previous 12 months. 

Chris Moore (Managing Director) and Luke McFarlane (Contracts Director) attended to represent Riney. 

The Assistant Director for Highways informed Members that the contract had been awarded in July 2018 for major and minor works. The Committee had previously scrutinised Riney’s performance in November 2019. 

It was noted that all planned works, including the capital programme, street lighting improvements and traffic schemes, were suspended during the initial Covid-19 lockdown period, and did not recommence until early September. This caused a delay in the completion of certain projects.

Although Riney attended to emergencies and urgent highway repairs during the Pandemic, the size and volume of works completed were limited due to social distancing restrictions. 

Riney had now completed the capital programme and continued to make good progress with other traffic improvement projects as part of the annual LIP programme.

A Member raised the issue that outside of Biggin Hill Airport, there were  9 lights on the main road that had been in a state of dis-repair for 9 months. She asked that issues not be closed on FIXMYSTREET until they were definitely fixed and closed. Riney promised to look into the matter and repair the broken lights. Riney explained how they undertook regular nightly inspections of street lights to see what needed to be repaired, and they would endeavour to repair lights on the night of the inspection if possible.

The Assistant Director for Highways stated that every lamp column was inspected monthly and this included both main roads and cul de sacs. The Member responded that this should mean that lamps were not left in dis-repair for months. 

An explanation was provided by Riney concerning how the waste from road maintenance was segregated and re-cycled so that it could be re-used within the industry.

The Chairman asked for more information regarding warm and cold tarmac, and Riney provided an update concerning this. The Chairman asked if warm tarmac would be required to be replaced more frequently. The Chairman asked what Riney was looking to do in terms of sustainability and in providing a clean and green borough.

Riney responded that there was an additive mixed with the warm tarmac which would make it just as effective as cold tarmac. In any case, they would be responsible for any maintenance that was required subsequently. Riney was seeking to reduce their carbon footprint by modifying their vehicle fleet and using electric power for their small vans. They were also seeking to use hydrogen power for their larger vehicles in the future when the market was ready. 

The Chairman introduced Cllr Nicholas Bennett who wanted to address Riney concerning traffic management issues and delayed repairs in the West Wickham constituency. Cllr Bennett asked a question with respect to Pickhurst Lane, where there had been flooding that had taken four weeks to resolve. He asked why this had taken so long, and if the fault was with LBB, Riney or Thames Water. Riney responded and said that they did attend the incident when it was first reported, and that it appeared that the matter had been resolved. It subsequently became apparent that the pipe was not clear of whatever was causing a blockage. Riney said that because it was a ‘traffic sensitive area’ they had to apply for a permit from LBB before they could commence work. This was noted as the main reason for the delay in resolving the issue, along with some areas of communication which could have been better.

The Chairman asked what had been learnt from this, and how could such a situation be avoided in the future. He asked the Assistant Director for Highways why it had taken so long to issue the traffic management order. He responded that in his view, the breakdown in communication had been between Riney and their contractor Flowline. Work was ongoing to make sure that communication channels between all three parties were as open and effective as possible. He said that when a permit was applied for, the Street Works Team had to make sure that no other utility work was being planned for that area. He stated that the Street Works Team prioritised Riney’s work.

Cllr Bennett commented that in his view this was making a ‘mountain out of a mole hill’ and wondered why the process was so cumbersome. The Assistant Director for Highways responded and explained that if there was a possible gas leak, then obviously there would be an emergency situation that was possibly threatening to life and so would require an emergency response. In this case such an emergency response was not required, and in addition to this, the source of the blockage had been hard to locate.

Members were pleased to note that a new data system had been put in place that mapped out drains, pipes and gulleys, and also contained a record of where blockages had occurred. It was anticipated that this new data set would help to resolve future issues like this more quickly. 

An update was provided on KPIs and how these had been affected by Covid and the subsequent lockdown. It was noted that in some respects performance had been enhanced by lockdown, and this was attributed to the fact that there was less traffic on the roads which made it easier to travel and undertake repairs. Also a new software system had been developed which had made it easier for LBB and Riney to monitor works that were due to be undertaken.

A Member asked if Riney published its data in respect of targets for carbon reduction, as this would be helpful when moving into ‘Scope 3’. Riney said that they would provide data for dissemination regarding this via the Assistant Director for Highways. 

A discussion took place regarding the criteria for determining which roads would be resurfaced during a given timeframe. Members were informed that surveys were undertaken every two years. As the next tranche of funding was expected in 2023, surveys were commencing now. In the meantime, any issues that may make roads unsafe, would be dealt with immediately.

Members noted that the Council had an advanced weather forecasting system that operated 24/7. This enabled the Council to take appropriate action if snow or black ice was expected.

The Chairman was generally pleased with the way that Riney was managing the contract, but he pointed out that the KPI for maintaining street lighting was 100%. Currently Riney were performing at 99% and he asked what steps could be taken to achieve 100% of the target. Riney responded that they were confident of hitting the three-day target consistently. There was sometimes an issue with hitting the eight-day target, as some of LBB’s assets were either very old or obsolete. When more of the old assets were replaced, compliance with this target would improve.

Members noted that the vacancy for a Contracts Manager had been backfilled and that Riney were recruiting for a new Contracts Manager. There had been no disruption to service.

The Chairman thanked the representatives from Riney for attending the meeting. 

RESOLVED that

1)  The Committee notes the contents of the report and also notes the on-going work being undertaken to ensure compliance with the terms of the contract. 

2)  Riney would provide data to the Assistant Director for Highways with respect to targets for carbon reduction, this information would then be disseminated to Members