Decision details

Cabinet considered a report on proposed changes to a number of highways policies and plans to ensure that they aligned with the Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice. This would involve the adoption of a new approach to the management of highways that was risk-focussed. The Appendices referred to throughout the report had been published on the Council’s website.

The report had been considered by the Environment and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 20^th January 2020. Councillor J P Findlow, Chairman of the Environment and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee, presented the Committee’s comments on the report to Cabinet.

During the discussion on this matter, it was suggested by some visiting members that the consultation had been inadequate. Some also questioned the basis of the decision to remove gritting from roads within their wards.

The Deputy Leader advised that the Department for Transport had made it clear that future maintenance funding through the Local Highway Maintenance Incentive Fund would be linked to compliance with the new Code. The proposed changes to highway maintenance had been considered at several overview and scrutiny meetings and the comments of the Environment and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee were being addressed. The Deputy Leader advised that a Member Panel would be appointed to review the implementation of the maintenance programme. He gave an undertaking that the risk assessment criteria and scoring matrix would be published on the Council’s website and circulated to all members.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet

1.    approves the adoption of the Resilient Network Approach to Highway Safety Inspections;

2.    approves the adoption of the Highway Safety Inspection Policy 2020, Code of Practice for Highway Safety Inspections 2020, the Winter & Adverse Weather Policy 2020, Adverse Weather Plan 2020/21 and the Cheshire East Highways Resilient Network 2020; and

3.    delegates authority to the Director of Highways and Infrastructure in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Highways and Waste to make minor operational changes to the Highway Safety Inspection Policy, Code of Practice for Highway Safety Inspections, the Winter & Adverse Weather Policy, Adverse Weather Plan and the Cheshire East Highways Resilient Network Strategy from time to time and as appropriate.