Agenda item

That the Committee recommends Cabinet approval of the reviewed Highway and Car Park Inspection Policy which outlines the Council’s approach to all safety inspections, intervention criteria and response times.

The Chief Officer (Streetscene & Transportation) introduced the revised Highways and Car Park Inspection Policy following a review which incorporated the inspection regime for the Council’s car parks and highway structures.  The policy met legislative requirements in setting out what was inspected, frequency (based on risk) and intervention times for repairing defects.  It was explained that walking inspections were carried out on footways whereas carriageways were generally inspected by the inspector travelling in a vehicle, accompanied by another officer driving.  For bridges, the requirement was for an annual visual inspection together with a principal professional inspection every six years.

Councillor Paul Shotton thanked the Streetscene Area Supervisors for their work, in particular their prompt responses in dealing with issues raised.  Responding to a query on filling potholes, the Chief Officer spoke about the use of various materials and the continued search for more creative options to identify a system which met all requirements.

The team was also praised by Councillor Ian Dunbar who welcomed the inclusion of car parking under the portfolio.  He commented on the deterioration of car parks as a result of local businesses closing and raised safety concerns about a wall near Brookfield School in Connah’s Quay.  The Chief Officer would arrange for an inspection of the wall and gave explanation on the responsibilities of the Council as opposed to homeowners.

In response to queries from Councillor Hilary McGuill, the Chief Officer confirmed that Theatr Clwyd car park was subject to inspections.  On the maintenance of cycle paths, a joint approach was taken with Countryside Services and there were no statutory requirements for surfacing, provided it was appropriate for cycle use.  Councillor McGuill felt that the method for inspecting carriageways did not enable the inspector to identify road defects evident to a cyclist.  Councillor Bernie Attridge noted concerns about potholes near the Tesco store in Mold which could not be safely avoided by cyclists.  He reminded Members that an independent survey was undertaken each year and asked that any further issues be reported to the Streetscene Supervisors.  The Chief Officer agreed to contact Denbighshire County Council to seek details of its system for logging issues reported by cyclists.  On the inspection of carriageways, he said it was important to consider the safety of inspectors.

Following a query from Councillor Haydn Bateman, it was explained that the Council was not liable for third party claims arising from defects occurring between inspections, provided that the agreed frequency of inspections was documented and appropriate.

Councillor Mike Peers questioned the robustness of the policy in terms of defending potential claims and suggested that photographs could be taken during inspections.  The Chief Officer spoke about the use of tablets to record inspection data and the move to newer systems which would speed up the process of work orders and record photographic evidence.  He said that this could be demonstrated to the Committee.

Whilst noting the knowledge and understanding of issues by the Cabinet Member and officers, Councillor Chris Dolphin referred to problems in his ward.  He questioned whether areas allocated to Supervisors were too challenging, particularly in rural locations where some of the footpaths appeared to be in a poor condition.  He felt that walking inspections were necessary to properly identify issues with potholes.  The Chief Officer urged Members to report issues with potholes on main roads.  He said that a range of factors had determined the scope of areas, including the time needed for inspecting rural areas as opposed to densely populated locations.  Councillor Attridge stated that there had been no cuts to the service budget and that the weedkilling schedule remained the same, with all work prioritised using the matrix system.  He was disappointed that issues were being raised at this meeting when potholes being reported to the team were promptly repaired.  The Chief Officer agreed to review the current provision and meet with Councillor Dolphin and the Co?ordinator to discuss the issues raised.

Councillor Brian Lloyd reported an ongoing problem with the deterioration of road surfacing at Ivy Crescent in his ward.  The Chief Officer agreed to follow this up.  He explained that patching work was often necessary as it was not feasible to repair every road surface, however principal roads with schools were amongst those given priority.  Councillor Attridge commented on the potential to work with colleagues in Housing to access other sources of funding to resolve these issues.

Councillor Dave Mackie asked whether an Equalities Impact Assessment had been undertaken to help strengthen the Council’s defence.  The Chief Officer was aware that the original policy had been assessed but would check prior to the revised policy being considered by Cabinet.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee recommends Cabinet approval of the reviewed Highway and Car Park Inspection Policy which outlines the Council’s approach to all safety inspections, intervention criteria and response times.