Issue - meetings

(a)       That the revised completion date for the project and the engagement of the Agency Engineer to carry out the work required to deliver the speed limit review within the revised timescale be supported; and

(b)       That a verbal update on the Speed Limit Review be provided at the Committee meeting scheduled for 16 September 2015. 

Prior to the introduction of the report, the Deputy Leader apologised to the Committee because the Speed Limit Review had not progressed as fast as it should have.  He expressed his disappointment that this report was before the Committee and added that he should have checked on progress earlier in the process than he had done. 

                        The Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) introduced the report to provide the Committee with details on the progress made on the County wide Speed Limit Review for the classified A and B road network.  The report was also to inform the Committee of the revised programme to complete the project. 

A report was approved by Cabinet in July 2013 detailing the outcome of the review which had been carried out on the Flintshire classified road network and included schedules and plans of those sections of roads where a change in the speed limit was necessary.  The proposals included a programme to complete the associated orders and implement the revised speed limits for 37 sites within a two year period.  The cost of carrying out the works was estimated to be £210,000 and the funding for this was to be provided from a bid to the Welsh Government (WG) prudential borrowing initiative.  Progress had been slower than expected and only five had been completed, with seven to be completed within the next three months and 25 yet to be ordered and advertised.  There were a number of reasons for the delay and these were reported in paragraph 3.01. 

It was now necessary to develop a new programme and method of delivery to complete the work at the earliest opportunity, and because the final delivery of the project was beyond the expected deadline date required, the funding from WG was no longer available.  The Chief Officer explained that it was proposed that the Council engage an Agency engineer who was capable of carrying out all the necessary works to progress the outstanding schemes with a revised completion date of 30 November 2015.  The estimated costs for engaging the Agency engineer and advertising & construction works was £210,000 and as the costs would need to be met from the Streetscene and Transportation budget, an in-year budget pressure would be created as a result.  Progress against the new timetable would be monitored monthly by the Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Environment and a verbal update on the progress made would be presented to this Committee in September 2015. 

The Chair queried whether an officer of the Council could undertake the work prior to an Agency engineer being appointed.  The Chief Officer advised that there were no members of staff within the Streetscene and Transportation portfolio with the skill sets to allow them to undertake both elements of the speed limit orders. 

Councillor Clive Carver thanked the Chief Officer for the report and the Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Environment for his acceptance of the responsibility for the problem.  He commented on an email response that he had received  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12