Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendation.

            Councillor Thomas introduced the Review of Highway and Car Park Safety Inspections, Intervention Criteria and Response Times Policy report which was submitted following the implementation of the new Code of Practice in October 2018.

            The Highway and Car Park Inspection Policy defined safety inspection intervals on all of the classifications of carriageway, footway, cycleway and the car parks maintained by the Council and also defined identification criteria and set out the timescales for completing any required remedial work.

            The Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) explained that safety inspections were an important means of keeping the highway safe and vitally important in court cases for providing evidence that the Council took a responsible attitude to its duties as a Highway Authority.  If a member of the public had an accident which could be attributed to the condition of a section of highway, then the Highway Authority was liable to pay damages unless it could prove that it had taken reasonable care to keep the highway safe.  The number of claims must be controlled as they had an impact on the highway maintenance budgets.

RESOLVED:

That the revised Highway and Car Park Inspection Policy outlining the Council’s approach to all safety inspections, defect identification criteria and response times, be approved.