To consider an exempt report by the Cabinet Member for Natural and Built Environment.
Minutes:
The Cabinet considered an exempt report by the Cabinet Member for Natural and Built Environment which articulated the need for additional funding to be allocated to both the revenue and capital budgets to arrest the deterioration in condition now being experienced across the highway network.
A Policy Development Panel (PDP) had been established, from members of the Economic Growth Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to examine the current funding strategy in relation to the management of highway maintenance and this report and recommendations was the culmination of a series of meetings with officers from within the highway service.
The Chief Financial Officer advised members that the financial resilience of local authorities was under very close scrutiny. The £1.4m funding was not in the current budget and would either increase the overspend or reduce the general balances which would adversely affect the County Council’s position. This report would also be presented to the Shadow Executive Committee as approval of the recommendations would affect the new Council going forward.
Cllr Haynes added that the repairs and work done now could save money for the new Council in the future.
Cllr Jon Andrews, was a member of the PDP, and supported the need for the immediate cash injection of £1.4 million for the current financial year. He supported the proposal going forward to the Shadow Executive for the additional year on year funding for highways and believed that if the council did not support this it would cost more in the long run. Every one of the council’s customers (council tax payers) when they step out of their front doors stepped on to a service that the County Council provided. He continued that as most, if not all councillors, would tell you their email inboxes were full of complaints about the highways and pavements. Year after year the decline in the standards of our roads, due to the lack of preventative maintenance and the decline of our major infrastructure, due to the fact that the Council was spending capital money on revenue requirements and at the same time the loan repayment of approximately £1million per year was coming out of highways budget and not the corporate budget. The report spelled out quite clearly what investment was needed to prevent Dorset’s roads very quickly becoming unsafe. This would not be good for the Council’s economic future as attracting business and tourists was so important. He therefore implored the Cabinet to support the recommendations as set out in the report.
Cllr Hilary Cox as the Chairman of the County Council also strongly supported the recommendations, especially the outcomes set out at paragraph 5.1 of the exempt report.
Cllr Dunseith was also a member of the PDP and supported the recommendations. In respect of the £1.4m requested she felt it showed some visible support to the majority of council tax residents. This would affect thousands of Dorset residents and she felt they would thank the Council for making their lives that little bit better.
Cllr Tony Ferrari as the Cabinet Member for Communities and Resources highlighted the expectation that there would be a mix of both capital and revenue budget used for the additional funding but the recommendations were not explicit from which area it came from.
Cllr Wharf whilst supporting the recommendations was encouraged to see cross-party support for the recommendations and hoped this would continue when the report was discussed at the Shadow Council.
Cllr Haynes added that she felt Dorset roads were not as bad as many others she had encountered and thanked the Service Director and his team for the quality of our roads and for the work that they did.
Recommended
1. That additional funding totalling £1.4 million within 2018/19, to address the current highway network condition and surface water issues be approved following consultation with the Shadow Dorset Council‘s Executive Committee.
2. That the Shadow Executive Committee consider the contents of the Policy Development Panel’s report within future budget development work.
Reason for Recommendation
To address concerns about the current levels of maintenance and condition of the highway network.