Contact: Richard Chinn, tel: 02380 427000

1. Summary

1.1 This report covers the following issues:

(i) Blueprint Progress, including Progress in Districts/Areas and Hampshire Highways West Organisation;

(ii) Traffic Management; and

(iii) Development Control and Searches.

2. Blueprint Progress

Progress in Districts/Areas

2.1 During 1999/00 the County Council undertook a pathfinder review of the Highway Network Management Service. The review followed Best Value principles and included a public consultation exercise conducted by MORI. The main findings of the review formed the basis of the Highway Network Management Blueprint, which set out a framework for improving the management and delivery of the Highway Network Management service in Hampshire. The following paragraphs summarise progress with the implementation of the Blueprint.

2.2 Hampshire Highways North

(i) Agency arrangements for highway maintenance in Basingstoke ceased on 1 October 2002 and staff transferred to the County Council at that time.

(ii) Highway maintenance in Hart district will continue to be provided by the County Council.

(iii) Arrangements with Rushmoor Borough Council are still to be finalised, but the target date for ending agency arrangements is 1 April 2003.

2.3 Hampshire Highways East

(i) Agency arrangements for highway maintenance in Winchester ceased on 1 May 2002 and staff transferred to the County Council. However, the county-wide term maintenance contract will not take effect in the urban area of Winchester until spring 2003.

(ii) Highway maintenance in East Hampshire district will continue to be provided by the County Council.

(iii) Agency arrangements for highway maintenance in Eastleigh ended on 1 October 2002 and staff transferred to the County Council at that time.

2.4 Hampshire Highways South

(i) Agency arrangements for highway maintenance in Fareham, Gosport and Havant ended on 1 May 2002 and staff transferred to the County Council at that time.

2.5 Hampshire Highways West

(i) Agency arrangements for highway maintenance in Test Valley ceased on 1 May 2002. No staff transferred from the Borough Council and the County Council has appointed staff to posts in that area.

(ii) The target date for the ending of agency arrangements for highway maintenance in New Forest is 1 January 2003, with staff then transferring to the County Council.

2.6 Management arrangements for the new operational areas have been established on a consistent basis countywide. Each Hampshire Highways area is managed by a Chief Engineer, supported by an Assistant Chief Engineer in each district.

2.7 The process of `slotting-in' and selection of staff to posts within the new structure has followed a protocol agreed with trade unions to place staff in the best position according to their experience and location.

Hampshire Highways West Organisation

2.8 Once the new arrangements are in place within New Forest, offices in Totton, Andover and Lymington will be staffed to deliver the day-to-day highways management functions. These include:

(i) routine maintenance - potholes, minor repairs, gully cleansing and drainage, etc;

(ii) special maintenance - planned maintenance and resurfacing schemes;

(iii) safety inspections;

(iv) maintenance of signs and road markings;

(v) utility coordination and sample inspections;

(vi) licensing - skips, scaffolding, road openings, banners, temporary signs, etc;

(vii) notices - overhanging vegetation, unauthorised signs, etc;

(viii) status enquiries;

(ix) vehicle crossings; and

(x) public and local Member contact.

2.9 At Totton additional strategic functions will be carried out. These include:

(i) detailed highway and utility inspections;

(ii) street lighting;

(iii) coordination of winter maintenance and emergency works;

(iv) financial and administrative support and management; and

(v) Member liaison.

2.10 The offices will work in an integrated way, sharing resources and operating across boundaries to deliver priorities. In this regard Assistant Chief Engineers, in addition to their district or borough responsibilities, have strategic functions across the whole of the area. An organisation chart is attached as Appendix 1.

3. Traffic Management

3.1 The offer has been made to district councils to enter into a partnership agreement on the delivery of the Traffic Management function, which would be in accordance with former arrangements in the full agency districts. The agreement will include reference to the County Council for reserved matters (see attached schedule - Appendix 2) and issues on county interest roads (see attached map - Appendix 3), together with the agreement of local County Councillors for all traffic management matters (see attached flowchart - Appendix 4).

3.2 A draft Agreement has been prepared for consultation with district councils wishing to undertake traffic management. A clause has also been included in the draft Agreement to provide for district councils to undertake the design and implementation of Capital Programme schemes, as allocated by the County Council, in addition to traffic management work. Where district councils wish to sign up to these arrangements it is hoped that the new Agreements will be finalised so as to allow a smooth continuation of the traffic management function in the former full agency districts and a suitable date to be arranged for other districts.

3.3 New Forest District Council has agreed in principle and the new arrangements are expected to start in January 2003. Test Valley Borough Council has also resolved to sign up to the Agreement, subject to concluding the legal arrangements. No decision has yet been made by Hart and East Hampshire District Councils to take up the traffic management function, but in the former island agency districts Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Winchester City Council are undertaking traffic management work in the whole of their district areas and hope to sign the new Agreement as soon as possible. It is essential that a coordinated approach is adopted for the delivery of traffic management, together with other highways-related functions. To effect this arrangement regular liaison will continue with appropriate officers.

4. Development Control and Searches

4.1 An internal review of the Development Control Service, using Best Value principles, is nearing completion. Highways Development Control forms an element of this review and includes the various activities of Land Charges Searches, major and minor planning applications, Agreements for highways work, Section 38 Agreements and Advance Payments Code.

4.2 Progress on the Review was reported to the Environment Policy Review Committee on 15 July 2002.

4.3 The work may ultimately form part of a corporate Development Control Review which could commence in 2003.

4.4 The first stage of the review was the preparation of scoping papers covering the various topic areas. These were then the subject of a Challenge Day, involving a range of stakeholders, including County and District Councillors, developers, consultants, housing associations, district council officers and design engineers. Following the Challenge Day the scoping papers were modified to reflect the issues that emerged.

4.5 The Review Group was reconstituted to consider the options for delivery of the various activities and to provide enhanced links to both the Hampshire Chief Engineers' Group (CEG) and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Chief Planning Officers' Group (HIPOG). The Group also links with a Benchmarking Group involving other counties in the south of England.

4.6 The Review Group now includes engineering and planning representatives from the County Council, New Forest District Council, Hart District Council, Havant Borough Council, Fareham Borough Council and Winchester City Council and includes the Head of Development Control from New Forest District Council and the Chief Engineers from Test Valley and Eastleigh (who have replaced those from Hart and New Forest).

4.7 A report has been prepared on the various options for delivery of the service and is currently being circulated to various stakeholders, including district councils, to enable comments to be received. The timetable indicates that a final report will be taken to the County Council's Environment Policy Review Committee and the Executive Member for Environment early in the new year.

Recommendation

That the report be noted.

7611/RC