Contact: Steve Pellatt, tel 01256 764444 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report outlines:

(i) progress with the 2004/05 Highways Maintenance Programme;

(ii) details of the 2005/06 Highway Maintenance Budget;

(iii) details of the 2005/06 Highways Maintenance Programme; and

(iv) progress on Minor Capital Works (Under £10,000 Schemes) and proposals for the 2005/06 programme.

HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE PROGRAMMES

2. Background

2.1 Members will be aware from previous Panel meetings that the highway maintenance programme is funded from both revenue and capital allocations.

2.2 The revenue maintenance programme funds minor works such as pothole repairs; routine drainage work including gully cleaning; signs and road markings; environmental maintenance of grass verges, trees and shrubs; weed control and highway emergencies. Minor bridge works and winter maintenance are also funded from revenue. Budget allocations are set at a level that is intended to ensure the safety of the publicly maintained highway network.

2.3 The capital maintenance programme funds planned maintenance including special maintenance, resurfacing and surface dressing and also provides for essential repairs to the structure of the highway.

3. Progress with the 2004/05 Highways Maintenance Programme

Revenue Maintenance Programme

3.1 The total allocation for Hart for 2004/05 was £381,000. Progress throughout the year has generally been in line with the spend profile although during the latter part of 2004 pressures on routine maintenance and renewal of road markings impacted on the Revenue budget. However a county-wide transfer of funding from the Capital budget to fund pressures on the Revenue budget in late January has permitted extra renewal of road markings and replacement of old/non-reflective road signs. At the end of February, 98% of the budget has been committed and the full allocation is expected to be used by the end of the year. A budget monitoring statement is attached as Appendix 1.

Capital Maintenance Programme

3.2 The total allocation for Hart for 2004/05 was £1,333,000 which included an allocation of £160,000 of additional funding approved by the Executive Member for Environment targeted at areas of greatest need, ie minor unclassified roads and urban footways. However, county-wide £400,000 was required to help fund increased street lighting energy costs and this was funded by transferring money from the Capital maintenance programme. As a consequence the allocation for Hart was reduced by £24,000 as a contribution towards the £400,000 - leaving a final allocation of £1,309,000 for 2004/05. The programme is now nearing completion and it is expected that it will be delivered as planned within time and budget constraints, with the exception of one drainage scheme on the C164 at Hazeley Bottom which has been deferred until 2005/06 due to the transfer of capital money noted above. A budget monitoring statement is included within Appendix 1.

3.3 A status report detailing progress of all special maintenance, resurfacing and surface dressing is attached as Appendix 2.

4. 2005/06 Highway Maintenance Budget

4.1 This year Hampshire has received a significantly reduced Central Government grant through the Local Transport Plan process, £34.1 million compared to the £39.5 million received for 2004/05. The effect of this, plus other limitations on the budget this year, is a reduced overall budget for highway maintenance and hence a more limited programme of highway maintenance works county-wide.

4.2 The total Highway Maintenance budget for 2005/06 approved by the Executive Member for Environment is £45.781 million (including the locally resourced capital budget). This comprises £22.131 million Revenue funding, £23.65 million funding from the Capital Programme provision and an additional £3.678 million of capital funding allocated by the Executive Member for highways maintenance works. The emphasis of this additional spending to be in improving the surfaces of carriageways and footways.

5. 2005/06 Highway Maintenance Programme

Revenue Maintenance Programme

5.1 As described previously, the revenue maintenance programme funds three main areas of highway maintenance:

(i) reactive minor repair works to the road and footway network;

(ii) minor traffic management improvements such as the renewal of signs and road markings; and

(iii) environmental aspects of highway maintenance including grass cutting, weed treatment and tree and shrub maintenance.

5.2 The total allocation for Hart in 2005/06 is slightly reduced compared to 2004/05 at £355,000. A detailed breakdown of the budget allocations for 2005/06 is set out in Appendix 3.

5.3 Additional revenue budgets are held centrally for the performance elements of the County Council's term maintenance contract. The performance based work contained in the contract includes:

(i) gully emptying;

(ii) potholes, road markings and studs on Principal (A) roads;

(iii) visibility splay grass cutting;

(iv) winter maintenance; and

(v) ordinary bridge maintenance.

Capital Maintenance Programme

5.4 The funding allocation for the capital maintenance programme is based on the HAMP rating system and reflects the agreed intervention levels for 2005/06. This system comprises an independent assessment of the condition of roads and footways that have been identified as potential candidates for substantial maintenance work, such as resurfacing. The HAMP rating intervention level directs funding to those maintenance schemes displaying a higher relative `maintenance need'. Hampshire Highways - Hart has been successful with a number of maintenance scheme bids, consequently the total Capital allocation for Hart during 2005/06 is £1,734,000 which represents a 35% increase in this funding compared to 2004/05. Details of the 2005/06 allocations are set out in Appendix 3 (budget figures are still being finalised but the figures noted are unlikely to vary significantly).

5.5 Planned structural maintenance repairs undertaken through the capital maintenance programme includes surface dressing, special maintenance and resurfacing schemes. A list of schemes under each of these headings for 2005/06 is attached as Appendix 4. Budgets are still to be finalised so the list of schemes is currently provisional but is not expected to vary significantly.

MINOR CAPITAL WORKS PROGRAMMES

6. Introduction

6.1 This section of the report outlines:

(i) progress with the 2004/05 Minor Capital Works Programme; and

(ii) proposed schemes for the 2005/06 Minor Capital Works Programme and requests Panel Members to prioritise the schemes for implementation, subject to budget.

7. Background

7.1 The Minor Capital Works (MCW) Programme (formerly known as the `Under £10,000 programme') is funded from the Capital Programme allocations from the Department for Transport based on the Local Transport Plan submission. During the 2004/05 financial year, the MCW budget for Hampshire county-wide was in the region of £200,000. Although budgets have not yet been finalised for the 2005/06 financial year, it is anticipated that the budget will be set at a similar level to that of the previous year.

7.2 Members will recall that the MCW programme can only achieve a limited impact to the local infrastructure, but schemes can, and do, benefit local communities by assisting with mobility and safety on the highway.

Progress with the 2004/05 `Under £10,000' Minor Capital Works Programme

7.3 The total allocation for Hart in 2004/05 was £16,600. The schemes identified for the programme were:

(i) Whitewater School, Rotherwick: new pedestrian facilities and hardstanding area - scheme designed and is programmed for construction during the Easter holidays.

(ii) Brook Hill, Crondall Road, Crookham Village: new pedestrian facilities - this scheme has had to be deferred due to the Parish Council expressing reservations and wishing to undertake more extensive local consultation than could be accommodated within the remainder of the 2004/05 financial year. The local Member was therefore willing to allow the reserve scheme - Darby Green Road, Yateley (as noted in the autumn 2004 HTAP report) - to be substituted in its place.

7.4 As mentioned in the spring 2004/05 HTAP paper the number of MCW schemes that can be implemented in any year is dependent upon the level of funding allocated. Unfortunately, the nature of the two MCW schemes nominated for 2004/05 and the level of funding available was not sufficient to undertake a second scheme. Consequently both the Brook Hill and Darby Green Road schemes have been reinstated on the MCW rolling programme for consideration for construction during 2005/06.

2005/06 `Under £10,000' Minor Works Capital Programme

7.5 The `Under £10,000' MCW programme has historically been very popular with demand for schemes far exceeding the funds available. The funding allocation for Hart for 2005/06 is anticipated to be in the region of £15,000 to £20,000, but is subject to final confirmation. This level of funding should allow up to two schemes to be implemented across the Hart district during the financial year.

7.6 The attached Appendix 5 details the current MCW schemes that are on the rolling programme for Hart. All schemes have been subject to a set of ranking criteria based on their benefits. The schemes have then been placed in priority order.

7.7 As in 2004/05, Members are invited to recommend their preference and priority ranking for the schemes to be contained in the 2005/06 programme. Schemes that can be implemented will be subject to the final funding allocation for Hart.

Recommendations

1. That the section of this report on Highway Maintenance (paragraphs 2.1-5.5 ) be noted.

2. That the Panel selects two schemes from those listed in Appendix 5 for inclusion within the Minor Capital Works Programme for 2005/06.

172/SP