Contact: Chris Lait, tel 01329 824485 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report outlines:

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

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

(iii) details of the 2005/06 Highway Maintenance Programme.

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 ensures the safety and serviceability of the 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 Highway Maintenance Programme

Revenue Maintenance Programme

3.1 The total allocation for Gosport for 2004/05 is £395,000. Progress throughout the year has been in line with the overall spend profile and it is expected that the programme will be completed within time and budget constraints. A budget monitoring statement is included within Appendix 1.

Capital Maintenance Programme

3.2 The total allocation for 2004/05 is £758,200. The programme is nearing completion, however, with increased costs on some schemes together with the extension of other schemes to accommodate local concern it has been necessary to defer the delivery of the Green Crescent reconstruction scheme. With this alteration the programme will be delivered within time and budget constraints. A budget monitoring statement is included within Appendix 1.

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

4. Highway Maintenance Budget 2005/06

4.1 The Highway Maintenance budget for 2005/06, approved by the Executive Member for Environment, is £48,939,000. This sum comprises £21,613,000 revenue funding and £27,326,000 funding from the capital programme provision.

4.2 This allocation includes an additional £3.5 million for capital maintenance which has been allocated across the county. The additional schemes this will fund are identified separately in the proposed programmes.

4.3 This year Hampshire County Council has received a significantly reduced Central Government grant through the Local Transport Plan (LTP) process, although locally resourced capital funding has been maintained at 2004/05 levels. The effect of this and other limitations on the budget this year is a reduced budget for highway maintenance and hence a more limited programme of highway maintenance works.

5. Highway Maintenance Programme 2005/06

Revenue Maintenance Programme

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

(i) reactive minor repair works on the road, cycleway and footway network;

(ii) maintenance of current traffic signs and road markings and minor traffic management improvements; and

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

5.2 The total allocation for Gosport for 2005/06 is £374,000. The budget allocations for 2005/06 are 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 gully emptying, winter maintenance, routine bridge maintenance and `A' road routine maintenance.

Capital Maintenance Programme

5.4 The funding allocation for the capital maintenance programme is based on the Highway Assessment Maintenance Priorities (HAMP) rating system and will reflect the agreed intervention levels. The HAMP rating intervention level directs funding to those maintenance schemes displaying a higher `maintenance need'. Therefore the funding allocation within the borough for the 2005/06 capital maintenance programme will differ from the 2004/05 allocation.

5.5 As stated above, planned structural maintenance repairs undertaken through the capital maintenance programme include surface dressing, special maintenance and resurfacing schemes. A provisional list of schemes under each of these headings for 2005/06 is attached as Appendix 4.

5.6 The capital maintenance programme also supports the centrally controlled areas of work, including major maintenance schemes and bridge maintenance.

Recommendation

That this report be noted.

9219/CL