Archived decisions
EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR ENVIRONMENT
PART II
PARISH LENGTHSMEN
1. The Executive Member has given approval for two trials of `parish lengthsmen' to undertake routine minor scale highway maintenance work within rural parishes. Traditional parish lengthsmen, who lived and worked locally using hand tools, were phased out in the late 1960s as mechanisation and technological changes made this method of working redundant. The drive for efficiency has ultimately resulted in a single, outsourced highways maintenance contractor for Hampshire, with work divided into several different programmes, which operate across the County. At present some parishes do not know when work will be taking place in their area and priorities are decided elsewhere. Some of the minor issues that impact on local people feeling their area is well cared for are not tackled comprehensively. A few parishes have already employed their own resource to respond to such concerns.
2. In one trial, funding will be allocated to 10 parishes in the Meon Valley area to enable them to engage, manage and run a parish lengthsman themselves. In the other trial, the County Council will provide a resource to another 10 parishes through its highway maintenance contractor for work to be directed by those parishes on their allocated days.
3. In both trials, the sort of work to be carried out will include minor drainage work such as clearance of debris from gully gratings and channels, cleaning non-illuminated signs and bollards and clearing litter. Work will be prioritised in advance with the parish council and the local county highways engineer to avoid duplication of work between the local resource and the County's wider maintenance programme.
4. These one year trials are an opportunity to test how the availability of a locally controlled resource improves local responsiveness and satisfaction and the efficiency of the arrangements. The trials will be funded from the highway maintenance works budget.
5. This report arises from consideration of the report by the Executive Member on 30 April 2009, which is on Hantsweb at: /decisions/decisions-index/index-docs-7046
M J KENDAL
Executive Member for Environment