Agenda and minutes

(Assistant to the Chief Executive) To declare interests in any item on this agenda.

There were no declarations of interest pursuant to the Council’s Code of Member Conduct.

To note that this is the first meeting, therefore no minutes are attached.

Noted that this had been the first meeting, therefore there were no minutes.

There were no matters arising.

Recommendation:

To consider the draft constitution set out in appendix and recommend adoption to the Cabinet.

The Chairman gave a short introduction and welcomed members and officers to the first meeting of the Local Highways Panel.

The Chairman drew attention to the Localism initiative undertaken by Essex County Council (ECC) to be delivered through the highways and transportation service. He informed members that the panel would be making recommendations to ECC Cabinet Holder of Highways & Transportation for consideration.

The Chairman highlighted 2(a) to (e) in the terms of reference that set out the panel’s significant objectives. The Director of Environment and Street Scene, Mr John Gilbert advised that 2(g) in the terms of reference would be removed, for the reason that  ECC no longer offered this service.

Councillor Pond raised concerns of the Parish representatives voting rights on the Highways Panel.

The Chairman advised that Epping Forest District Council had not been alone in ruling out voting Parish representatives, Brent wood Council had also taken this view. He advised that the operation of the panel would be reviewed after one year.

The Chairman concluded that the terms of reference should be agreed and reviewed after one year.

RESOLVED:

That the terms of reference be agreed subject to the removal of 2(g).

Recommendation:

To receive a briefing on the following aspects of the Essex Localism Manual:

a)      Localism Manual (attached)

b)      Highways Rangers

c)      Highways Policy

d)      Highways Management

e)      Highways Strategy

f)        Information sources

g)      Training session (if necessary)

The panel received a presentation from Area Highways Manager, West Essex, Mr David Forkin regarding the Localism Manual and how the process would apply to the Local Highways Panel. The Localism Manual explained the Highways Rangers, Policies, Management and Strategies set out by ECC.

The Area Highways Manager, West Essex advised that the panel would be responsible for creating a schedule for the Highways Rangers to rota around Parishes within the District. He explained that training could be provided to the panel and enquired what policies the panel would like to be trained in first.

The panel felt that Highways Maintenance Strategy would provide a comprehensive insight into the panel’s responsibilities and linked to capital schemes, which would be a substantial amount of the panel’s recommendations. Also of interest, the winter service (i.e. snow clearance & gritting etc), traffic management and speed management policies.

In addition he introduced other relevant ECC Officers, Mr Peter Massie, Assistant Area Highways Manager, West Essex and Mr Trevor Baker, Epping Forest District Manager to the panel.

RESOLVED:

The Area Highways Manager, West Essex to arrange a presentation on the Highways Maintenance Strategy for the next meeting.

(West Area Highways Manager) To consider the attached report (Report to follow).

The Area Highways Manager, West Essex informed the panel that the budget process had revenue and capital programmes currently totalling £1.8 million and £4.7 million respectively. He advised that the panel would be making recommendations for the capital programme for 2010/11 that included County road renewals, safety works programs, street lights renewal and passenger transport improvements and that the revenue budget would be mainly a reactive budget for maintenance. He believed that funding for the financial year 2010/11 would remain relatively the same as 2009/10.

(West Area Highways Manager) To consider the attached report (Report to follow).

The Area Highways Manager, West Essex informed the panel of the current capital programme 2009/10 for Epping Forest District, which included suggestions put forward by District members. In view of the time which had elapsed between the start of the financial year and this meeting, many schemes had been completed or were underway. The projects highlighted in grey had been completed. He would supply the panel with indications of the start and completions dates for the projects at future meetings.

RESOLVED:

The Area Highways Manager, West Essex to supply a schedule of start and completions dates for projects attached.

(West Area Highways Manager) To consider the attached report (Report to follow).

The Area Highways Manager, West Essex advised the panel of contact points for relevant Highways officers:

• Highways Liaison Officer (to be confirmed)
• Trevor Baker, Epping Forest District Manager
• Adam Biggs, Senior Engineer Maintenance
• Andy Ruffell, Senior Engineer Traffic & Road Safety
• Elaine Beckett, Area Road Safety Officer
• Peter Massie, Assistant Area Highways Manager, West Essex
• David Forkin, Area Highways Manager, West Essex

Highways & Transportation

West Area Office

Warwick House

Roydon Road

Harlow

Essex

CM19 5 DX

Highways.westarea@essex.gov.uk

Tel: 01279 642500

The Chairman commented that he had created a list of useful website addresses for the panel (attached).

(West Area Highways Manager and Director of Environment and Street Scene) To consider the following (Report to follow);

a)      Request form

b)      Justifications

c)      Costings

d)      Community Fund or Panel

The Director of Environment and Street Scene, Mr John Gilbert advised that a similar methodology for the Overview and Scrutiny PICK system could possibly provide the best solution for projects to be submitted to the panel.

The Highways PICK system would require the body submitting the project to think about the scheme, summarise, justify and think about the impact on the social, economic and environmental well-being of the area in context in addition with comments received from ECC Highways.

The process would be separate from the Localism Budget Scheme Selection Process that ECC would use to assess the projects after the Local Highways Panel had recommended them.

The panel commented on the Highways PICK system and raised concerns about who should fill in the forms and what guidance would be required to complete the form properly.

The Director of Environment and Street Scene advised that some guidance notes could be produced to help.

RESOLVED:

The Director of Environment and Street Scene to create and circulate a guidance manual to accompany the Highways PICK system to members for comment.

To consider the following: (Report to follow).

a)      Car Parks

b)      Parking reviews

a)                  Car parks 

The Chairman advised that there was nothing to report on car parks at this time.

b)                 Parking Review

The Chairman advised that the Epping consultation had ended and that late submissions had been accepted as a consequence of some residents not receiving the consultation. The Area Highways Manager, West Essex reported that there had been an overwhelming response to the consultation and that ECC officers would now be collating the information received.

The Buckhurst Hill and Debden consultations would now start in September 2009 as a result of Overview and Scrutiny comments on the consultations initially taking place over the Holiday period. 

c)         Other Business

The Director of Environment and Street Scene raised concerns regarding the reduction in weed spraying from three times a year to twice, which had resulted in problems caused by overgrowth. He enquired whether ECC could hand over the allocated money for District, so that weed spraying could be implemented by the EFDC throughout the year based on their knowledge of the District.

In addition the Director of Environment and Street Scene asked ECC Officers to provide details on the enforcement of the new restrictions relating to the dropped kerbs and on future processes for dealing with applications for road closures.

            RESOLVED:

The Area Highways Manager, West Essex to provide details on the enforcement of the new restrictions relating to dropped kerbs and on future processes for dealing with applications for road closures and whether EFDC could take over the weed spray allocation.

c)                  Dates for meetings  

The Director of Environment and Street Scene advised that future dates for the Highways Panel would be distributed once ECC officers and EFDC officers had discussed deadline schedules. He also advised that there would be six meetings a year, to be held in the Council chamber, Civic offices, Epping.

Exclusion: To consider whether, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press should be excluded from the meeting for the items of business set out below on grounds that they will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the following paragraph(s) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act (as amended) or are confidential under Section 100(A)(2):

The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, which came into effect on 1 March 2006, requires the Council to consider whether maintaining the exemption listed above outweighs the potential public interest in disclosing the information. Any member who considers that this test should be applied to any currently exempted matter on this agenda should contact the proper officer at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Confidential Items Commencement: Paragraph 9 of the Council Procedure Rules contained in the Constitution require:

(1)        All business of the Council requiring to be transacted in the presence of the press and public to be completed by 10.00 p.m. at the latest.

(2)        At the time appointed under (1) above, the Chairman shall permit the completion of debate on any item still under consideration, and at his or her discretion, any other remaining business whereupon the Council shall proceed to exclude the public and press.

(3)        Any public business remaining to be dealt with shall be deferred until after the completion of the private part of the meeting, including items submitted for report rather than decision.

Background Papers:  Paragraph 8 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules of the Constitution define background papers as being documents relating to the subject matter of the report which in the Proper Officer's opinion:

(a)        disclose any facts or matters on which the report or an important part of the report is based;  and

(b)        have been relied on to a material extent in preparing the report and does not include published works or those which disclose exempt or confidential information (as defined in Rule 10) and in respect of executive reports, the advice of any political advisor.

Inspection of background papers may be arranged by contacting the officer responsible for the item.

The Sub-committee noted that there were no items of business on the agenda that necessitated the exclusion of the public and press from the meeting.