Issue - meetings

Report by the Chief Executive.

4.1       The Cabinet considered a report by the Chief Executive.

4.2       It was RESOLVED to:

1) note the latest monitoring position for the Council;

2) note the changes to the Strategic Risk Register; and

3) recommend the County Council to agree £5m additional provision being made to the Capital Programme in relation to Highways Maintenance for 2023/24.

Reason

4.3       The report sets out the Council’s position and year-end projections for the Council Plan targets, Revenue Budget, Capital Programme, and Savings Plan, together with Risks at the end of March 2023.

4.4       The winter saw challenging weather for the condition of the roads, with two periods of very wet and cold weather in November/December 2022 and March 2023. By the end of January 2023, we had more than doubled the number of pothole repair gangs from 10 to 23 and extended working hours. Overall, 93.7% of the repairs to potholes were completed within the required timescales in 2022/23. 30,000 potholes were repaired, with 21,600 of these potholes in the road. This is a significant increase on the 24,000 potholes completed in 2021/22. (Appendix 5 of the report).

4.5       Cabinet considered a report at an earlier agenda item which updated Cabinet on the condition of the highways and recommending Cabinet consider additional investment on highways maintenance in 2023/24 be increased by £15.7m. £5m of this increase will be funded through additional provision being made to the Capital Programme. Such additional provision will be funded by borrowing which will have a revenue implication of £375k per annum.