Background
Many residents do not understand the
Council’s approach to pothole repairs, with the public
questioning why some potholes are repaired and others nearby are
not. People do not believe this represents value for money and that
it would be more economic to repair all the potholes at the same
time rather than coming back repeatedly to the same
location.
In response to this a small group of
Councillors have undertaken a number of site visits to look at the
issues on the ground.
The main themes that emerged from the
initial scoping work are:
·
Whether the current approach to pot hole
repairs is the right approach and represents value for
money;
·
The quality of the repair and resurfacing
work; and
·
The time it takes to repair blocked
drainage infrastructures once it is reported, either by a member of
public, or following routine inspection or maintenance.
At the Place Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 14
June, it was agreed that the Committee would undertake a Scrutiny
Review of Road Repairs. The terms of reference for the review are
summarised below.
Scope of the Review
The review has been completed and it investigated how the
interface between reactive road maintenance and planned surfacing
work is managed, and whether it could be changed or improved. It
also examined whether the approach the Council is taking to highway
repairs for potholes and blocked drainage infrastructure is the
best approach, and whether it represents value for money. In the
case of blocked drainage infrastructure, once this is reported for
further investigation/action, the review investigated the process
for resolving the problem. The repair of pavements was also
included in the scope of the review.
Date for
Report to the Place Scrutiny Committee
The
Review has been completed and Review Board has submitted a report
of its finding and recommendations to the Place Scrutiny Committee
on 19 March 2019.
The
report has been considered by the Council’s Cabinet at its
meeting on 23 April 2019 and the department’s response to the
recommendations has been agreed by Cabinet. A copy of the report
and department’s response can be found on the council’s
web site here:
https://democracy.eastsussex.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=133&MId=3361&Ver=4
The
report of the Place Scrutiny Committee will now be considered by
Full Council at the meeting on 14 May 2019.