Agenda item

To consider a Scrutiny request relating to the condition of footways, kerbsides and road signs.

The Committee considered a report, set out in Agenda pages 45 to 50, which provided an overview of the issues Finchampstead Parish Council was facing relating to the conditions of their footways, kerbsides and roadways.

The report gave details of some of the key areas in the Finchampstead Parish where conditions of the roadways and road furniture had been damaged or degraded over time. Other areas of concern included leaf litter and debris on kerbsides, blocked gullies which could cause flooding and damaged or dirty road signs which were not fit for purpose. Members stated that this issue was not specific to Finchampstead, and that many of their wards had similar issues.

Members discussed the process of residents reporting these issues to the Council. Peter Baveystock, Service Manager - Cleaner & Greener Services, stated that it was preferable for residents to ring up and report any issues that they had with footways, kerbsides, roadways or street furniture. He added that cases could be followed through with Finchampstead Parish Council to create an action plan which could be evaluated to see if it could be deployed Borough wide.

Guy Grandison felt that this issue tied in to the roadside contract and suggested bringing this matter to the upcoming Borough Parish Liaison Forum.

Peter Baveystock stated that in instances where issues had been reported but not rectified, the Locality Team, Cleaner & Greener Team and the Highways Team would look in to why it had taken so long for the issue to be resolved.

Members raised a number of queries regarding how Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) incorporated technology to help focus resources. Alex Deans, Highways and Transportation Services – Reprocurement Lead, stated that WBC were incorporating smarter technology to help with highway issues. One example of this was a new IT system which would allow residents to see where the ‘gully cleaner’ was and what it had cleaned.

In response to a Member query regarding preventative measures, Alex Deans stated that WBC did not currently have a preventative regime. He added that the current system required a Highways Inspector to spot an issue or for a resident to bring it to the Council’s attention so it could be resolved.

There were a number of Member queries regarding costs associated with cleaning highways. Peter Baveystock stated that cleaning a section of the Reading Road had recently cost approximately £8,500. Peter added that where it was necessary to make sure that when these jobs were undertaken that they were carried out thoroughly.

Steve Bromley and Rowland Cundy, Finchampstead Parish Council, asked the Committee to consider who would be liable were an accident to happen due to a neglected road sign or roadway. They added that Finchampstead Parish Council were willing to buy in to a better system to make Wokingham’s roads safer and cleaner, once an agreed standard was established.

A number of Members’ expressed their thanks to Peter Baveystock and his team (the Cleaner and Greener Team) for all of their hard work over the years, citing fast response times and thorough work.

RESOLVED That: 

1)    Peter Baveystock, Steve Bromley and Rowland Cundy be thanked for attending the meeting;

2)    the matter of highways, roadways and kerbsides conditions be referred to the upcoming Borough Parish Liaison Forum;

3)    other Town and Parish Councils be invited to supply examples of footways, kerbsides and road signs requiring repair and maintenance;

4)    a progress report be bought back to the September meeting of the Committee with an invitation extended to Peter Baveystock to present the report.