Meeting documents

ITEM EX13

EXECUTIVE – 11 DECEMBER 2001

BEST VALUE REVIEW AND INSPECTION OF HIGHWAY MANAGEMENT:

AMENDED ACTION PLANS

Report by Director of Environmental Services

Introduction

1. A Best Value Review of Highway Management was completed and considered by the Best Value and Audit Sub-Committee in February this year. Seventeen preferred Options for Improvement and related Action Plans were agreed and subsequently adopted by the Environmental Committee.
2. A Best Value Inspection of the Highway Management Service was also carried out in February. The report on the Inspection was published in September and considered by the Sub-Committee on 5 October. The Sub-Committee resolved to ask for amended Review Action Plans to be drawn up take account of the recommendations in the Inspection Report.
3. The Inspection resulted in assessments of the service as ‘Fair’ and that it will ‘Probably Improve’. Overall the Inspection Report and the Best Value Review came to very similar conclusions on aspects of the service needing improvement, but three of the Inspection recommendations were not covered in any way by the original Review Action Plans.

Amended Action Plans

4. Revised Improvement Options have accordingly been drawn up and are set out in Annex 1. These:

• seek to consolidate the original Improvement Options and Action Plans under fewer headings;
• take the Inspection recommendations as the basis of amended Improvement Options and Action Plans, incorporate the original Review Action Plans where they cover the same topic;
• add any Review Improvement Options and Action Plans not included above;
• take account of any changed circumstances since the conclusion of the Best Value Review; and
• prioritise the resulting list of Improvement Options into early, medium and longer term action.

5. All the recommendations in the Inspection Report have been accepted and included in the revised Improvement Options and Action Plans. The opportunity has been used to simplify and prioritise the Action Plans in response to comments in the Inspection Report concerning these.
6. Improving cost effectiveness is a central objective of Option 6, and ensuring opportunities for income are realised is an objective of Option 3. Other options are aimed at delivering enhanced quality of service from the available budget.
7. Changes in the role of staff are implicit in a number of the improvements options, but particularly options 4, 6 and 8. It is questionable whether current levels of staff can achieve the objectives of Option 4.
8. Environmental consequences of highway maintenance activities are part of the review of policies and standards in Options 1 and 2.

RECOMMENDATION

9. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to adopt the Revised Improvement Options and Amended Action Plans set out in Annex 1 to the report.

22 November 2001