Agenda item

1145

Deputy Director – Commercial, Mark Kemp will report on the progress of the Highways Partnership Contract since the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme (HMEP) Review, identifying areas of good performance, areas for improvement and introducing a business plan, with associated action plan, to take forward some of the key conclusions of the review.

The Director and Deputy Director for Environment & Economy reported on the progress of the Highways Partnership Contract since the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme Review highlighting a number of issues:

·                     Customer satisfaction although there was always room for improvement currently Oxfordshire was in a good place lying 8^th out of 21 nationwide.

·                     Challenge to achieve spend profile due to rise in available budgets and difficulties in securing delivery of materials. Also some problems in balancing work though the partnership had proven to be flexible enough in conjunction with the County’s membership of the Midlands Highway Alliance to absorb those pressures.

·                     The Peer Review had identified good feedback on dealing with the public and a desire by staff to do a good job and good budget planning. Public feedback suggested general satisfaction especially when compared to other authorities.

Areas for improvement included:

·                       More planned work to respond to problems of managing a declining road system.

·                       Communication skills between County Council and provider.

·                       Manage performance on a monthly basis

The Deputy Director then responded to questions and comments:

The contract had been agreed for 10 years with options to extend for a further 10.  It was currently in its fourth year and no extension had yet been agreed.

With regard to concerns regarding the subscription to the National Highways and Transport survey and whether it represented value for money they confirmed that it offered more than just a ranking system. It increased effectiveness in challenging Skanska and was more than just a benchmark figure offering real value in looking at what other people did.  Despite reductions in staffing levels it was considered that service delivery had improved since the start of the contract with more clarity regarding what the County Council was trying to achieve.  Skanska had made a difference offering different ways of working and the County Council was now beginning to see the benefits through its ability to utilise fully the funding available.

With regard to concerns regarding the potential for a monopoly service they outlined many advantages to be gained from a single contract including access to large reserves and it was felt that the County Council would not have achieved what it had without that contract. Whilst it was accepted that in certain circumstances individual service providers could be cheaper overall it was considered a better all-round service.

It was noted that the headings on the Operational Performance Indicators in Annex 1 were incorrect and officers undertook to recirculate those to members of the Committee.

Also noted that lines of communication with councillors and the public needed to be retained.

There was discussion regarding level of costs quoted for minor works and improvements to the website to give a clearer message regarding limitations of finance.  Also further discussion regarding availability of funding to parish councils now that the system for area stewardship funding had come to an end. Suggested this issue be referred to the locality groups for discussion.

The significant rise in prices could be aligned to the significant rise in available finance which had resulted in increased demand for materials as more work was being undertaken. There had also been problems of recruitment.

The Chairman thanked the officers for their comprehensive report and attending.  There seemed to be consensus that improvements had been made. However, there was no room for complacency, particularly with regard to customer satisfaction and it was important to maintain good communications to highlight what was being achieved.