Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence from those Members who are unable to attend the meeting.

No apologies were received

To approve the Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on the 25^th October 2023 and the 6^th December 2023.

The Panel considered the Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on 25^th October 2023 and 6^th December 2023

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the previous meetings be approved.

Members will be asked to say if there are any items on the Agenda in which they have any disclosable pecuniary interests or any other interests, which may prevent them from participating in any discussion of the items or participating in any vote upon the items.

No Interests were declared.

Most agenda items take place in public. This only changes where there is a need to consider exempt information, as contained at Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. You will be informed at this point which items are to be recommended for exclusion and to be resolved by the Panel.

All items were considered in the public session.

The Panel will receive any petitions and/or deputations from members of the public. A deputation is where up to five people can attend the meeting and make a presentation on some particular issue of concern. A member of the public can also submit a petition at the meeting relating to a matter on which the body has powers and responsibilities.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10, Members of the Public must submit a deputation in writing, at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting and shall subsequently be notified if the deputation shall be heard. A maximum of four deputations shall be heard at any one meeting.

No deputations or petitions were received.

To receive any public questions.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11, the period for the asking and answering of public questions shall not exceed 15 minutes.

Any questions must be submitted in writing at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting.

No public questions were received.

The Panel will consider the Kirklees Highway Safety Update setting out the work delivered in the current financial year (2023/2024).

Contacts:

Phillip Waddington, Group Engineer – Highway Safety

6                    The Panel considered the Kirklees Highways Safety Update report which set out the work delivered within the financial year (2023/24).

Councillor Moses Crook, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Housing and Highways introduced the item and explained that the report provided a review of the areas of work undertaken by the Highways Safety Team along with the proposed works to year end. The report also included reference to collision data, which was monitored to target resources and achieve the greatest possible safety improvements contributing towards the Vision 0 agenda. Key highlights included an extensive education programme to support the safety of young people and the Councils shared 2038 climate change targets. This included delivery of; training programmes to 4847 school children, 6456 ‘Bikeability’ training sessions and the ‘Theatre in Education Programme’ which had been delivered to 1360 secondary school children.  Alongside the comprehensive training package, was the promotion of the mode shift programme and once schools had signed up there had been demonstrable reduction in car use by 6.3%. Councillor Crook shared that the programme was forward looking in terms of establishing patterns of behaviour for the next generation, supporting the councils shared ambitions to the climate change agenda, supporting active travel and making a meaningful contribution to keeping communities safe and healthy. 

Elizabeth Cusick, Operational Manager, - Highways and Streetscene presented the report, and it was highlighted that:

• The Council had a statutory duty under the1988 Road Traffic Act Section 39 to promote road safety through education, training, engineering, and publicity.
• These responsibilities and duties were administrated by the Highway Safety Team and included Casualty Reduction, Community Traffic Measures and Road Safety.
• The delivery of the statutory responsibilities included:
  • Monitoring all collisions reported to the Police.
  • Analysing and investigating the reported evidence on circumstances and related contributory factors.
  • Developing yearly programmes of work and interventions for priority locations with a history of personal injury collisions.
  • Undertaking Road Safety Audits (RSA) for new schemes on the highway.
  • Developing the Education and Training packages.

·         In Addition to the Statutory Duties revenue funding was also used for several other streams of work i.e. - refreshing road markings, safe routes to school, mode shift and small-scale safety interventions etc…

·         Key Road Safety Stakeholders (including the road user) and strong partnership working across Kirklees and West Yorkshire was integral to delivering Vision 0.

·         Data showed that at present, there had been an approximate 5% reduction in casualty numbers when compared with the data from 2022.

·         This created an average saving of approximately £3.3mil with the average cost of a collision costing approximately at £92,000 per casualty.

·         More importantly this was saving lives and reducing the risk of injury and trauma in communities. 

·         Work from April to November 2023 included the:

o   Delivery of 13 capital schemes (now completed) and 9 schemes which were on site to be completed by year end and supported by CRSTS-1 funding.

o   The early 2024-25 and 2025-26 forward programmes using injury collision data and first year rate of return  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Panel will consider a report setting out progress of the 2 Year Highways Capital Plan 2023/24 and 2024/25

Contacts:

Yvonne Atkinson, Highways Capital Programme Manager

The Panel considered a report setting out the progress of the 2 Year Highways Capital Plan 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Councillor Moses Crook, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Housing and Highways introduced the item and explained that the programme was essential as well-maintained highways were safer and led to a reduction in carbon emissions.  It was through this programme of work, that Kirklees kept the road network running smoothly despite challenges such as the impact of climate change (which increased damage to highways and drainage infrastructure), increased traffic and funding issues. The City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) which funded a large portion of the programme stipulated the promotion of active travel, public transport, and modal shift which in turn supported the Councils 2038 climate change ambitions. Highlights of the work undertaken included the street lighting programme - leading to a significant reduction in electric use over time, the LBUR programme, and the continuing maintenance of the PROW network. 

Chris Firth, Compliance and Performance Manager – Highways gave a presentation which gave an overview of the programme of works included in the Capital Plan for 2023/24 and 24/25, the funding allocations for 2023/24 and the next steps. It was also noted that:

·         The programmes of works and individual schemes included: Highways Maintenance, Structures, Street Lighting, Public Rights of Way (PRoW), Highways Drainage, Highways Safety and Network Management (UTMC).

·         Of the 4 key programme areas (Asset Management, Safer Roads, Network Management and Developer Contributions) had a total expenditure of just under £28mil of funding made up of grants and contributions.

·         In relation to Assets there was a need to continue to invest in countering natural and user derived deterioration, to allow these assets to meet the expectations of their users.

·         Governance arrangements to manage the Highways Capital Programme included:

o   The appointment of a Capital Works Programme Manager in 2023/24.

o   Monthly Highways Capital Programme Board meetings (chaired by the Head of Highways).

o   Monthly Capital Spend Monitoring spreadsheets, which included scheme progress and budget information.

o   Highways Capital Procedural Guide and Scheme Delivery Checklist to standardise the approach, with regular audits to ensure compliance.

o   Compliance with West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) Governance for financial claims and monitoring and evaluation of schemes funded via CRSTS.

•      The next steps included the:

o   Continued management of the delivery of the 2023/2024 schemes within the Capital Plan through regular monthly monitoring of programmes and budgets.

o   Developing a rolling 2-year Capital Plan using whole life planning and condition data to manage asset deterioration using a risk-based approach.

o   The accurate recording of asset data in order to understand what the Council owned and its condition.

o   A 2-year Highway Capital Plan 2024/25 and 2025/26 would be produced to be taken to Cabinet in June 2024.

o   Continued work with the WYCA to maximise funding available for Highway Maintenance to reduce the national backlog.

o   Working with West Yorkshire Colleagues to review and update the Highway Policy and Strategy

In the discussion to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The Panel will consider its Work programme for 2023/24

Contact:

Jodie Harris- Principal Governance and Democratic Engagement Officer

The Panel considered its Work Programme for the 2023/24 municipal year. 

RESOLVED:  The Panel noted the work programme, and it was agreed that:

1.    The Home to School Transport item be added to the work programme (in the new municipal year) for pre-decision scrutiny.

2.    The link to use of pesticides be clarified.