A revised strategy for the Council’s approach to managing and maintaining highways and includes the first Highways Asset Management Plan (HAMP).

A report by the Director of Technical Services set out a comprehensive review of the Council’s approach to managing and maintaining highways and included the draft Highways Asset Management Plan (HAMP) for the Council.

The Cabinet was advised that the proposed strategy, and the associated draft HAMP, would contribute to the corporate priorities for ensuring that Wirral had a safe and well-maintained highway network for all users, and to reduce the running costs of the Council by improving the efficiency and value for money of Council services.

The report also informed that in the medium term, the development of an asset management approach would bring about improved investment decision making based on whole life costs for a range of service level options; and result in less reactive maintenance and greater savings for the Council.

The maintenance of highways was a statutory duty for the Council under the Highways Act 1980 (as amended).

The Cabinet was asked to approve the revised strategy and the draft HAMP.

On 3September 2009, the Cabinet had endorsed the implementation of the Highway Asset Management Strategy (Minute No. 92 refers)  At that time government grant funding had been available to assist in delivering the strategy and Members had approved its use for that purpose.

A core part of the proposed strategy, at that time, had been the procurement of a single software package, as part of a new integrated Asset Management ICT system, to store and manage data.  A procurement exercise had been conducted in 2010.  Unfortunately, the cost of the system had proved unaffordable and a purchase had not taken place.

Accordingly, consideration of an alternative approach had required and the report set out an alternative strategy based on utilisation and enhancement of existing, non-integrated systems.

The Cabinet noted that this was a short term measure which would only last for a year.  The Council would need to find a way to manage its assets in a more effective way post 2014 and the Director suggested that a decision be made in respect of this at the same time as it decided to move forward with its highway arrangements post 2014.

Councillor J Green reported that a number of temporary measures had been taken with regard to computer systems by various Council Departments, including Adult Social Services, Children and Young People’s and Finance.  He told the Cabinet that he had not seen a Council software priority list and proposed that this be discussed at the Leader’s Meeting on Friday, 16 March 2012.  A report could then be presented to a future Cabinet meeting on a proposed IT investment plan and priorities for change.

Councillor T Harney was in agreement with Councillor J Green’s proposal informing that he would welcome a radical look at the Council’s IT systems because it was not possible to run a modern organisation without robust IT systems.

The Deputy Director of Finance informed that the Council had an IT Strategy that would be reviewed in the autumn.  He would discuss with his colleagues how it could be brought forward in a more visible way.

Councillor J Green informed the Cabinet that he would like to understand the Council’s IT needs and how it would go about identifying and prioritising them in a transparent way.

RESOLVED: That

(1)   the strategy for highways asset management as set out in the report be approved;

(2)  the progress in developing the draft HAMP attached to the report be noted; and

(3)  the Director of Technical Services be asked to bring a further report to a Cabinet meeting in March 2013, reporting on progress in delivering the strategy and completing the draft HAMP, taking into account the views of key stakeholders following consultation.