Further to minute 52(8/3/10) the Director of Technical Services will give a verbal update report,

Further to minute 52(8/3/10) the Director of Technical Services reported that arrangements had been made for representatives of Scottish Power to attend the September meeting of this committee. He also submitted a briefing note on progress made in securing the first tripartite agreement in Merseyside to change the way in which new street lighting connections to existing services are carried out.

The agreement between the Local Authority, electricity network operator and the street lighting contractor provided the opportunity to eradicate the inefficiencies inherent under the traditional approach.

• Schemes could be designed to maximize connections to existing service cable avoiding the necessity of new connections by a third party.
• The coordination required with a third party was avoided.
• The contractor could manage the connection process providing certain administrative criteria were met.
• Installations and transfers to new lighting units could be completed in the same day saving many weeks of ad hoc visits.
• In vulnerable positions permanent reinstatements could be carried out the same day providing a seamless one day operation compared with many weeks and frequent visits to the same location.
• The new approach could achieve significant efficiencies and Wirral had secured unit cost reductions for both the connections and the trenching providing both qualitative and quantitative savings.

This was a key success arising from a number of highway & lighting innovations groups set up by the Wirral Colas partnership during year 1 of the new Highways Maintenance contract.

Resolved – That the report be noted.