Issue - meetings

Highway and Engineering Services Contract - Second Annual Review

Meeting: 26/09/2011 - Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 17)

17 Highway and Engineering Services Contract - Second Annual Review pdf icon PDF 102 KB

A presentation will be made by COLAS.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report by the Director of Technical Services provided an update for the Committee on the Highway and Engineering Services contract at the end of its second year of operation; including performance against the benefits sought and targets set.  It also invited Members to provide views on any matter which the Committee considered appropriate for consideration by the contract partnership innovation groups, for further improvement of the works and services provided.

 

The Committee noted that the maintenance of all aspects of the highway infrastructure; carried out through this contract; were statutory duties imposed on the Council as Highway Authority.

 

Part of the report related to financial aspects of the contract which were exempt from public disclosure in accordance with paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, and this information was separately contained in Appendix 3 to the report.  (Minute No. 28 refers)

 

Stephen Grimes, Contracts Manager at Colas was in attendance at the meeting along with members of his team who he introduced to the Committee.  Mr Grimes made a presentation to the Committee on the Streetscene Partnership Year 2 Review.  He provided a brief overview of what Colas was about and a focus on what it did on Wirral.  He informed how Colas was organised, about its activities, its management and governance, its successes to date, its culture, business objectives and strategic aims.

 

Following the presentation Members asked a number of questions which were answered appropriately by Mr Grimes.  Members were particularly concerned about the state of Wirral roads and associated risk management issues.  Examples of perceived poor quality work were highlighted by Members, using examples from their own wards, some of which still had not been rectified.  Mr Grimes informed that steps were being taken to improve the standards of work.  A quality audit system was now in place and changes to working arrangements were ongoing.  A robust contract management system was now also in operation.  The Committee was of the view that Colas needed to carefully supervise road works to increase public satisfaction over repairs.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

(1)  Mr Grimes and his team be thanked for their attendance at the meeting;

 

(2)  Mr Grimes be thanked for his informative presentation;

 

(3)  the progress of the Colas contract during the past year be noted; and

 

(4)  Colas be requested to take away the complaints highlighted by Members and consider drawing up a complaints investigation protocol, to help bring about improvements to Wirral’s roads.