The Director of Technical Services advised Members on the recent success of the Council in securing asset management funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) to assist in the development of the Council’s asset management capability for managing and maintaining Wirral’s highway network.

The Grant funding had been allocated over a two year period. For 2008/09 the capital funding would be £43,600 with single revenue grant of £50,000. For 2009/10 the capital funding would be £40,800. It was intended to use the grant from the DfT to contribute to the delivery of the Highway Asset Management Strategy including the costs of any new ICT systems required. The cost of delivering the Strategy, including a new ICT system, might exceed the DfT Grant available and in the event that this was the case then subject to a continued robust business case it was proposed any shortfall would be met from mainstream Departmental Capital and Revenue budgets for highway maintenance.

Cabinet were requested to approve the use of the DfT Grant to deliver the Highway Asset Management Strategy as outlined in the report.

Resolved -

(1) That the Grant outlined in section 5.0 of the Director’s report be formally noted and accepted.

(2) That the implementation of the Highway Asset Management Strategy described in section 6.0 of the Director’s report be endorsed.

(3) That the use of the DfT Grant to deliver the Highway Asset Management Strategy, subject to business case confirmation, be approved.