Agenda item

            The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Environment, which sought approval to the inclusion of the 2009/10 Transport Capital Implementation Programme into the 2009/10 Capital Programme and the carry over of £1,608,000 of 2008/09 Local Transport Plan (LTP) Maintenance Block Borrowing Approval to 2009/10.

            Members were advised that the second LTP had brought with a much less rigorous reporting requirement, based on a collaborative approach between DfT and the local authorities, to enable weaknesses in progress to be jointly addressed and strengths to be built upon.

            They were further advised that this new approach required the de-coupling of the link between funding and performance, which resulted in the DfT, in its November 2007 Settlement Letter confirming the Integrated Transport Capital block allocations for the period 2008/09 – 2010/11. The Integrated Transport allocation for 2009/10 was £1,831,000.

            Similarly, three year allocations for the Highways Capital Maintenance Block, which were based on a new formula, were also notified and which were set out in the report. The Road Maintenance element of the Highways Block allocation had been reviewed in the context of Performance Indicators for highway maintenance. This led to a prioritisation of non Primary Route Network (PRN) footway reconstruction for the next two years, after which the position would be reassessed. This, in conjunction with a similar review of priorities in the revenue road maintenance programme, would provide an overall budget, for the 2009/10 and 2010/11, which would enable around a doubling in the length of footway reconstruction to be carried out each year. Over £450,000 would be available for carriageway structural maintenance, and this would continue to be supplemented by revenue funding. Performance on the principal and classified road condition indicators were not expected to fall below the top quartile during this period, as a result of re-profiling over this two year period. The Highways Capital Maintenance allocation for 2009/10 was £2,023,000.

            Members were further advised that the individual schemes for the Integrated Transport and Highway Maintenance Block would be drawn from the programmes included in LTP2, which were outlined in Appendix A to the report.

            It was further noted that in addition to the LTP Capital Maintenance Block, Halton was also allocated £14,288,000 of additional funding for use between 2008/09 and 2010/11. This was from the National PRN Bridge Strengthening and Maintenance allocation to enable much needed maintenance and inspection work on the Silver Jubilee Bridge. This funding replaced some of that identified in the SJB Major Maintenance Scheme bid, which was submitted to Government in March 2006 and on which a decision was still awaited. The PRN Bridge Strengthening and Maintenance allocation for 2009/10 was £4,906,000.

            In order to increase the efficiency in the procurement and delivery of all bridge maintenance works in the Borough, a single partnering contractor approach had been pursued. Due to the timescales involved in developing this partnership, there was need to defer £1,608,00 of the PRB Bridge Strengthening and Maintenance allocation, from 2008/08 to 2009/10. The DfT were happy to support the principle of this proposal, but had indicated that Section 31 Grant could not be carried over from one year to the next. Instead, it was agreed for the Council to spend £1,608,000 of unallocated “Supporting Borrowing Powers” to be carried over into 2009/10 to fund the “additional” PRN Bridge Strengthening and Maintenance works and hence facilitate the revised expenditure profile. It was therefore proposed to carry over £1,608,000 of LTP Highways Capital Maintenance “Supported Borrowing Power” approvals from 2008/09 to 2010/11. The total PRN Bridge Strengthening and Maintenance programme for 2009/10 was in the sum of £6,514,000 and a list of the provisional programme was appended to the report.

            Members were advised that during 2009/10, the Council had allocated the sum of £100,000 of capital funding to enable a programme of works to be implemented to bring unadopted roads up to adoptable standards – the “Adoptions Programme”. A report was to be presented to the Urban Renewal Policy and Performance Board in March setting out a proposed policy and procedure for the identification and approval of schemes and how the funding arrangements for each proposal would be determined. In addition, it was noted that the Council’s Flood Defence programme comprised a range of maintenance and improvement schemes. Work would also continue to de-silt culverts and highway/land drainage systems at known flooding hotspots throughout the Borough. The Council capital Flood Defence Programme for 2009/10 was in the sum of £100,000.

            Further to this, the Council’s Street Lighting capital programme for 2009/10 was in the sum of £200,000. This allocation would be used for the renewal of street lighting equipment (lighting columns, lanterns, signs, bollards, etc.) and would address the replacement of age expired equipment and enable improvements to save energy.

            It was proposed that the authority agree details of the programmes of work for: PRN Bridge Strengthening and Maintenance; the Adoptions; Flood Defence; and Street Lighting, for the periods 2009/10 and 2010/11, be delegated to the Strategic Director, Environment, in consultation with the Executive Board Member for Planning, Transportation, Regeneration and Renewal.

            In addition, Halton’s Road Safety Grant, which was the funding used to help support the Cheshire Safer Roads Partnership was also confirmed in the November 2007 Settlement Letter. The revenue element of this grant was incorporated into the area based grant. The capital element of the Road Safety Grant for 2009/10, which would be paid as a direct capital grant, was in the sum of £72,167.

            Members were advised that the final Transport Capital Implementation Programme for 2009/10 would be in line with the capital budget to be agreed by the Council.  This programme would be included in the Highways, Transportation and Logistics Department’s Service Plan. It was noted that Halton continued to be allocated an element of De-trunked Roads Maintenance Grant, which was used to maintain the Widnes Eastern Relief Road. The De-trunked Roads Maintenance Revenue Grant for 2009/10 was £213,830 which would also be included in the area based grant allocation.

            RESOLVED: That the Executive Board recommend the Council to approve:

(1)             the incorporation of the Transport Implementation Programme for 2009/10, in the sum of £10,840,200, into the Council’s 2009/10 Capital Programme;

(2)             the carrying forward of £1,608,000 of the Local Transport Plan’s Highways Maintenance Borrowing Power approvals for 2008/09 into 2009/10, to facilitate the re-profiling of works associated with the Primary Route Network Bridge Strengthening and Maintenance allocation; and

(3)             the authority to agree the detail of the programmes of work for: Primary Route Network Bridge Strengthening and Maintenance; Adoptions; Food Defence; and Street Lighting, for the period 2009/10 and 2010/11, be delegated to the Strategic Director, Environment, in consultation with the Executive Board Member for Planning, Transportation, Regeneration and Renewal.