Liverpool to bring in reinforcements for troubled highways department

26/11/2021 | DOMINIC BROWNE

Commissioners brought in to rescue Liverpool City Council's failing services have uncovered further issues with its troubled highways department.

Cultural issues characterised 'by weak forward planning, a siloed approach, a lack of staff appraisals and inadequate project/contract control' run deep within the service and new staff are being brought in to bolster its capacity.

Recent whistle-blowing also raised concerns that 'pockets of inappropriate behaviours still exist' and more staff events and 1:1s will be held to give workers 'the confidence to expose any further inappropriate behaviours'.

The appointment of commissioners led by former chief constable Mike Cunningham came after an independent report uncovered ‘multiple serious failures’ by the council in complying with its Best Value duty, with highways procurement a particular area of concern.

In their first report since overseeing improvement plans, the commissioners said that 'additional interim capacity and capability has been agreed' for the highways department.

The council’s Improvement Delivery Plan sets out 21 immediate actions linked to highways service improvements.

'There was limited capacity and capability within the Highways Service and key enabling services to make the changes outlined in the Improvement Delivery Plan, coupled with the setting of unrealistic timescales,' the report states.

Following discussions with the Business Partners for HR, Finance, Legal and Procurement, the commissioners raised concerns about the capacity of internal enabling services available to highways and the council has started recruitment to strengthen these support teams. This comes after the appointment of an interim chief highways officer (ICHO) in May 2021.

The report also states that work is in hand 'to establish clarity on desired outcomes' for service users in Liverpool.

A full-service review will be carried out by the ICHO next year following the council’s senior management restructure, which is set to be concluded shortly.

An interim service structure has been put in place in the meantime designed to strengthen senior leadership capacity and capability, bring teams more in line with best practice, and create a small ‘task & finish’ cross-cutting improvement team.

'The more challenging improvement needed is to the culture within the service. This is characterised by weak forward planning, a siloed approach, a lack of staff appraisals and inadequate project/contract control. These are symptomatic of the poor leadership of the service in the recent past,' the report states.

'The departure of senior officers within regeneration, planning and highways, combined with the appointment of the ICHO and additional interim divisional managers, provide opportunities for change.'

As previously identified, Liverpool had no business plan for the highways department for 2021/22, which is needed to bring together the service’s priorities, budgets, performance targets and customer standards for the benefit of staff, councillors and users.

The report adds that an in-year business plan is currently in draft: 'We expect that a full business plan will be developed for 2022/23. A full review of highways capital projects is underway to ensure that priorities are correctly identified; risks are properly assessed with appropriate mitigation plans developed; costs are accurately assessed; and suitable technical advice is available when required.'

Highways InProfile

latest magazine issue
Highways jobs

Senior Civil Engineer - Major Projects x 4

£45,894.00 - £54,952.00
We are looking for experienced engineers to help us progress a number of key projects and programmes Glasgow, Glasgow City
Recruiter: Transport Scotland

Technician - Maintenance

£31001.0000 - £36471.0000 per annum
Essex Highways is responsible for managing and maintaining one of the largest highway networks in the country
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Highways Contract Engineer

£46,731 - £49,764
The team helps provide a safe road network that operates efficiently and effectively.  Northamptonshire
Recruiter: North Northamptonshire Council

Principal Transport Planner

£46,731 - £49,764 (pro-rata)
We are looking for an experienced professional to join us on a six-month temporary contact as a Principal Transport Planner. Kettering, Northamptonshire
Recruiter: North Northamptonshire Council

Highways Maintenance Operative

£Competitive
We have a fantastic opportunity for a Permanent Highways Maintenance Operative Broughton, Brigg
Recruiter: Amey

Head of Highways Contracts & Network

£81,803 progressing to £90,664 per annum
The team includes approximately 60 directly employed HCC people Hertfordshire
Recruiter: Hertfordshire County Council

Principal Construction Manager

£Competitive
We are excited to offer a fantastic opportunity for a Permanent Principal Construction Manager Yorkshire and the Humber
Recruiter: Amey

Quality Technician

£Competitive
We are excited to offer a fantastic opportunity for a Permanent Quality Technician Yorkshire and the Humber
Recruiter: Amey

Senior Highway Engineer (Development Management)

£42679.0000 - £50211.0000 per annum
Senior Highway Engineer (Development Management)Permanent, Full Time£43,960 to £51,718 per annum*Location
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Project Manager (Major Projects)

£44,711 - £47,754
Are you an experienced project professional or engineer with looking to take the next step in your career? Halifax, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council

Senior Civil Engineer - Roads

£45,894 - £54,952
Are you an experienced engineer looking to support the Scottish Government’s national objectives. Scotland
Recruiter: Transport Scotland

Project Team Manager

£55,147 to £60,676 per annum
We are pleased to be able to offer an opportunity for a role as Design Team Manager Norwich, Norfolk
Recruiter: Norfolk County Council

Clerk of Works

GRADE 08 (£37,938 - £41,511)
Warrington is one of the most successful towns in the country Warrington, Cheshire
Recruiter: Warrington Borough Council

Assistant Projects Engineer

GRADE 06 (£29,093 - £32,654),GRADE 07 (£33,366 - £37,035), GRADE 08 (£37,938 - £41,511)
Warrington is one of the most successful towns in the country Warrington, Cheshire
Recruiter: Warrington Borough Council

Principal Engineer - Traffic Management

£45,718 - £48,710 per annum
At Bath & North East Somerset Council we have one overriding purpose – to improve people’s lives. Bath, Somerset
Recruiter: Bath & North East Somerset Council

Vehicle Technician - Improver

£28,624 - £30,060
Transport Services is responsible for all aspects of transport and related services Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Programme Delivery Office Administrator

Grade 9 £31,344 - £33,253 per annum
At Derbyshire, we have been on a journey to transform the way we deliver highway services to make them fit for the future Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Support Officer - Highways Asset Management Systems

£31,586 - £34,314
We are a forward-thinking organisation dedicated to maintaining and improving our highway infrastructure. Lincolnshire
Recruiter: Lincolnshire County Council

Principal Transport Planner (Strategy)

£46,731-£49,764
We are looking for an experienced professional to join North Northamptonshire Council as a Principal Transport Planner (Strategy). Sheerness House, 41 Meadow Road, Kettering moving to Haylock House, Kettering Parkway, Kettering NN15 6EY, United Kingdom
Recruiter: North Northamptonshire Council

Electrical Engineer

Grade 9 £34,314 to £37,938 - Grade 10 £37,035 to £40,476 - Grade 11 £39,513 to £43,693 - Grade 12 £42,708 to £46,731 p.a.
The Construction Consultancy Services (CCS) team provide client-side construction consultancy services across a range of professional disciplines to d Durham
Recruiter: Durham County Council
SUBSCRIBE NOW

Latest Video

Subscribe to Highways today to ensure you keep your finger on the pulse of everything happening in the UK road network throughout the year.

SUBSCRIBE NOW