Ringway has started work on a five-year £75 million highways maintenance contract with Wiltshire Council.The firm is responsible for the maintenance of roads, street lights and pavements, clearing drains, gritting roads and emergency repairs. The contract will run for five years, with a possible extension of a further two years.In addition to the above, one of the key features of the contract is the rollout of the parish steward programme where 20 parish stewards will work with communities to carry out local minor highways work. This includes 20 new vans which will be rolled out over the next six months across Wiltshire.The stewards will serve their own group of parish and town councils in the county, reporting issues and carrying out repairs and maintenance, providing a ‘one stop and done’ service. They will prioritise the needs of their patch including roads, pathways, drainage and verge maintenance. Their remit could include painting railings, highways strimming and minor pothole repairs.Scott Wardrop from Ringway said: “Ringway is delighted to have been successful in re-securing the Wiltshire plus the Swindon highways contract for the next five to seven years. Our re-invigoration of the parish steward service for Wiltshire, which was a key aspect to our successful tender bid, has already begun and we look forward to an official launch of the new service in late summer 2016."We are working with the council to review the highway service, ensuring it is efficient and effective for the highway users while affordable. We have secured a new main office and depot in Bowerhill, Melksham and this means we have a good modern central facility for the highway service in Wiltshire, which supports team working.”Philip Whitehead, the council’s cabinet member responsible for highways, said “Wiltshire Council and Ringway have a historic successful relationship for working in partnership. With the new contract, we will build on this relationship and I am confident that we will see many improvements over the coming years.“Wiltshire is one of only a few councils that has increased its spending on highway maintenance. With the increased investment and this new contract the council will be best placed to meet the future challenges and able to maximise the benefits of its resources for our highways.” Pictured from left to right: David Gibby (Mobilisation Director Ringway), Parvis Khansari (Director of Highways & Transport for Wiltshire Council), Cllr Philip Whitehead (Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport),Cllr Jerry Wickham (Wiltshire Council Portfolio Holder), Dr Carlton Brand (Corporate Director for Wiltshire Council), Scott Wardrop (Chief Executive Eurovia & Ringway) and Mick Buckler (Wiltshire Divisional Manager Ringway)