Street Manager limitations cost councils extra millions, hidden LGA report finds

07/09/2023 | DOMINIC BROWNE

The Local Government Association (LGA) has released a report it buried three years ago covering the financial impact of the Government's Street Manager software.

Only released this summer following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from Highways, the report details survey results on the cost of the Government's national road and street works management software made mandatory from July 2020.

The LGA press office had initially refused to release the information, which shows that across England's 150-plus local highway authorities, the lack of functionality in the Street Manager system costs councils more than £6m a year in extra fees.

The document is still marked up for an intended release date of December 2020, but was buried due to sensitivity in the LGA and its inability to arrive at a common policy on the system, Highways understands.

It reveals that 95% of councils (49 of the 51 respondents) said they ran a street works management system alongside Street Manager, incurring significant extra costs.

Eight out of 10 said this was to meet the legislative requirements of the Highway Act 1980, New Roads and Street Works Act 1998 or the Traffic Management Act 2004.

The main non-legislative reasons given for running two systems were 'a need for integration with other council systems, and a lack of functionality of Street Manager, to support performance management and to provide access to historical data'.

Individual councils paid on average about £44,000 in fees a year for street works management systems they were running alongside Street Manager.

The average additional annual costs of running Street Manager alongside their existing council system was around £26,000, the report found.

'When considering these costs together the average annual cost for councils was around £68,000, with county councils’ costs notably higher at about £84,000. Additionally, councils estimated the cost of training staff to use Street Manager, up to the end of the 2021/22 financial year, to be about £8,000 on average,' the LGA report states.

The system's lack of functionality is in large part due to the Department for Transport's (DfT) strategy of creating a 'minimum viable product'.

David Capon, co-chair of HAUC (UK) - which brings highway authorities, utilities and government together on the issue of road and street works - suggested that little had changed since the survey was conducted in 2020 because the Government is not capable of delivering change fast enough.

'It was only four or five months ago that we could get any performance data out of it,' he told Highways in the summer.

He added that the LGA's case for a new burden has foundered. All 'new burdens' on local authorities must be properly assessed and fully funded by the relevant department, as per a doctrine brought about in 2010.

However, the Department for Transport is understood to have refused the case.

The LGA told Highways it doesn't currently have an agreed position with its board on the issue and discussions are still ongoing with the Government about it.

Despite being labelled as if the report was released in 2020, an LGA spokesperson confirmed it was only released in July following Highways' FOI request.

'Please accept our apologies for the confusion surrounding the publication date of the Street Manager Survey report. Upon review of the situation, it is evident that we made an oversight in the publication date on the back of the report, which should indeed be July 2023,' a spokesperson told Highways.

Highways InProfile

latest magazine issue
Highways jobs

Project Lead - Bridges and Structures WMF3037e

£45,718 to £46,731
We are currently seeking to recruit a Project Lead to join our Bridges and Structures team Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Traffic Management Technician - WMF3040e

£27,711 - £28,624
Are you an organised and motivated individual who wants to make a difference to how our roads are managed? Cumbria / Various
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Traffic Management Officer - WMF2114e

£37,035 - £37,938
Are you an experienced and motivated professional looking to take the next step in your traffic management career? Cumbria / Various
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Senior Transport Planner

£47,532 - £50,574
Royal Greenwich is a borough synonymous with first class modern services Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recruiter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Technician - Highway Inspector

Grade 8 £28,797 - £30,708 per annum (Pay Award Pending)
Within the Highways Maintenance Team we are looking for an enthusiastic, customer focused and experienced person to join the Service Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Project Delivery Senior Team Leader

£74,480 - £85,964
Are you an experienced Chartered Civil Engineer (or equivalent professional qualification) Glasgow City
Recruiter: Transport Scotland

Assistant Traffic Management Technician - WMF2104e

£25,584 - £25,992
Westmorland and Furness Council is seeking an organised and enthusiastic individual to join our South Lakeland team Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Bulky Operative

£25,584.00 - £27,269.00, Grade 5, 37 hours, Permanent.
An opportunity exists in the Council’s Street Scene Services for a Bulky Operative Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Wakefield Council

Project Delivery Team Leader

£57,710 - £71,842
Are you an experienced Chartered Civil Engineer (or equivalent professional qualification). Glasgow City
Recruiter: Transport Scotland

Traffic Management Officer - WMF2102e

£37,035 - £37,938
This is a key role supporting the delivery a wide range of traffic and road safety schemes. Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Shared Service Manager (Waste) North Herts Council

£52000 - £61000 per annum
Shared Service Manager (Waste) North Herts CouncilNorth Herts CouncilPermanent, Full Time£52,866 - £61,866 per annum, plus car allowance (pay award pe England, Hertfordshire, Letchworth Garden City
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Traffic Management Officer - WMF2102e

£37,035 - £37,938
This is a key role supporting the delivery a wide range of traffic and road safety schemes. Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Assistant Traffic Management Technician - WMF2104e

£25,584 - £25,992
This is a key support role, helping to deliver a wide range of traffic and road safety schemes across South Lakeland. Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Flood Risk Engineering and Strategy Officer

£49,764 - £55,623
In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce Coventry, West Midlands
Recruiter: Coventry City Council

Senior Integrated Transport Officer

£34,324 - £37,529
Are you an experienced transport planning professional ready to influence strategic policy and drive real change Matlock, Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Roadworker Trainee LGV Driver (3 Posts)

Grade 6 £25,183 - £25,638 per annum (Pay award pending)
We’re looking for Roadworker/trainee LGV drivers to be part of our team undertaking major highway, bridge and related construction and reconstruction Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Engineer

£44,430 - £51,663
This post is within the Highways Design and Delivery Team. London (Greater)
Recruiter: Tower Hamlets London Borough Council

Civil Enforcement Officer - WMF3013e

£27,711 -£28,624
Are you seeking an active and challenging role, part of a friendly and welcoming team? Cumbria / Various
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

UGO Bus Driver

Up to £25081.00 per annum
UGO Bus DriverPermanent, Part TimeUp to £25,081 per annum (full time equivalent)Location
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Head of Highways Operations

Salary
Somerset Council
Recruiter: Somerset 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