Westmorland and Furness Council has agreed plans to petition ministers to grant the authority greater control over the management and co-ordination of its road works.
The council has approved a motion to request a meeting with the Minister for Future of Roads (a position made defunct in the September cabinet reshuffle) to 'discuss whether more powers can be granted to councils in respect of the efficient management and coordination of street works in both urban and rural areas where there may be limited access to properties and businesses'.
Currently, the council operates a permit scheme that allows utilities to work on the road network whilst also aiming to reduce safety hazards and incidents in and around works sites. The scheme is also designed to reduce the negative impact of works on those working and living in the area and promote ‘greater cooperation and collaboration between different works promoters'.
Whilst the council stated that it appreciates the challenge faced by utility providers when maintaining assets, it also notes the disruptions that can be caused by these works and hopes that, by gaining greater authority over the co-ordination of these works, it will be able to work alongside the utilities to help them co-ordinate their works to keep disruptions to a minimum.
The motion was proposed by Cllr Peter Thornton, cabinet member for highways and ICT, and seconded by Cllr Rupert Audland,
Cllr Thornton said: ‘Our streetworks team deal with over 12,000 requests every year and in many cases these are a symptom of success. But sometimes they are not co-ordinated, the signage is misleading, sometimes missing and often in the wrong place. Traffic lights can be inefficient or broken down and the highway is closed for long periods with nothing actually happening.
‘We have a well-trained and efficient team in our Streetworks department. The problem they face is that they simply don't have enough powers to be able to properly require utilities to work to a high standard and for us to challenge whether emergency works are emergencies or a consequence of bad planning. There is a tilted balance which is tilted in favour of the utilities. This needs to change.'
Cllr Brook noted: ‘We were pleased that the Transport Committee recently called for Government to provide stronger local authority powers to manage and co-ordinate streetworks more effectively, including tighter controls on 'urgent' permits and clearer responsibilities for reinstating roads. The recommendations reflect many of the challenges we face in rural areas, where limited road networks mean that closures and delays can have a disproportionate impact.
‘Unfortunately, the Government's response to the committee's report rejected most of the recommendations. While measures such as doubling fixed penalty notices and extending overrun charges to weekends and holidays are welcome, they do not go far enough to address the coordination issues that rural councils encounter. We remain concerned that rural councils lack sufficient powers to coordinate works effectively.'
