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Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee - Monday, 23rd June, 2025 11.00 am

June 23, 2025 View on council website  Watch video of meeting Read transcript (Professional subscription required)
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Summary

The Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee met to discuss the Winter Service Plan, gully cleansing and drainage, and the committee's work programme. The committee supported the recommendations for the Winter Service Plan to be put to the Executive Councillor, and requested that their comments be shared for consideration. The committee also agreed to support the report on gully cleansing and drainage, and requested that the discussion be shared across relevant teams and passed on to the portfolio holder.

Winter Service Plan 2025/26

The committee reviewed the Winter Service Plan 2025/26, which outlines how Lincolnshire County Council meets its statutory duty to ensure safe passage along highways during winter conditions. The plan prioritises a 3,018-kilometre network of priority routes. The budget for 2025-26 is £3.456 million, which will allow for 65 salting runs based on a hypothetical average winter.

The committee supported the recommendations to the Executive Councillor to approve the Winter Service Plan for 2025/26, and requested that their comments be shared for consideration.

Key discussion points included:

  • Network Evaluation Form: Councillor Bailey Vomerson, Vice-Chair of the committee, raised concerns about the network evaluation form used to determine which roads are gritted, particularly the section on injury accident records. They emphasised the importance of pre-empting accidents based on local residents' safety concerns. Daryl Redford, Network Resilient Manager, responded that while accident history is considered, the gritter fleet is at maximum capacity, making it difficult to add extra routes.
  • Cross-border Agreements: Councillor Bailey Vomerson asked about communication with neighbouring councils and National Highways to avoid duplicating efforts or missing critical routes. Daryl Redford confirmed that communication with neighbouring authorities is part of the council's remit under Section 8 of the Highways Act[^1]. [^1]: Section 8 of the Highways Act 1980 allows highway authorities to enter into agreements with each other for the maintenance, improvement, or construction of highways.
  • Route Optimisation: Councillor Stuart Grantham asked about the effectiveness and cost savings of the route optimisation project. Claire Dixon, Policy and Asset Manager, stated that initial studies suggest the potential to remove two gritters from service, saving £100,000-£150,000 over the vehicles' lifespan. She proposed forming a working group to engage the scrutiny committee in the optimisation process.
  • Climate Change: Councillor K J Clarke asked how climate change will affect the winter plan. Claire Dixon noted that winters are drifting later into the year, with fewer runs in October but more in April and May. She also mentioned a pattern of three mild years followed by a severe winter, suggesting a potentially severe winter in the next year or two.
  • Gritter Drivers: Councillor K J Clarke also enquired about the number of drivers for the four reserve gritters and plans to increase driver numbers. Claire Dixon stated that the council has 75 drivers but ideally needs 86, and is actively recruiting due to high demand for HGV Class 2 drivers.
  • Grit Bins: Councillor M I C Christopher raised concerns about engagement in areas without parishes and the seemingly elemental nature of grit bin policy. Claire Dixon responded that the council encourages residents to use FixMyStreet[^2] to report issues and that local highways teams also check grit bins during safety inspections. [^2]: FixMyStreet is an online tool that allows residents to report issues such as potholes, broken streetlights, and graffiti to their local council.
  • Gritter Ownership and Lifespan: Councillor Thomas James George Dyer asked about the ownership and replacement of gritters. Daryl Redford confirmed that the council owns all 47 gritters and aims to get 10-12 years of use from each, with the first replacements expected around 2029.
  • Gritter Costs and Funding: Councillor Thomas James George Dyer also asked about the cost of gritters and how the council funds their replacement. Daryl Redford provided cost estimates for different sizes of gritters, ranging from £90,000 to £150,000. A lead council officer added that gritters are funded through capital borrowing, which was deemed more cost-effective than leasing.
  • Outdated Policies: Councillor Stuart Grantham questioned the use of a three-decade-old policy. Claire Dixon apologised for the oversight, explaining that the list of main villages was based on data from 1981 to 1991 and should have been updated earlier.
  • Grit Bin Vandalism: Councillor C L E Vernon raised concerns about vandalism of salt and grit bins, particularly in rural areas. Claire Dixon responded that vandalism mainly involves rubbish being left in the bins, and the council is working to mitigate this by having local highway officers check the bins regularly.
  • Salt Usage: Councillor C L E Vernon also asked about the decrease in salt usage despite more runs. Daryl Redford explained that the council now uses a salt-molasses mix that sticks to the road better, reducing wash-off and allowing for lower spread rates.
  • Technological Improvements: Councillor C L E Vernon enquired about the impact of technological improvements on precautionary salting. Claire Dixon stated that the council is open to modernising the fleet and is exploring optimisation software to potentially shift dynamically on the night, allowing for a more risk-based approach in specific areas.
  • Gritter Naming: Councillor C L E Vernon praised the marketing around gritter naming, involving local care homes and schools. Daryl Redford confirmed that there will be 12 named gritters by the end of the season and that these events help raise awareness of the gritting team's work.
  • Grit Bin Usage: Councillor Stuart Grantham asked about the budget for salt, what happens to unused budget, and how often grit boxes are replenished. Claire Dixon stated that the council typically allocates £1.2 million per annum for salt and that salt barns are used to prevent wastage. Daryl Redford added that salt normally lasts about five years and that stock is rotated to use older salt first.
  • Grit Bin Access: Councillor Bailey Vomerson asked who is able to use the grit within the grit bins and if residents hold any liability for spreading salt. Daryl Redford clarified that anyone can use the grit on the highway, not for personal use, and that there is no legal precedent for liability as long as it is done to benefit the community.

Highways Gully Clearing, Drainage Repair Schemes and Surface Water Flooding

The committee reviewed a report on highway gully cleansing, drainage repair schemes, and surface water flooding. The report covered the council's approach to gully cleansing, drainage repair schemes, and surface water flooding responses.

The committee agreed to support the report, and requested that the discussion be shared across relevant teams and passed on to the portfolio holder for their information and relevant actioning.

Key discussion points included:

  • Long-term Drainage Solutions: Councillor Bailey Vomerson asked if drainage problems are fixed to cope with future weather conditions and if enough proactive work is being done in flood-prone communities.
  • Gully Cleansing Issues: Councillor K J Clarke reported an issue with a gully that was reported on FixMyStreet but not cleaned, despite being marked as complete.
  • Section 19 Reports: Councillor K J Clarke asked about the enforceability of recommendations in Section 19 flood investigation reports[^3]. A lead council officer clarified that the council cannot compel other risk management authorities to act but works closely with them. [^3]: Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 requires local authorities to investigate and report on flood events in their area.
  • Floodplains: Councillor Stuart Grantham asked how many floodplains are being filled in for drainage systems and if there is a correlation to flooding.
  • Gully Maintenance: Councillor Thomas James George Dyer praised the gully gangs' work but asked if the risk-based approach to gully cleansing is dependent on public reports via FixMyStreet and what communication strategy is in place to encourage reporting.
  • Riparian Drains: Councillor Thomas James George Dyer also raised concerns about riparian drains not being maintained, rendering the council's work pointless, and asked what enforcement the council takes on riparian owners.
  • Section 19 Report Backlog: Councillor Thomas James George Dyer asked about the backlog for Section 19 reports.
  • Capital Funding for Drainage Schemes: Councillor Thomas James George Dyer enquired about capital funding for major drainage schemes.
  • Community Engagement: A councillor asked if communities and local businesses are well-communicated with during drainage scheme planning.

Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee Work Programme

The committee reviewed and commented on its work programme to ensure that scrutiny activity is focused where it can be of greatest benefit.

Key discussion points included:

  • Road Network Reform: Councillor Bailey Vomerson proposed a new vision for building and rebuilding the road network, looking into new technologies like graphene to provide long-term solutions.
  • Rail Recovery Programme: Councillor C L E Vernon noted the disappearance of the rail recovery programme from the agenda and asked for clarification.
  • Performance Reports: Councillor C L E Vernon also questioned the temporary pause of performance reports and the absence of a quarter four performance report on transport.
  • Mayoral Combined Authority: Councillor Thomas James George Dyer raised concerns about scrutinising decisions of the Mayoral Combined Authority, particularly regarding public transport performance indicators.
  • Road Condition: Councillor Stuart Grantham suggested investigating the state of roads and what's underneath them, noting that some roads are still back from the horse and carriageway era.

The committee agreed to note the report and enclose the existing work programme, with any additional items highlighted in the scrutiny officer's presentation to be reflected.

Attendees

Profile image for Councillor M I C Christopher
Councillor M I C Christopher  Liberal Democrats

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