Purpose

A Lane Rental Scheme (LRS) is a
regulatory framework that allows highway authorities to charge
utility companies and contractors a daily fee for occupying the
most traffic-sensitive roads at the busiest times. The aim is to
incentivise faster, more efficient roadworks and minimise
disruption to road users.
 
Kirklees Council has developed
a LRS and would like to apply to the Secretary of State (SoS) for
Transport for powers to operate its scheme before the application
deadline of 1 October 2025.
 
Cabinet is asked to delegate to
Executive Director Place in consultation with the Portfolio Holder
Highways and Waste, the decision:

1.   
to consider feedback from the statutory
consultation, and to amend the Scheme if necessary following
conclusion of statutory consultation.

2.   
determine whether to make an application to
Secretary of State to operate a Lane Rental Scheme.

3.   
Take all required steps to implement the approved
Scheme.
 
Background papers
 

DfT: Lane rental schemes: guidance for English
highway authorities.

The Kirklees Streetworks
Permit Scheme – Year 3 Evaluation Report

House of Commons Transport Committee: Managing the
impact of Street works

Kirklees Council ‘Our Council
Priorities’ – ‘Get the basics
right’

E&CC Scrutiny 20 November 2024 - PROPOSED
KIRKLEES LANE RENTAL SCHEME
 
Engagement and Consultation
 
LRS development and
implementation is subject to statutory procedures that include
engagement with highway asset owners, statutory undertakers, and
other affected parties.
 
A Joint Development Group
(consisting of council officers and representatives of the
statutory undertakers and other asset owners), and a Steering Group
(officers internal to the council) have been established to
co-develop the suite of documents required to operate of the
scheme.
 
Should the Kirklees application
to operate a Lane Rental Scheme be approved by DfT, there will be a
requirement to establish an independently chaired Surplus Income
Board with an appropriate governance structure, to manage and
distribute funds generated through the scheme to highways
projects.
 
The statutory procedure
requires further consultation of the documentation developed by the
Joint Development Group, the proposed network of Lane Rental
streets, and the Cost Benefit Analysis. The consultation will be
undertaken between 30 June and 26 August 2025.
 
The LRS was presented to
Environment and Climate Change Scrutiny Panel on 20 November
2024.
 

Content

RESOLVED –
 

1)   
That the commencement of the statutory consultation be noted.

2)   
That authority be delegated to the Executive Director (Place) in
consultation with the Cabinet Member (Highways and Waste) to (i)
consider the results of the statutory consultation (ii) determine
the contents of the Lane Rental Scheme (iii) determine whether to
make an application and of the timing of the submission to the
Department of Transport (DfT), and if DfT/Secretary of State for
Transport (SoS) approval is granted, to implement the Kirklees Lane
Rental Scheme and (iv) to determine the governance arrangements for
the Surplus Income Board.

3)   
That the content of the Integrated Impact Assessment as set out at
 paragraph 3.5 be noted.