Content

Salford
City Council - Record of Decision
 
I, Councillor Mike McCusker, Lead Member for Planning, Transport
& Sustainable Development,
in exercise of the powers contained within the Council
Constitution, do
hereby:
 

Approve the proposed programme of work for the
Highway Drainage Investment Programme (DIP)
2023/24 and the Culvert Investment Programme
(CIP) for 2023/24, as outlined in the report.

 
The Reasons
are:
To
facilitate continuous improvement of the highway drainage
infrastructure as part of the defined Network Recovery Plan as part
of the ongoing rolling programme of drainage repair
works.
 
Options
considered and rejected were:
No
other options were considered for this report.
 
Assessment
of Risk:
Medium – it is important that
the existing highway drainage and culvert infrastructure
improvements continue in order to ensure that surface flooding is minimised, and
that the capacity of existing systems is maximised, especially in
view of the climate emergency.
 
The source of funding is: Prudential
Code funding (Capital)
 
Legal Advice
obtained: Helen Chapman Principal
Solicitor Solicitor-0161 234 3227
15th March 2023
 
The Council as highway
authority has a number of statutory
duties and powers in relation to flooding matters on highways
maintainable at the public expense. The Highway Authority must take
such care in all the circumstances as is reasonably required to
ensure that the highway is not dangerous for traffic and for the
public.
 
Under s100 Highways Act 1980
the highway authority for a highway may, for the purpose of
draining it or of otherwise preventing surface water from flowing
on to it, do all or any of the following:—
(a) construct or lay, in the
highway or in land adjoining or lying near to the highway, such
drains as they consider necessary.
(b) erect barriers in the
highway or in such land as aforesaid to divert surface water into
or through any existing drain.
(c) scour, cleanse and keep
open all drains situated in the highway or in such land as
aforesaid.
 
On highways liable to flooding
to a considerable depth, under s103 Highways Act 1980, the
authority has a duty to provide graduated posts or stones
indicating the depth of water covering the highway where it is
considered necessary or desirable. The Council also has a duty to
remove obstructions arising from snow, from falling down of banks/landslides on the side of the
highway, or from any other cause.
 
The Council has undertaken
recent surveys and investigation of the highways drainage systems
and identified a prioritised programme of repairs to ensure that
the worst areas of flooding and structural defects are addressed
first. Similarly, the culverts for which it is responsible have
undergone surveys leading to prioritised repairs according to the
future likelihood of collapses, blockages, and flooding, whilst
also considering location and previous history.
 
The proposals in the report for
DIP and CIP will assist the Council in complying with these duties
and strengthen the Council’s position in establishing a
defence to any associated potential 3rd party claims by
demonstrating that there is in place a sufficiently robust regime
to undertake structural repairs and maintenance of highways and
culvert drainage schemes.
 
The works to be undertaken as
part of the DIP and/or CIP, the Council may appoint contractors
following a mini competition exercise from its framework agreement
for Civil and Highways Engineering. Should the value of any such
works exceed £150,000, a separate report will need to be
presented to Procurement Board for decision.
 
Financial Advice
obtained: Adam Flaherty, Senior
Accountant, Tel. 793 2659
Date: 17th March
2023
 
There is sufficient funding
within the approved 2023/24 Highways Capital Investment programme,
to fund the £200,000 works identified for the Drainage
Improvement Programme and the £50,000 works identified for
the Culvert Improvement Programme.
 
All expenditure should be
closely monitored to ensure that these schemes are delivered within
the allocated resources.
 
Procurement Advice
obtained: Heather Stanton, Category
Manager 686 6296
Date
14th March 2023
 
The
new Technical and Highways Works Framework has now been awarded of
which drainage is listed as Lot 3. The Council may appoint
contractors following a mini competition exercise from this
framework agreement which is a compliant route in line with SCC
standing orders and PCR’s 2015.
 
HR Implications: N/A
 
Climate Change Implications: supplied
by Matthew Ryan, Flood Risk & Drainage Manager
Tel
0161 603 4050 (provided for the 2022/23 report)
 
The
Drainage and Culvert Investment Programme seeks to ensure that the
efficiency of the highway and culvert drainage systems is
optimised. This will reduce the flooding impact and flooding
incidents which will protect against the consequences of extreme
weather conditions.
 
We
are seeing that more intense storms are becoming more frequent and
the impacts of these events, as demonstrated in September 2021. It
is possible that the impacts of climate change will be significant.
IN 2021 Greater Manchester received 15% over the annual average
rainfall. UK Climate Change Projections undertaken in 2018 projects
that this figure could rise to 40%.
 
It
is essential that consideration is given to future funding to not
only maintain the existing standard of protection provided by the
highway drainage system but to invest to provide the required
standard of protection to mitigate the effects of climate
change.
 
The
following documents have been used to assist the decision
process.
Report to Lead
Member
 
Contact Officer:        Steve Mangan           
           
Tel No 0161 603 4034
 
 
This matter is not subject to
consideration by another Lead Member.
 
The appropriate scrutiny panel
to call-in the decision is the Growth & Prosperity Scrutiny
Panel.
 
 

Signed: Councillor McCusker                       
Dated: 18th April 2023
Lead
Member for Planning, Transport & Sustainable
Development
 

 
FOR DEMOCRATIC SERVICES USE
ONLY
 
This decision was published on
19th April 2023.
 
This decision will come into effect at
4.00 p.m. on 26th April 2023, unless it is called-in in accordance with the
decision-making process rules.