The Joint meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee and the Place & Environment Scrutiny Committee recommended to the Scrutiny Management Board the establishment of a nine-member Task and Finish Group. This group will be drawn from cross-party membership of both committees and will undertake a detailed review of the Highways Maintenance Contract. The review will encompass the council's strategic approach to highways maintenance, the delivery of outcomes for residents, performance against agreed standards, and the effectiveness of contract management and oversight arrangements.

Highways Maintenance Contract Review

The joint committee recommended to the Scrutiny Management Board the establishment of a nine-member Task and Finish Group. This group will be drawn from cross-party membership of both committees and will undertake a detailed review of the Highways Maintenance Contract. The review will encompass the council's strategic approach to highways maintenance, the delivery of outcomes for residents, performance against agreed standards, and the effectiveness of contract management and oversight arrangements.

During the meeting, Councillor Jim Hakewill proposed the formation of this group, noting that similar discussions had taken place at a previous meeting on April 2nd, 2026. He suggested that volunteers from both committees should express their interest in joining the group and contribute ideas for its terms of reference. Councillor Emily Fedorowycz seconded the proposal, emphasizing the need for ongoing scrutiny to delve into the contract's details, which could not be adequately covered in a single meeting. She also proposed that the joint scrutiny committee meet quarterly, with the Task and Finish group feeding into these meetings.

Councillor David Baker supported the proposal, suggesting that the Scrutiny Management Board would ultimately decide on the structure and terms of reference for the working group. He highlighted the importance of clear terms of reference for the group to effectively scrutinise the contract. Councillor Fedorowycz then formally proposed that members of the joint scrutiny panel should submit their priority topics or lines of questioning for the working group via email or a form, to aid in the development of the terms of reference. This was agreed upon, with the understanding that this information would be collated and presented to the Scrutiny Management Board.

The meeting also heard from Philip Finch-Archer, a resident and data scientist, who expressed concerns about the governance and performance metrics of the highways maintenance contract. He cited a severe operational collapse in public-facing reactive services, with customer request handling for pothole repairs plummeting to 44% in March, far below the contractual standard of 100%. Finch-Archer also stated that the contractor's operational failure rate on monthly metrics reached nearly 31%. He challenged the notion that weather was the primary cause, noting that granular data only cited weather as the root cause for a small number of incidents.

Councillor Chris McGiffin, the Executive Member for Highways and Travel, acknowledged the challenges, attributing many issues to an unprecedented winter and a lack of investment in highways over the past three decades. He presented figures indicating a significant funding gap, with an estimated £380 million needed to bring the road network up to a serviceable standard, compared to the £18 million allocated for the current year. He highlighted that half of this year's budget was being spent on preventative maintenance, such as resurfacing and surface dressing, with plans to increase this significantly next year.

Jonathan Pearson, Head of Highways Delivery, provided further details on the contract, which commenced in September 2022 and has a potential term of up to 14 years. He explained the governance structure, comprising a fortnightly delivery group, a monthly management board, and a quarterly strategic board. Pearson also discussed performance metrics, noting that the winter period had impacted KPIs, leading to the adoption of a leave no defect behind approach. This strategy, while aiming for more comprehensive repairs and reducing repeat visits, has had an impact on certain KPIs related to repair timescales. He also mentioned the national Road Maintenance Ratings, where North Northamptonshire was classified as an amber authority, indicating areas for improvement in preventative maintenance. The presentation concluded by outlining ongoing improvements, including enhanced data intelligence, AI inspections, and improved asset management processes.