The Environment, Economic Growth and Transport Scrutiny Committee reviewed the council's gully cleaning policy and street lighting structural survey approach, making recommendations for improvements to both. The committee also noted the work programme for the upcoming year and received updates on various council initiatives.

Gully Cleaning Policy

The committee discussed the revised gully cleaning regime, which has shifted from a reactive to a planned, preventative maintenance approach. This change, implemented in January 2025, aims to improve efficiency and value for money by cleaning all highway gullies over a two-year intensive programme. While the new approach has significantly reduced reactive cleaning costs, councillors raised concerns about the lack of specific cleansing dates for residents and the potential for criteria to be too strict, leading to issues being missed.

Key points raised and discussed included:

• Cost Savings: The shift to a cyclic cleanse has reduced costs from £140 per reactive clean to £9.31 per planned clean, allowing more of the network to be maintained within the existing budget.
• Resident Concerns: Councillors highlighted that residents are unhappy with not knowing when gullies will be cleaned and that some issues, such as continuous water streaming down streets or the risk of ice formation, are not being adequately addressed by the current criteria.
• Underground Drainage: Concerns were raised about the significant backlog of unfunded drainage improvement schemes, estimated at £7.15 million for 1,430 identified projects, which are compounding problems with blocked drains.
• Recommendations: The committee agreed to recommend that the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport review the gully cleansing criteria to ensure it is not too restrictive and to consider supplementary guidance that captures issues like ice formation and flooding of footways. They also recommended an increase in the capital budget for drainage works to address the backlog and a review of communication with residents regarding the timescale for addressing reported issues. A further recommendation was made to pursue Department for Transport funding for drainage work on the M65.

Street Lighting Column Routine Structural Surveys

The committee reviewed the approach to the removal and prioritisation of replacement of street lighting columns, acknowledging the significant number of older columns and the challenges of maintaining them within budget.

Key points discussed included:

• Aging Stock: Lancashire has a high density of street lighting, with 23,832 columns over 40 years old, and the current condition of the stock is considered POOR.
• Prioritisation: A risk-based approach, guided by GN22 (Guidance Note 22), is used to identify columns for inspection and potential removal. However, the budget for replacement is insufficient to address all removed columns immediately, leading to 295 columns being stumped (removed and not replaced) as of March 2026.
• Community Safety: Councillors expressed concerns that the removal of lighting columns, particularly isolated ones on country lanes or estates, negatively impacts community safety and residents' feelings of security. They questioned how community safety data is factored into the prioritisation process.
• Funding Gap: There is a significant gap between the estimated £14 million needed to replace all aging columns and the allocated budget.
• Recommendations: The committee made several recommendations:
  • To add a third priority to the replacement system, focusing on locations where removal could significantly reduce actual or perceived personal safety, particularly for vulnerable groups.
  • To implement a notification process for councillors and local police when a street lighting column is removed and not immediately replaced, providing the reason for removal and likely replacement timeframe.
  • To explore the potential for repairing or strengthening older concrete and metal columns as a cost-saving measure.
  • To request the Cabinet Member to consider increasing the budget allocation for street lighting.
  • To ensure partnership working with local police and PCSOs when considering lighting needs, particularly in relation to crime prevention.

Environment, Economic Growth and Transport Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2025/26

The committee noted the work programme for the 2025/26 municipal year, which outlines planned scrutiny activities. They also noted formal written responses from Cabinet Members regarding previous recommendations on Household Waste Recycling Centres and the Get Lancashire Working initiative. The committee discussed the scheduling of future meetings and the importance of setting clear expectations for meeting end times, especially when Cabinet Members have other commitments.