The Environment, Economic Growth and Transport Scrutiny Committee of Lancashire County Council met on Thursday, 23 April 2026, to discuss the gully cleaning policy, street lighting column structural surveys, and the committee's work programme. Key decisions included the agreement to review the criteria for gully cleaning to ensure a better balance between proactive maintenance and resident reassurance, and the recommendation to increase funding for drainage works. The committee also agreed to a new prioritisation system for street lighting column replacements, focusing on safety and community impact.

Gully Cleaning Policy

The committee reviewed the current gully cleaning policy, which has shifted from a reactive to a planned, preventative maintenance regime. This change, implemented in January 2025, aims to improve efficiency and value for money by cleaning all highway gully assets over a two-year intensive programme. While this has led to a significant reduction in reactive cleaning costs, concerns were raised by councillors regarding the restrictiveness of the current criteria for reactive cleans.

Several councillors, including County Councillor David Whipp and County Councillor Paul Stubbins, highlighted instances where issues such as water running down streets, ice formation, and impassable footways were not being addressed promptly, leading to resident dissatisfaction. They argued that the current criteria might be too strict and that supplementary guidance was needed to ensure a more balanced approach.

In response, Kirsty Williams, Interim Head of Service Highways Operations and Design, acknowledged these concerns and stated that the council was reviewing the policy and gathering data to inform a new five-year cyclic programme. The committee agreed to recommend that the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport review the gully cleaning policy with a view to widening the criteria and considering extenuating circumstances. They also recommended that any supplementary guidance developed be shared with all councillors to improve understanding of the assessment criteria.

Further discussions focused on the significant backlog of unfunded drainage improvement schemes, estimated at £7.15 million for 1,430 schemes. The committee recommended that the Cabinet increase funding for drainage works to address this backlog. Additionally, the committee proposed that the Cabinet pursue urgent structural funding for drainage work on the M65 motorway, which is estimated to cost £15 million.

Concerns were also raised about communication regarding gully cleaning. Councillor Whipp proposed a recommendation that the Cabinet review how information is communicated to residents who report blocked gullies, ensuring that the messages reflect the reality of the timescale for action to avoid misleading residents and reduce duplicate reporting.

Street Lighting Column Routine Structural Surveys

The committee reviewed the approach to the removal and prioritisation of replacement of street lighting columns. Paul Binks, Highways Asset Manager, explained that Lancashire County Council has a duty of care to maintain its lighting stock in a safe condition, even though it does not have a statutory duty to provide lighting. He highlighted that a significant number of lighting columns are over 40 years old, with 23,832 columns in this age bracket as of March 2026. The current condition of this aging stock is considered POOR and is expected to deteriorate further.

The current methodology for assessing column risk is based on Guidance Note 22 (GN22), which considers factors such as material type, location, and age. This assessment identifies columns that require testing and, if necessary, removal. However, it was noted that there is a budget shortfall for replacing all columns that are recommended for removal, leading to 295 columns being removed and not replaced (stumped ) as of March 2026.

County Councillor David Whipp raised concerns about community safety, noting that the removal of lighting columns, particularly on country lanes, can lead to residents feeling unsafe. He proposed a recommendation to introduce a notification process whereby councillors for the affected areas are informed when a street lighting column is removed and not immediately replaced, including the reason for removal. This would allow councillors to communicate with residents and explain the rationale.

County Councillor Paul Stubbins supported this, suggesting that a third priority be added to the replacement system, focusing on locations where removal could significantly impact actual or perceived personal safety, particularly for vulnerable groups. He also proposed widening the notification process to include local police, who could provide input based on crime statistics.

The committee agreed to recommend that the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport consider:

• Increasing the budget for street lighting column replacement.
• Introducing a notification process for councillors and local police when lighting columns are removed and not immediately replaced.
• Adding a third priority to the replacement system that considers locations where removal could significantly impact personal safety.

The committee also discussed the potential for repairing or strengthening older columns as an alternative to immediate replacement, and the integration of Electric Vehicle (EV) chargepoints into street lighting columns, noting that a pilot project is underway.

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

The committee noted its work programme for the 2025/26 municipal year. This included planned reviews of various topics such as the Repairing Our Road Network – Overview of the TAMP and Household Waste Recycling Centres. The committee also noted formal written responses from Cabinet Members regarding previous recommendations on Household Waste Recycling Centres and Get Lancashire Working.

An in-year request to review streetlighting structural surveys was added to the work programme, with a report to be presented at the next scheduled meeting on 23 April 2026. The committee also discussed the upcoming meeting schedule and the process for proposing new topics for future work programmes.

The committee agreed to a recommendation to review the criteria for gully cleaning to ensure a better balance between proactive maintenance and resident reassurance. They also recommended an increase in funding for drainage works and the pursuit of urgent structural funding for the M65 motorway. For street lighting, the committee recommended a new prioritisation system for column replacements, focusing on safety and community impact, and a notification process for councillors and local police when columns are removed.