The Communities and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) was scheduled to meet on Wednesday, 25 March 2026, to discuss updates on highways maintenance and members' local improvement schemes. The committee was also set to review its work programme for the upcoming council year.

Highways Maintenance Update

A significant portion of the meeting was scheduled to be dedicated to an update on highways maintenance, building on a previous review by the OSC. The report pack indicated that the discussion would focus on progress made in addressing drainage issues and potholes across the county. The presentation materials highlighted the legal duty of the highway authority to maintain public highways, as outlined in Section 41(1) of the Highways Act 1980. It also detailed the defence available to the authority in cases of non-repair, as per Section 58(1) of the same Act, which requires demonstrating that reasonable care was taken to ensure the highway was not dangerous.

The scale of Northumberland's highway asset was presented, encompassing 3,200 miles of roads, 1,600 miles of footways, and numerous structures including bridges, culverts, and retaining walls. The report also detailed the annual revenue and capital budgets allocated for highway maintenance, street lighting, and the Local Transport Plan (LTP) for the 2025/26 financial year. A functional road hierarchy was outlined, categorising roads from major networks to local access roads, with corresponding inspection frequencies.

The presentation was expected to cover the processes for managing and maintaining the highway asset, including the Transport Asset Management Plan (TAMP), asset condition assessments, and the development of maintenance investment programmes. Information on reactive maintenance was to be provided, including the definition of a pothole and the intervention response times based on defect categories and road hierarchy. Performance data for reactive repairs across different areas of the county was also scheduled for review, alongside details of various repair types, such as individual defect repairs and capital-funded patching.

Innovations and best practices in highway maintenance were to be discussed, including the use of the Pothole Pro system and trials of new repair products. Capital expenditure on various highway maintenance schemes over several years was to be presented, along with the benefits of adopting a new three-year rolling Local Transport Plan, which aims to improve cost efficiency, delivery certainty, and operational performance. The use of camera-based surveys and artificial intelligence for defect detection was also on the agenda, as was an update on drainage maintenance, including the operation of gully cleaning tankers and a trial of gully sensors. The integration of data from various systems into a single source of truth was also to be explored.

Members' Local Improvement Schemes Overview

The committee was also scheduled to examine the processes and implementation of Members' Local Improvement Schemes (MLIS). The report pack indicated that these schemes are funded by £15,000 per councillor for capital projects that create or enhance assets with a life of over one year, adhering to CIPFA rules. The discussion was expected to cover compliance, conduct, and the process for engaging with Highways and Transport for guidance and feasibility checks. The eligibility criteria for schemes, including the requirement for capital expenditure only and examples of eligible projects, were to be detailed. The governance and assessment process for applications, including requirements for external bodies and the submission of MLIS forms, was also on the agenda. The presentation was to include details of schemes delivered between 2023 and 2026, with a breakdown of internal and external values, and examples of completed projects such as traffic calming measures and sports facilities. The importance of health and safety on highways, Construction Design and Management (CDM) responsibilities, and the benefits of using NCC Highways for project delivery were also to be highlighted, alongside insurance requirements for high-risk highway environments.

Communities and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme

The committee was asked to consider its work programme for the 2025/26 council year. The report outlined the committee's terms of reference, covering areas such as public safety, culture, leisure and tourism, roads and highways, environment, rural and farming, and housing and planning. It also listed issues scheduled for discussion in upcoming meetings, including the Member Small Schemes Overview, Highways Maintenance Update, Library Service Review, Civil Contingencies, Tree and Woodland Strategy, and Grounds Maintenance Review. The report also provided a summary of what the committee had examined in the previous year, including detailed examinations of highways maintenance, the North East Local Transport Plan, Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service's annual performance, storm resilience measures, and progress on the Great Northumberland Forest programme.