Decision details

(1)       The Director’s update set out some of the key issues and developments in KHS.

(2)       A229 Blue Bell Hill – Crews worked 24 hours a day over 28-31 March weekend laying 5,500 tonnes of material using 3 paving machines over the 3km scheme length.  We successfully delivered on time and budget and a wash-up meeting had been held to learn lessons for the future and how this type of project delivery could be translated into smaller schemes. This was a great Alliance team effort and demonstrated the value of the long term relationship with Ringway and Jacobs.  BehdadHaratbar, Acting Head of Countywide Improvements led on the project.

(3)       Accommodation - Wrotham – Following discussions with KCC Planning Team and after seeking Counsel advice we had decided to withdraw from the Wrotham site and look for alternative location for the second major office/depot.  As the planning and construction process was likely to take 18 months we planned to move to consolidate staff in the Doubleday House complex once the new site at Ashford was completed.  This would mean that KHS staff would primarily operate from Ashford, Doubleday and Invicta House.  The Director, KHS was taking responsibility for this key project.

(4)       Potholes  – The effect of last year's wet summer, followed by the wet winter had caused damage to many roads resulting in potholes. To combat this, Kent Highway Services launched a blitz on potholes during April. We had redirected over 24 crews to focus on repairing only potholes and raised a high profile campaign of reporting with the public.  At its peak we were repairing over 3000 potholes a week.  The media and radio campaign had been successful in raising the awareness of who to report a pothole to and we planned a similar campaign in the Autumn.  Kim Hills, Head of Community Operations was leading on this.

(5)       New high profile vans – the first order of liveried vans has arrived to raise the profile of our inspectors and help drive the ‘keeping kent moving’ target.  We will shortly have over 60 vans around the county advertising the 08458 247 800 telephone number and the new red KHS logo.

(6)       Re-organising KHS – The new KHS structure was now around 90% populated with on-going recruitment processes both internal and external to fill the remaining posts.  We were finding some posts difficult to fill due to the market chasing a small number of people with specialist skills.  We continued to use recruitment fairs to attract new talent to the Alliance.  Staff were bedding down in their new roles and teams and staff development/training had started to ensure everyone was clear on their roles and how to use the new technology that had started to be rolled out.  The changes to the Environment and Regeneration Directorate Resources Division would have an impact on the Business, Performance and Communications Group and the Finance Group and the Director, KHS was working closely with Adam Wilkinson to ensure this did not affect service delivery on the front line.

(7)       Highways Agency Area 4 Contract –  as previously reported to the Board,  KCC, Ringway and Jacobs were creating a joint venture company to bid for the Highways Agency (HA) Area 4 contract.  If successful we would be maintaining the motorways and trunk roads in Kent (and parts of West and East Sussex) and take over from the current provider InterRoute.  We had a long way to go yet but we had recently been told we had made the tender list and completed the Highways Agency assessment process they called CAT - Capability Assessment Tool.  This was a bit like a school 'Ofsted' inspection and was an assessment just of the KCC part of the KHS Alliance.  Ringway and Jacobs had already been assessed and had a very good score of their own.

        We achieved a score of 167.8, the highest score from the 40 contractors and consultants who had gone through the assessment process up to three times was 187.  So for our first assessment we were pretty pleased with our score.

            The assessment was made up of 24 separate parts and the good news is that all our scores were above the 'Operationally Effective'  rating with 10 being rated as 'Strategically Valuable' and 3 rated as 'External Differentiator' (and we think two of these were the highest CAT scores recorded).   The lead CAT assessor said ‘ KCC had created a unique alliance structure and this was bringing benefits across the service and access to greater expertise and resources that would be available in a traditionally structured arrangement.  Coupled with the inherent focus on social responsibility that comes with being a County Council, this gives a highly distinctive character to KCC compared with other suppliers in the CAT program’.

            The assessment report was a very useful check in the progress of KHS and had some very useful improvement actions that we would be taking forward.

(8)       The Board noted the positive progress being made to improve service delivery and supported to staff as the organisational changes bedded in.