Issue - meetings

Graham Rusling (Public Rights of Way and Access Service Manager) was in attendance for this item.

1.    Mr M Hill, OBE (Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services) introduced the report that provided an overview of the Public Rights of Way (PROW) asset management plan 2019 and informed Members of the ongoing annual investment requirements to maintain the asset in a steady state. Mr Hill commended the officers and their continued endeavours to maintain standards in spite of the significant investment gap.

2.    Mrs Stewart (Director of Environment, Planning and Enforcement) reiterated Mr Hill’s commendations and the ongoing efforts to increase investment in the service, however, the secured investment was considerably less than the required amount to sustain service provisions and mitigate risks due to the strain on current resources to prioritise assets.

3.    Mr Rusling informed Members that the Asset Management Plan 2019 brought benefits in targeting investment in the network, managing risk and evaluating new products and materials which would help reduce long term expenditure and sought approval to adopt the revised plan and its approach to managing risk.

4.    Officers responded to comments and questions as follows:

(a)  Members commended the work of the officers involved in delivering the service and asked that their thanks be recorded in recognition of their ongoing endeavours.

(b)  The officer noted Members’ request for innovative pilot schemes of shared cycle ways and invited Members to share their ideas with the Public Rights of Way team.

(c)   Mr Rusling informed Members that the report focused on the Asset Management Plan, however, it sat within a suit of policy documents. The key, overarching document was the Public Rights of Way improvement Plan which Kent County Council had a statutory obligation to produce and emphasised the importance of the public rights of way network to tourism, active travel, health and the local economy.

(d)  Mr Hill welcomed the cross-party recommendation for increased funding where opportunities arose.

5.    It was RESOLVED that the proposed decision (19/00065) to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory services to agree:

(a)  The Public Rights of Way and Access Service Asset Management Plan,

(b)  The approach taken to managing the risks associated with not fully funding the maintenance of the PRoW network in line with asset management principles; and

(c)   The proposed Service Level Risk Assessments which set out our approach to the management of risk on the PRoW network,

be endorsed.