Agenda item

Mr R Thomas (Chairman, Highway Improvement Plans Short Focused Inquiry) and Mr G Romagnuolo (Research Officer) were in attendance for this item.

1.    The Committee were presented with the Highway Improvement Plan (HIP) Short Focused Inquiry’s report, for approval, and submission to the Leader and relevant Cabinet Members including a request for a formal response to the recommendations within two months. The report included the Inquiry’s headline findings; communication and engagement; training; enforcement; funding; and the Inquiry’s 5 recommendations.

2.    Mr Thomas introduced the Short Focused Inquiry’s report. He explained that the Inquiry focused on four key issues: context; funding; governance; and possible improvements. He gave an overview of the witnesses which gave evidence to the Inquiry, which included: Kent Association of Local Councils (KALC); the Road Safety Foundation; KCC’s Road Safety and Active Travel Group; and Kent Police, giving thanks to them for their contributions. The Inquiry’s recommendations were detailed, with it noted that better: communication; guidance in unparished areas; training; enforcement; and funding were required to realise sustained improvements.

3.    A Member commented that recommendation 5, “that KCC’s Road Safety and Active Travel Group should urge the relevant planning officers to consider HIPs when allocating the funding from developer contributions. This should be done at the earliest opportunity in the planning process,” would be difficult to implement consistently and required a greater understanding of the issues faced in unparished areas, in order to successfully secure planning obligations through Section 278 agreements.

4.    The importance of managing community expectation, including on the deliverability of schemes contained within HIPs, was highlighted by a Member. They added that the further Member training recommended in the report would help to streamline the HIP development process and ensure clear communication with communities.

5.    A Member noted that there were inherent difficulties with the funding of highway priorities and infrastructure improvements in both parished and unparished area, which had not been fully addressed in the report. They stressed the importance of HIPs factoring in Local Plan priorities, whilst also maximising the use of Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy contributions.

6.    The Chairman agreed to consider a future item on Joint Transportation Boards, following comments by the Committee, which noted that their effectiveness varied across the county.

7.    A Member emphasised the importance of promoting joint working between adjacent parish and town councils, in order to ensure that there was a shared awareness of other authorities’ HIP priorities.

8.    Members commended the report’s emphasis on the importance of providing local Members with revised guidance and information on HIPs, alongside in-person and virtual training.

9.    A Member asked that the criteria for new speed cameras, impact of pilots and oversight by the Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership be explored further, including the possibility of self-financing solutions.

10.Following a request from a Member, the Chairman assured Members that Scrutiny would closely monitor, after to the Executive response, the progress made to consider and implement the SFI’s recommendations.

11.A Member asked that a comment on the importance of communications and partnership with district, boroughs and city councils during their developments of Local Plans be included in the Chairman’s covering letter to the Executive.

12.Members commented that the number of parish and town councils in Kent, cited as 309 in the report, needed to be corrected to 321, to include non-KALC affiliated councils and that the report needed to explain that Highways Improvement Plans were permitted in non-parished areas.

13.The Chairman assured the Committee that their comments would be incorporated into his letter to the Executive which would accompany the Short Focused Inquiry report.

RESOLVED to approve the Short Focused Inquiry Report into Highway Improvement Plans, and that it be submitted to the Leader and relevant Cabinet Members along with a request for a formal response to the recommendations within two months.