Minutes:
Alyn Jones from SCC provided an update on the Exmoor Area Panel Pilot LCN. The pilot was one of 4 being trialled in Somerset, but the only pilot to be dealing with SCC highways matters.
The first step had already been undertaken. This was to visit the parishes on Exmoor and take feedback on the planning of works, response to defects and current service standards. The main areas of work discussed were hedge/tree cutting, drainage and gully clearance. The use of local contractors and resources to enable quicker completion of the work was also highlighted.
The next step is for the feedback to be circulated to the parishes for verification. The various comments had also been shared with SCC’s main contractor for comment.
A scoping document for a Parish Steward Scheme is being put together. This would be for a trained operative of SCC to work directly with the parishes and contractor, to target problem areas and tackle the quick wins (such as reported defects). The Parish Steward would also liaise with landowners about their responsibilities and feedback more complex issues to the Highways team.
The following points were made from the floor during the discussion: -
· What is a Local Community Network (LCN)? How does it work?
o It is a recognised group or community who come together to influence and commission local services. They may not actually undertake the work themselves but inform and make decisions about how it can be done. There is currently a LCN pilot in Frome which has been set up to influence the work of the Children and Families pilot, and the Exmoor Area Panel will be influencing the Highways Pilot. These pilot schemes are trials and if successful will influence the way LCN are established in the new Unitary Council across a variety of themes.
· How will the SCC Highway programme of works be affected once the Councils merge? What will happen to any outstanding issues?
o As SCC will be a continuing authority there will be no change to the daily routines and service agreements. It is hoped that the Parish Steward will be able to address quick fixes and feedback via the LCN more complex issues.
· How will the current issues that have already been highlighted be addressed? Some of the workflows in certain areas are not managed adequately and need topping up. A conversation needs to be had about how this can be achieved. (For example a hedge that needs cutting back more than the current once a year. It needs doing at least twice to ensure visibility is adequate on the Highway. This is a persistent problem).
o Has it been reported? If it’s reported and is considered a danger it will be dealt with through the usual defect reporting process. This is the type of enquiry that the Parish Steward would address as part of their work-stream. If it’s a service level issue then that would be looked into and conversations would be had around revising the contract and funding the additional work.
· Some of the parishes expressed satisfaction with the online defect reporting system. Opinion varied but it was considered a good way of registering defects, getting an acknowledgement, and progressing the work.
· Hedge-cutting. This could be the responsibility of the landowner, but the SCC standard may need reviewing. Local contractors could be employed to undertake this type of maintenance work.
· The Parish Steward may be able to influence the cyclical maintenance, but their main area of responsibility would be the simple reactionary work that can be easily fixed.
· Concern was expressed about where the lines of responsibility fell. Who would be liable if there was a point of failure? The contractor will only undertake work relating to Highway Maintenance so what happens in those “grey areas” where the boundaries may not be clear?
o The Parish Steward may not be able to address those issues directly but they would be able to feed those concerns back to the Highways Team and work on a resolution. Communication is vitally important to ensure that the parishes, contractor and SCC Team are working collaboratively.
· The Parish Steward will be a paid employee post, funded by SCC for the duration of the LCN pilot. They would take direction on their work from the parishes within current service level agreements. Main areas of responsibility would be tackling the response work.
· How can Utility Companies be brought back to rectify work that doesn’t meet the service standard, and then results in defects?
o One way would be to call the contractor/operator to account. Invite them to meet the Area Panel and or LCN to discuss the complaints and understand first-hand what the issues are.
Alyn Jones said that he would return to the Area Panel in January. Once the Scoping Document has been agreed, the plan is to mobilise, test and govern the pilot. Alyn stressed that the scheme needs to be easy to manage and not overly bureaucratic.