Agenda item

To include feedback on the Highways Subgroup Meeting – minutes attached.

Kali Martin was introduced to the panel as the new West Somerset Area Highways Manager. He lived locally on Exmoor and was acutely aware of the current issues around winter maintenance and communications with the parishes. He was going to be monitoring the work of the Highways Steward and following up on concerns around diversions and routine maintenance.

He advised that the work on the A39 at Selworthy had been completed, but there would be a requirement to return and repair some gullies that had been damaged by heavy machinery whilst the resurfacing works were being carried out. This had been picked up in the post-work inspection. It necessitated a return visit, and the work would be undertaken under temporary traffic lights in the week commencing 20 March.

Exford Landslip

It was asked when the public meeting was going to be held to advise of the works that would be taking place in May and communicate to residents and businesses. Kevin Bridgwater, informed the Panel that the work was still being assessed by the Bridges and Structures Team and that no date for the commencement of the works had yet been finalised. Site surveys and analytics were still be carried out into the best way to stabilise the carriageway. A contract would then be drawn up and put out to tender. All of this would take time to implement.

Parish representatives from Exford and Cutcombe expressed bitter disappointment at the delay and stated that not clearing the grips was going to cause further problems to the structure of the road. The Chair intervened and said the correct place to have the debate would be at the next Highways Sub-group meeting, when all the facts could be presented, and a more informed discussion could take place.

It was agreed that the communications around the scheme needed to be transparent so that all parties knew what was happening, allowing businesses and residents to plan accordingly.

Salt bins/bags

14 Grit bins have been distributed to parishes as a result of devolved funding requests. Bins are 220L capacity and fastened via a hasp and staple. (6 black bins were allocated to Withypool and Hawkridge, whilst the remainder were yellow). The bins were delivered by the Highway Steward, providing a good opportunity for the highway wardens to meet him.

There was some reluctance on the part of parishes to put out empty salt bins, and it was requested that SCC Highways liaise with them about this, to prevent the new containers from going missing. Kevin Bridgwater advised that it was the contractor’s responsibility to do the filling, and it wasn’t always known when this would happen.

The parishes need to notify Highways advising where the new bins are located so that they can update their maps. They need to be sited 450mm away from the public highway and clearly visible. A what3words location point would be the most useful point of reference.

Parishes needed to let SCC know when their salt stocks needed replenishing, so that they can meet the demands of the winter weather. An email should be sent to countyroads-westsom@somerset.gov.uk.

Highway Steward Update

Please click here to access the Exmoor LCN – Highway Steward Job Request.

It is important that work requests are reported as separate items so that jobs do not get missed on the worksheet. Please use one request per parish area, and remember he is a single operative so will be unable to undertake works of a technical nature or that require traffic management. The team are also looking into how the work request form can be enhanced by allowing maps and photographs to be uploaded into the work planner. Tim Williams has now caught up with outstanding jobs from December and is working through his routine and cyclical works.

Urgent works such as blocked drains should be reported via the defects portal to ensure a swift response. General repairs such as potholes, road damage and other problems outside of your parish boundary should continue to be reported via the SCC online portal. www.somerset.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/report-a-problem-on-the-road/.

The Highway Steward will be active around the district in his truck which is a Milestone vehicle.

Exmoor Pilot – Satisfaction Surveys

Can parishes please complete the following satisfaction surveys, so that the team can determine what is working and what needs to be done? Thank you to those who have already done this.

·         Highway Steward Satisfaction survey

·         Parish Online usage survey -