Agenda item

Report of the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport

The Select Committee considered the Executive Response, and accompanying Action Plan, to the final report and recommendations of the “Working Together to Address the Impact of  Heavy Goods Vehicles/HCVs on Roads in Staffordshire” Working Group.   The Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport recognised the work which had been undertaken by the Working Group and welcomed the conclusions and recommendations of their report.  Having reviewed the 24 recommendations it was noted that 11 of the recommendations would be completed by the end of 2016 and a further seven were the subject of on-going “business as usual” activities.  The remaining six recommendations had significant resource implications and had been placed on hold this financial year but would be considered for funding in 2017/18 alongside other priorities as part of the annual budget review process.  In terms of the specifics of the HCVs using the A515, some heavy goods traffic would need access to drop off/pick up in the communities along the route as well as communities served off the A515.  However, there was also potentially other heavy through traffic, but evidence was needed in able to understand this much better in order to put the right solution in place.  Work would be undertaken with local parish councils and local councillors to develop this evidence base.  Clearly any through HCV traffic should be encouraged to use the most appropriate route which minimised the impact on Staffordshire’s communities.  Work would also be undertaken with the local parish councils to consider any interim solutions.

The Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport expressed his gratitude to the Working Group for their comprehensive, detailed and thorough report. The Cabinet Member informed the Committee that he fully understood the serious issues and local difficulties involved and that it would be important to move forward in a measured way.  It was important to ensure the safe and efficient movement of goods and development of the local economy whilst taking into account individual’s quality of lives.

There were complex issues to be addressed, which would require a number of agencies to work together to find solutions.  To this end, a Staffordshire Freight Forum was to be set up, which would include representatives from Highways England, the Road Haulage Association and Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce along with officers from the county council.  It was agreed that it would be helpful for MPs to engage with this group, as well as local councillors.  The Cabinet Member suggested that it may be helpful to have a member of the Prosperous Staffordshire Select Committee on the Forum. The Chairman welcomed the invitation but said that it would be useful to look at the remit of the Forum, as it may be more appropriate for a member of another Select Committee to attend.  There were also plans to update Staffordshire’s Freight Strategy when funding was available.  It was queried whether the Forum would be accessible to the public and the minutes made available, in order for them to be involved and engaged.  The Cabinet Member responded that the group was in the early stages of being established but could not see why the content and discussions should not be public knowledge.

It was suggested that the County Council needed to be more proactive rather than reactive in its approach to finding funding, as it was a concern that those actions which had currently been put on hold would remain so when reported back in six months.  It was acknowledged that funding was an ongoing challenge, but that all available options would be proactively investigated. 

Members commented on the impact on the community when small rural businesses grow and the local road systems were not built to support them.  Routing plans on planning applications were therefore crucial, and local planning authorities should take into account the Freight Strategy and Local Strategy and should also look to site industrial developments close to major infrastructure. 

In relation to a query on the recommendation on road safety at the Richard Crosse School, the Cabinet Member commented that the safety of children and parents was of paramount importance and that all schools presented a challenge.  The County Council have a part to play, with initiatives such as “20 is Plenty” and “Ditch the Distraction” but that personal responsibility was also a key element.

Several members referred to traffic issues within their divisions, and the Chairman pointed out that the Working Group had focused on the two petitions which had been submitted to Full Council in May 2015, but that it had been emphasised that this was a county-wide problem.  The Cabinet Member agreed that it was not only county-wide but a national issue and that the Forum would be looking at issues in other divisions. 

It was queried how some of the recommendations would be enforced, given that personal experience had been that weight restrictions had been ignored and traffic barriers knocked down.  Members were informed that there was national guidance on reducing street clutter, based on evidence that this could have a positive effect on driver responsibility.  The comment was also made that enforcement should be easier with the development of modern technology and that legislation needed to be introduced around this.

Members welcomed the report and the proposals to establish a Freight Forum.

[Note by Clerk: In relation to recommendation 16 on the Action Plan, following a query on the wording, officers subsequently requested that the word “sighted on” be replaced with the words “made aware of”.]

RESOLVED – That:

a)    the formal response of the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport to the recommendations of the “Working Together to Address the Impact of Heavy Goods Vehicles/HCVs on Roads in Staffordshire” be received;

b)    the content of the accompanying action plan be noted;

c)     the Select Committee will monitor the action plan and implementation of the agreed recommendations on a six monthly exception basis, until all recommendations have been fully implemented.