Councillor Barry Tebbutt, Cabinet Member for Environment, introduced the report

Cabinet was informed that the report considered the rationale behind the LB of Havering joining the London Permit Scheme (LoPS), and provided details of the steps that would need to be taken to join the scheme.  Joining the LoPS would enable greater control and regulation of Street Works, allowing the Borough to meet its Network Management Duty under Part 3 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 and the Traffic Management Permit Schemes (England) Regulations 2007 (the Regulations).

The LoPS had been designed to encourage better planning and management of road works, which was driving forward reductions in congestion across London’s road network.  This in turn was delivering benefits for the economy and the environment and improving the quality of people’s daily journeys.

26 London Boroughs, TfL and the City of London had joined the LoPS in a series of three previous phases of implementation.  The pathway to adopting LoPS was now clearly set up, with a standard route to implementation established.  The earlier adopters had not faced any challenges or significant difficulties in operating the scheme.

Reasons for the decision:

It was recommended that the Council agree to the introduction of the Permit Scheme to control and manage potential disruption on the Borough’s streets as part of its statutory responsibility under the Traffic Management Act to manage the road network to secure, as far as may be reasonably practicable, the expeditious movement of traffic.

The Permit Scheme would serve to move towards this objective and would be adopted by all other London Highway Authorities by the end of the current tranche.

Overall there would be no net financial cost to the Borough and there was the potential to make significant improvements in managing and controlling unacceptable obstructions of the highway.

The scheme would contribute to the delivery of a number of Council objectives since better management of street works and consequent reductions in congestion would support economic activity, increase safety and improve conditions for residents.  The use of permit fees to cover the costs incurred would allow the Council to deliver an improved service at no additional cost to local residents.

Other options considered:

The Council could continue to manage street works under the current noticing system indefinitely, or could opt to join LoPS at a later date.  Both of these options might contain risks for the Council.

Within the current tranche of entry to LoPS, a high level of support was being provided by colleagues from the lead borough (Hammersmith and Fulham) and from TfL.  Should Havering choose to defer joining the scheme until a later date, it would be likely that the level of external support available would be reduced and the Borough could face increased joining costs.

In the current economic climate there was increasing pressure on Local Authorities to reduce costs through the adoption of working practices that delivered efficiencies, with joint procurement of services by groups of boroughs becoming increasingly common.  Should Havering decide not to join LoPS, it would be managing street works in a different way to all other London Highway Authorities.  This could create problems for Havering in future joint procurement exercises for highway services. 

The London Mayor placed a high priority on the effective management of street works and the outstanding boroughs were being actively encouraged to join LoPS.  Havering had close links with the Mayor, GLA and TfL, and given this context of strong partnership working arrangements with these groups, it was considered prudent for the Borough to progress towards entry of LoPS. 

Cabinet AGREED to

1.                  Proceed with an application to the Secretary of State for Transport to join the London Permit Scheme, subject to the outcome of consultation.

2.                  Delegate authority to the Group Director for Culture and Community, in consultation with the appropriate Cabinet Members, to take all actions necessary to implement the London Permit Scheme and to vary permit fees as required to ensure that permit fees met, but did not exceed, the operating costs of the scheme.

3.                  Delegate authority to the Group Director for Culture and Community, in consultation with the appropriate Cabinet Members, to recruit additional staff to the New Roads and Street Works Act team or revise existing structures as required to meet the needs of the service, in accordance with Council policies and procedures, on the basis that posts would be self-financing.