Agenda item

The Committee was advised that the current procedure for the consideration of traffic management proposals by the Highway Advisory Committee often resulted in the service proposal being considered multiple times by the Advisory Committee.  It was proposed to streamline the work for the Advisory Committee while maintaining the consideration of representation on highway schemes.

The current terms of reference of the Committee were:

·                     To advise the Council’s Executive on local highway and traffic management schemes

·                     To consult objectors, and consider objections made to schemes

·                     To make recommendations to the Cabinet Member for Community Empowerment for the implementation of schemes.

The Committee Procedure Rules specific to the Committee were:

Highways Advisory Committee

(a)          The Highways Advisory Committee will consider all parking schemes which are not subject to officer delegation.

(b)          Where representations have been received to a scheme, one objector and one supporter shall have an opportunity to address the Committee.  The addresses shall not exceed six minutes (which means that each address shall not exceed 3 minutes) or such lesser time as the committee by resolution, either generally or in relation to a specific scheme, may agree.

(c)          The Chairman may use his/her discretion to allow more than one objector and/or one supporter to address the Committee.

(d)          A Councillor calling-in a scheme or speaking as a Ward Councillor shall be limited to four minutes in addressing the Committee.

The Head of StreetCare had only limited delegated powers to make decisions on highway schemes.  Currently the only schemes that fall within his delegation were:

·                     The creation, amendment and removal of disabled persons’ parking bays and footway parking bays

·                     Minor alterations to traffic management orders to enable implementation of approved proposals or continuation of traffic management schemes

·                     To authorise the issue of temporary traffic orders, temporary traffic notices and temporary prohibitions of waiting and loading.

Following consultation with the Administration, the working of the Committee had been reviewed, and it had been concluded that current procedures meant that a traffic proposal could be presented up to three times before a formal decision was reached, even though proposals were often relatively localised and of limited impact. The level of Member oversight involved appeared excessive compared with almost all other decisions made by the Council which affect the physical environment, and also resulted staff time being deployed on schemes having little or no likelihood of proceeding.  The role of the Committee as a forum for the public consideration of representations on proposals continued to be valuable, particularly given the ability for residents to address the Committee.

It is therefore proposed that the role and functioning of the Committee should be amended to streamline the current arrangements whilst maintaining the effective consideration of traffic schemes.

Accordingly, the Committee put forward the following proposals:

(a)          That the general practice of reporting draft schemes to the Committee prior to them being sent out for public consultation cease, but that the Head of StreetCare may refer a draft scheme to the committee if he considers it appropriate, with a minor change to the terms of reference to reflect this.

(b)          That the Head of StreetCare be authorised to determine whether initial requests for traffic schemes proceed further or not based on criteria approved by the Cabinet Member for Community Empowerment following consultation with the Committee.

(c)          That the traffic schemes which are fully delegated to the Head of StreetCare be extended to include ‘At any time’ waiting restrictions at bends and junctions.

(d)          That Paragraph (a) of the Committee Procedure Rules for the Committees be amended to “The Highway Advisory Committee will consider representations on all parking schemes which are not subject to officer delegation.”

(e)          That Highway related matters outside the terms of the Committee are no longer considered.

The necessary changes to the Council’s Constitution are set out in the Appendix to this report.

The Committee discussed and agreed the proposals, and also agreed with a suggestion put forward in discussion that members be notified weekly of all requests received for traffic schemes as part of Calendar Brief and that the Committee Procedure Rules and the Scheme of Delegation be amended accordingly.

The Committee RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to Council that the changes to the Highways Advisory Committee’s Terms of Reference and Procedure Rules and to the Head of StreetCare’s delegated powers set out in the attached Appendix to this Minute be approved.