Highways review performance
The Highways Review Panel made a number of recommendations which were unanimously agreed by all members.
In December 2022, the panel met to discuss progress. Over 85 per cent of the recommendations have been met with the other 15 per cent in progress to benefit residents across Nottinghamshire.
This has included all areas of highways management such as road inspections, improvement programmes and funding as well as maintenance treatments and repair techniques.
Additional repair teams
Achievements include an additional investment of £12m funding over the next four years that has enabled us to double the repair teams who are delivering twice the area of patching each day – meaning we’ve quadrupled the number of repairs.
Combined with a 106% increase in productivity through changed working methods, this has enabled us to repair the equivalent of over 20 miles of road using these methods and resulted in a 61% reduction in the use of Viafix, the short-term pothole repair.
More investment will be made in the coming year, which includes an increase in spend on footway improvements and drainage repairs across the county.
We will continue with our ‘right repair, right first time’ approach, working with partners and peers to monitor and improve upon our success.
Resident Survey Scheme
We have launched a feedback scheme for residents so that they can directly share their views with us on microasphalt schemes taking place on their road. This will take into account the quality of work undertaken and how informed they felt about the work taking place.
We are committed to listening to residents and acting on what we hear and further ‘pop up’ surveys are planned on site throughout the year.
Lengthsman Scheme
We have relaunched the traditional role of a parish Lengthsman in a bid to give local communities more say in the upkeep of their surroundings.
A Lengthsman is a term used for a person in charge of a particular length of road who maintains the weeds, grass and hedges that surround it. The term dates back to medieval times when he was required to "walk the length of the parish", to ensure that the ditches and drains were clear.
The Lengthsman Scheme will allow parishes to prioritise local activity to meet local need and will help recurring minor issues to be dealt with more efficiently.
41 parishes have signed up to the project. These are:
- Dunham Cluster, Mattersey Cluster, Newstead Cluster, Ollerton Cluster, Sturton Cluster
- Bleasby
- Carburton, Clipstone, Cotgrave, Cropwell Bishop
- Everton
- Farnsfield, Forest Town Community Project
- Langar cum Barnstone
- Mansfield BID, Mansfield Woodhouse, Misson
- Norton & Cuckney
- Rampton
- Selston Parish, Southwell
- Tuxford
- Woodborough
New Highways Hub
A new hub is now operational at the Bilsthorpe Highways Depot. The hub will improve the efficiency and quality of road repairs across Nottinghamshire by taking a coordinated approach.
The hub oversees the planning of works, along with the co-ordination of the county’s road maintenance teams. It has improved communications with residents, businesses, and road users ahead of and during works, ensuring people are better informed about improvements in their area ahead of the start of any schemes.
One of the main aims of the hub is to support the whole street approach to repairs, meaning that when works are taking place on a street, staff at the hub will consider what other works are required and co-ordinate them to take place under the same traffic management, reducing the need for more frequent road closures.