Pothole Fund Application Form

Guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pothole-fund-2014-to- 2015-application

Only one application form should be completed per local highway authority.

Applicant Information

Local authority name: Cheshire East Council

Bid Manager Name and position: Gary Mallin – Network Manager

Name and position of officer with day to day responsibility for delivering the proposed scheme.

Contact telephone number: 01270 686342 Email address: [email protected] Postal address: Floor 6 Delamere House Crewe Cheshire CW1 2LL

When authorities submit a bid for funding to the Department, as part of the Government’s commitment to greater openness in the public sector under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, they must also publish a version excluding any commercially sensitive information on their own website within two working days of submitting the final bid to the Department. The Department reserves the right to deem the business case as non-compliant if this is not adhered to.

Please specify the weblink where this bid will be published: http://www.cheshireeasthighways.org/Contact-and-applications/Service-Aims-and- Objectives/Pothole-Fund-Application.aspx

SECTION A – Your Highway

The Department would like to understand more about the highway assets that fall under your statutory duties.

We already collect data from your authority in regards to road lengths but we would like to understand more about the other assets you are responsible for. Please answer the following in your application:

A1: What is the number of bridges owned by your authority with span over 1.5 metres?

Cheshire East Council (CEC) own 690 bridges with a span over 1.5 metres

A2: What is the total number of street lighting columns under your authority’s responsibility?

CEC have 40,174 street lights

A3: What is the total number of street lighting columns under your authority’s responsibility over 40 years old?

CEC have 11,682 street lighting columns over 40 years old

A4: What is the total length of footways under the responsibility of your authority (in miles)? CEC have 1,921 miles of footways

A5: What is the total length of off road cycleways under the responsibility of your authority (in miles)?

CEC does not hold exact information on off road cycleways other than 96 miles of PROW can be used by cyclists.

A6: Please provide a weblink to your authority’s statement of how the flood recovery funding, awarded in March 2014, has/will be spent: http://www.cheshireeasthighways.org/Roadworks-Centre/Severe-Weather-Recovery- Scheme.aspx

2 SECTION B – Potholes

B1: Which of the recommendations arising from the Pothole Review Report has your authority adopted?

Recommendation 1: Cheshire East Council is working to the latest HMEP code of practices and adopting recommendations made by the pothole review. Recommendation 2: CEC have participated in the NHT Satisfaction survey for many years and also canvases satisfaction levels of its residents and elected members. Results are monitored and taken in to consideration for local highway maintenance policies. Recommendation 3: All forms of communication outlets are utilised including Service Information Centre web site, Twitter, newsletters, press releases, drop in sessions. Web based fault reporting and tracking system in place with pothole policy detailed within the web site. Recommendation 4: CEC have recognised the importance of economic benefits of a good highway network and invested £23m over two years from 2013/14 alongside the DfT Pothole fund of £2.2m provided over the same period. Recommendation 5: CEC have a three year medium term financial strategy and three year plan in place which is reviewed and updated on an annual basis. Recommendation 6: Road condition surveys are used for both capital and revenue highway maintenance. Individual pothole safety defect repairs are logged and this information is also used for the following years planned maintenance. CEC have a two year £23m investment programme in structural/preventative maintenance. Recommendation 7: CEC has an integrated highway service provided by Ringway Jacobs and companies are available both in house and with its shareholder companies (Jacobs and Eurovia) to ensure up to date design specification and materials. Recommendation 8: In conjunction with Recommendation 7, fully up to date sector guidance and DfT advice is used to ensure the use of appropriate materials for the right site. Recommendation 9: CEC have a detailed risk based maintenance policy. This policy details extensive categorisation of defects including dimensions and response times based on an assessment of risk by road class. Recommendation 10: CEC maintenance policy adopts 'right first time' approach. Temporary repairs are only utilised on sites with safety concerns, i.e. high speed roads and also in severe weather situations. All are followed up with a permanent repair. CEC have developed a three level strategy for improving network condition. Recommendation 11: CEC have a detailed inspection manual to support implementation of the inspection policy. Highways inspectors are trained, qualified and competent (Lantra Awarded City and Guilds 301 and 311 Highway Safety Inspections). Recommendation 12: CEC use fully electronic data capture method for identification of potholes utilising tablet based GPS technology with data transfer to maintenance crews PDA’s. PDA technology is used for the management / repairs of potholes so that full before and after photographs plus accurate location is recorded in our asset management system. Recommendation 13: CEC follow the guidance provided in the ADEPT report pothole and repair techniques for local highway. This includes permanent repairs; 3 saw cut edges; use of hot mix materials; use of permanent cold material repair systems; use of innovative repair techniques such as indirect heat (Infrared) and jet patching. Recommendation 14: CEC integrated service provider is Lloyds Register quality assured and the scope of their approval is inspections, maintenance, design and construction of highway infrastructure, improvement and associated structures. Recommendation 15: Works on CEC highway network is coordinated through the street works management team who manage both internal and external works promoters on the network. New surfacing schemes etc. are managed and protected for up to five years (section 58 and 58a NRSWA) based on good asset management practice. Recommendation 16: CEC promote alternative and innovative ways of working including solar and wind powered warning signs and encourage utility providers on the CEC network to consider minimising long term damage by adopting minimal dig/trenchless techniques where possible. Recommendation 17: CEC integrated service provider regularly attend HMEP seminars and the like to ensure that awareness of up to date research is available. Senior members of the company are also officers in the HTMA which also promotes latest research and innovative techniques.

The report can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/3995/potho le-review.pdf?

Please answer the following, including providing supporting information, where applicable:

Question Yes/No All ‘yes’ answers must be supported evidence.

Please append supporting information, clearly marking the question number to which the information refers. A. Has your authority Yes No Cheshire East has aligned its maintenance aligned its programmes both annually and on a longer maintenance strategic view as embedded in the Authority’s programme to the Local Transport Plan and Medium Term Financial Government’s Strategy. Once we are aware of the DfT’s highways maintenance Highway Maintenance Block funding settlements funding years (i.e. for 2015-2021 maintenance programmes will be 2011-2015 and 2015- aligned to these budgets, allowing the highway 2021)? asset to be maintained in the most efficient and effective way.

Evidence: Refer to Appendix 1 CEC 3 year plan Web links to LTP B. Has your authority Yes No Cheshire East Highways have adopted a clear adopted the principle three stage strategy to deal with carriageway that ‘prevention is defects. The approach clearly defines the desired better than cure’ in outcome: 4 determining the balance between Level 1 - Keeping the network safe and structural, serviceable. Carrying out permanent preventative and repairs to defects within prescribed reactive maintenance timescales to ensure network is safe. activities in order to Level 2 - Maintaining and protecting. Using a improve the resilience defined programme of works for of the highway medium size patching, to target areas network and to that have potential to become future minimise the defects. occurrence of Level 3 - Improving network. Large scale potholes in the future? highway investment programme that is driven by and asset management approach to achieve overall network improvement with appropriate treatments.

Cheshire East has invested £23m to make major improvements to the condition of the road network, through its Highways Investment Programme. The teams have already successfully delivered £13m of benefits, improving over 100 miles of road during 2013/14 and will be working over 2014/15 to deliver the remaining £10m.

This approach has shown significant improvements in the network condition, numbers of pothole enquires and the number of third party claims. N168 improved from 6% to 5% between 2012/13 and 2013/14. N169 improved from 11% to 7% between 2012/13 and 2013/14. Period January – March Customer pothole reports fallen from 9,564 in 2013 to 2,369 in 2014 a 75% reduction. Third party claims fallen from 783 in the first quarter of 2013 to 160 in the same period of 2014, an 81% reduction

Evidence: Refer to Appendix 2 Links to press release Carriageway Repair Strategy Report Member Open Day Presentation C. Has your authority Yes No Cheshire East Highways is an integrated service ensured that provided by Ringway Jacobs delivering the appropriate majority of highway functions both operational competencies have and professional for the Borough. been made available to In the development and delivery of highway make the right choices maintenance CEH operate a model that makes when designing and the best use of collaborative working and the specifying techniques knowledge from across the industry. CEH

5 and materials for the shareholder companies have extensive maintenance and knowledge in this area both in the design and repair of highways? delivery of maintenance works. Eurovia, as a Note - these part of CEH’s supply chain, are integrated in the competencies can be team and access materials from a number of secured through suppliers to achieve the best specification for the training, collaboration site conditions. Joint surveys of sites allow the with neighbouring appropriate treatment to be determined and its authorities or external extent to be identified with access to the research advice. capability within the Eurovia Jean Lefebvre consultancy allowing the potential to identify new materials and their suitability. CEH continue to look to how the approaches they have can contribute to protecting the environment, road safety and ongoing structural durability. CEH have developed a comprehensive Materials Palette in collaboration with its integrated service provider Ringway Jacobs, calling on huge amounts of industry knowledge from its shareholder companies Jacobs and Eurovia. In addition, Senior Managers within Ringway Jacobs are active participants within a number of National Best Practice Groups and Associations. These include: Mike Notman – Managing Director – HTMA Chairman (2008 to 2010) and Executive Board Member, Representative for Ringway Jacobs, HTMA Committee Chair of Sponsor Groups and Sponsor of the External Relationships Working Group Bill Taylor – Chairman – HTMA, HMEP, CIHT South East Branch Yogesh Patel – Business Improvement Director - HTMA (Knowledge and Information Working Group Chair) Victoria Hall – HSQE Manager - HTMA Health and Safety Committee Working Group Member and Improvements & Efficiencies Working Group Member Evidence: Refer to Appendix 3 Materials Pallet D. Does your authority Yes No Works on CEC highway network are coordinated co-ordinate with other through the street works management team who parties working on the manage both internal and external works highway short and promoters on the network. New surfacing long term programmes schemes etc. are managed and protected for up of work activities for to five years (section 58 and 58a NRSWA) based up to four years in on good asset management practice. advance? As part of our duty to coordinate activities on the network, CEC encourages utilities and our own works promoters to submit, where possible, long term programmes of works. This is achieved through quarterly co-ordination meetings and

6 ongoing dialogue with works promoters to minimise the impact to the network and the structural integrity of the highway. Following these coordination meetings, any works that are identified as major works (having a significant impact on the highway network) will have a separate meeting to identify specific site issues. The possibility of joint working if other work promoters are programmed to work in the immediate area will be discussed. Also methods of working, duration of the project and communication strategies will be identified. Cheshire East Highways currently manage street works activities under a noticing system; however from November 2014 CEH will become a permitting Authority which will bring far greater control of street work activities through permit applications and scheme conditions. The Highways Service Information Centre has fully integrated Elgin’s Roadworks information system within its web site.

Evidence: Refer to Appendix 4 Screen shot of Roadworks.org CEC Roadworks Centre Web page Press release - http://goo.gl/Uqp8wW

E. Has your authority Yes No Cheshire East Highways have implemented a considered the number of the recommendations identified in the guidance provided in ADEPT report including permanent repairs; saw the ADEPT report cut edges; use of hot mix materials; use of Potholes and Repair permanent cold material repair systems, we have Techniques for Local also reviewed three key areas: Highways and adopted 1, Public expectation. Have run series of as appropriate to your engagements with Elected Members so that they local circumstances? have deeper understanding of what types of repairs are undertaken and what outcome we expect to see from such treatments. 2, Development of longer term programmes. Two year targeted investment programme currently underway which provides additional resources to allow focus on appropriate treatment selection for differing types of defects. 3, Effectiveness of pothole operations. End to end process reviewed and refreshment training completed as required; from location and method of marking defects, ordering, programming, repairing and quality audit of completed works.

Further work has been developed in our three level strategic approach to carriageway defect repair and asset condition improvement. Please refer back to Appendix 2.

7

Evidence: Refer to Appendix 5 Viafix Usage

F. Has your authority Yes No A robust and detailed inspections regime has developed a detailed been in place for some time which had a full highway inspection review following recommendations set out in the manual and have put HMEP pothole review report. In addition all safety appropriate training in inspectors have completed external Lantra place for your Highway approved training and certification, along with Inspectors? more detailed in house training. The Code of Practice for Highway Safety Inspections can be found by following this link

Evidence: Refer to Appendix 6 Front cover of Highway Inspection Policy Copies of training certificate G. Does your authority Yes No Cheshire East having been using the Pitney use technology and Bowes asset management system Confirm for 15 systems for the years. All inspectors carry Panasonic effective identification Toughbooks to electronically record any and management of actionable defects found on the network and all potholes? defects are individually recorded to ensure we have accurate network information. These defects are then created into works orders and electronically sent to the maintenance crews as jobs. These crews have use of PDA technology to manage their jobs and use the system to log accurate location information and to take before and after photographs of all defects which is all recorded in our asset management system. The photographs also provide clear evidence that can be used as a strong defence on liability claims, but also forms part of the quality audit process. Repair teams have ability to record additional information via the PDAs that identifies where further larger scale works will be required and this is used as one of a number of asset data and network intelligence sources that inform decisions on programmes for future years.

Evidence: Refer to Appendix 7 Defect report sheet Job Sheet

H. Does your authority Yes No Cheshire East makes use of the online Service have a public Information Centre to publish its pothole repair communications policy and safety inspection manual to aid process in place that customer’s knowledge and appreciation of the provides clarity and services responsibilities and levels of service. transparency in the We have an online defect reporting system which 8 policy and approach to allows customers to report issues on the network repairing potholes? from potholes to street lights to verges etc. This should include a “War on Potholes” campaign was launched in published policy and 2013 with the slogan “Tell Dave” who is the details of its Portfolio Holder for Environment. The aim of the implementation, campaign was to promote the authority’s £23m including the investment programme and its target to repair prevention, 50,000 potholes in 2013. The authority achieved identification, and exceeded this target repairing 56,000 reporting, tracking and potholes repair of potholes. The following link is to the pothole page - http://www.cheshireeasthighways.org/Roadworks- Centre/Potholes.aspx

Evidence: Refer to Appendix 8 Pothole web page Defect reporting web page “Where are we working” web page “Tell Dave” Pothole campaign I. Does your authority Yes No Cheshire East have participated in the National monitor public Highways and Transportation Public Satisfaction satisfaction with road, Survey since 2009, we also undertake local footway and cycleway surveys of residents and elected members. condition and report annually through the Key areas of Improvement: National Highways and NHT quote – “The largest net improvements in Transport Public Highway Maintenance BIs between Satisfaction Survey or 2012 and 2013 were achieved by their own surveys? Blackpool, Cheshire East and Telford & Wrekin.”

Member satisfaction improvements • Overall satisfaction has improved by 8% (from 24% to 32%) between 2012 and 2013 • Greatest increase in satisfaction was in the areas of lowest satisfaction last year namely: condition of roads (up 17% to 24%) and pavements and footpaths (up 13% to 32%) Evidence: Refer to Appendix 9 NHT Survey Member Satisfaction Survey Citizens’ Panel Satisfaction Survey J. Does your authority Yes No Cheshire East maintenance policy adopts a 'right adopt permanent first time' approach. Temporary repairs are only repairs as the first utilised on sites with safety concerns, i.e. high choice when repairing speed roads and also in severe weather

9 potholes? situations.

Cheshire East Highways have adopted a clear three stage strategy to deal with carriageway defects. The approach clearly defines the desired outcome: Level 1 - Keeping the network safe and serviceable. Carrying out permanent repairs to defects within prescribed timescales to ensure network is safe. Level 2 - Maintaining and protecting. Using a defined programme of works for medium size patching, to target areas that have potential to become future defects. Level 3 – Improving network. Large scale highway investment programme that is driven by and asset management approach to achieve overall network improvement with appropriate treatments.

Refer to Appendix 2 for more detail on the Authority’s approach to permanent repair strategy.

Evidence: Refer to Appendix 2 & 10 Links to press release Carriageway Repair Strategy Report Member Open Day Presentation K. Has your authority Yes No Cheshire East’s Code of Practice for Highway adopted dimensional Safety Inspections has clear definitions of all definitions for dimensional requirements when identifying a potholes based on carriageway defect such as a pothole. The code best practice as part of also defines a risk based approach for response its maintenance times, dependant on the defect and its location on policy? the network.

Evidence: Refer to Appendix 11 Extract from CEC Code of Practice

B2: Does your authority adopt any innovative methods to help repair potholes? This could include, for example, specialist pothole maintenance crews.

Yes No

If yes, please provide details as an annex as part of your bid.

Evidence:

10 Cheshire East Highways have made use of a number of innovative pothole repair techniques including jet patcher, infrared repair and dedicated pothole crews (Incident Response Units). Use of hot boxes installed in depots and a “just in time” delivery of hot materials helps support the permanent fix solution. CEC have also made good use of high specification material used for emergency response potholes (Viafix).

Refer to Appendix 12

B3: Does your authority use reporting tools to identify potholes in your local area including:

CTC Fill that Hole Yes No Council’s Own Web Reporting Yes No www.cheshireeasthighways.org/reportit

Other Yes No Please specify: http://www.fixmystreet.com/

B4: Does your authority regularly consult and seek feedback on its highways maintenance regime, including potholes, with key stakeholders?

Local Member(s) of Parliament Yes No District, Borough and Parish Councils Yes No Local Residents Yes No (Including neighbourhood Forums) Yes No Business Community Yes No Emergency Services Yes No

If yes, please provide details as an annex as part of your bid.

Evidence:

Refer to Appendix 9 & 13 Weekly Newsletter Postcard Resident Scheme Satisfaction Survey Member satisfaction survey Citizens’ Panel survey

B5: Does your authority have an up-to-date vision and action plan to improve the walking environment and encourage walking?

Yes No

If yes, please provide a weblink: www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/public_transport/local_transport_plan.aspx www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/leisure,_culture_and_tourism/public_rights_of_way/improving_public_r ights_of_way.aspx

Refer to Appendix 14 11

B6: Please explain how you deliver your duty under NRSWA to ‘co-ordinate the execution of works of all kinds’, including for example permit schemes, noticing, co-ordination meetings?

CEC currently operates a noticing system to manage and coordinate street works activities on the network. CEC will become a Permitting Authority in November 2014. CEC holds quarterly meeting where works promoters (in house and external parties) can present their programme of works. Following these coordination meetings, any works that are identified as major works (having a significant impact on the highway network) will have a separate meeting to identify specific site issues including methods of working, duration of the project and communication strategies. The possibility of joint working if other work promoters are programmed to work in the immediate area will be discussed.

B7: What actions does your authority take to ensure road repairs undertaken by other parties (such as utilities companies) meet the standards in the specification?

Inspections regime Approx 2,810 sample inspections completed annually with an additional 2,860 adhoc inspections.

Coring programme Undertaken small coring programme of 60 cores as a sample with plans to extend this to 1,000 per annum.

Performance bench-marking We participate in North West HAUC's performance reporting and submit our own and utility performance figures. This is discussed at North West HAUC and North West JAG meetings on a quarterly basis.

Meetings We hold monthly / bi monthly and adhoc meetings with individual Statutory Undertakers (SUs) and their contractors to discuss performance issues and agree a way forward to work together to improve performance and quality issues. We hold meetings to discuss major works, agree traffic management and other working conditions and monitor site progress at least once a week. Progress meetings with project managers are held monthly where appropriate. We have worked closely with BD (UK) contractors at survey stage and installation to ensure the programme is delivered on time and cabinets are appropriately located first time.

Other (please specify) Continuous poor performance of individual contractors is not tolerated and SUs will be told that individual contractors cannot work on Cheshire East's network. This may be for health and safety, behaviour or quality issues.

12 SECTION C – Asset Management

C1: Has your authority adopted the recommendations arising from the Asset Management Strategy Guidance published in May 2013 – http://www.ukroadsliaisongroup.org/en/utilities/document- summary.cfm?docid=5C49F48E-1CE0-477F-933ACBFA169AF8CB ?

Yes No

Of the 14 recommendations in the Guidance document, we currently have procedures and measures in place to cover 12 of them. The remaining 2 are being worked on to attain the required recommendation.

Please answer the following, including providing supporting information, where applicable. Question Yes/No All ‘yes’ answers must be supported evidence.

Please append supporting information, clearly marking the question number to which the information refers. Has your authority got an Yes No If yes, please provide a weblink. up to date asset management policy and http://www.cheshireeasthighways.org/Contact- strategy? and-applications/Service-Aims-and- Objectives/Highway-Asset-Management.aspx

Does your authority Yes No Cheshire East has undertaken a number of communicate relevant workshops to communicate the effectiveness of information associated good asset management and the need to improve with asset management and invest in the network. We have undertaken a through engagement with number of presentations and published the your relevant Highway Asset Recovery paper detailing the need stakeholders when you for investment into the network. set requirements, make This has culminated in Cheshire East investing decisions and report £23m over two years along side the DfT’s £2.2m performance? Pothole funding, with the second year currently being delivered. We have already seen the benefits of the investment through improved network condition indicators, reductions in pothole enquiries and third party claims, while customer satisfaction has seen a stepped change improvement.

Evidence: Refer to Appendix 15 Members Bulletin “A good start but more to come”

Does your authority have Yes No Cheshire East has been using the Confirm Asset an asset management Management System provided by Pitney Bowes register? Ltd.very effectively for more than 15 years. We have fully utilised the Pavement Management System (UKPMS) to provide the foundation 13 information when developing forward programmes. The system holds all the major asset groups including roads; footways; street lighting; bridges; signs etc. Each road section has a full asset inventory that is kept up to date by asset visual surveys of at least 10% of the network annually. Condition and service inspections are carried out including SCANNER; DVI; CVI; street lighting electrical and structural inspections and network defect inspections. All customer enquiries are logged into the system from our customer services centre or via an online defect reporting web page. Each enquiry is assessed for the need to carry out works or a response back to the customer. All this information is used to provide the intelligent led asset management approach for managing the various demands the highway asset places on the authority.

Evidence: Refer to Appendix 16 Screen shot of Confirm Scheme identification screen shot Customer Enquiry Report with Works Completed Does your authority follow Yes No Cheshire East has used the principals set out in lifecycle planning the guidance documents for asset management principles which are used to produce lifecycle plans for carriageways and to review the level of footways in order that we can review levels of funding and which will help funding and identify the need for investment. support investment decisions including long Cheshire East’s Asset Recovery report builds of term investment in your the long term deterioration models indicating that assets?. the current levels of funding into the network would not reverse the decline in condition without a substantial investment programme.

The Authority understands that without investing in the network the impact on resources such as revenue reactive maintenance will increase beyond levels that the authority can afford. Cheshire East therefore took the bold decision to invest £23m in the highway network alongside the Governments Pothole Fund of £2.2m. The £25m is being invested over two years from 2013 with the second year currently underway.

Evidence: Refer to Appendix 17 Highway Asset Recovery Report Member Presentation – Scheme Selection and Prioritisation

14

C2: As part of your last L-Pack return for Whole Government Accounting requirements for the accounting period 2012/13, can you confirm you submitted the following return:

Carriageway and Footways Yes No Lighting Yes No Structures Yes No Street Furniture Yes No

15

SECTION D – Efficiencies

D1: Is your authority actively engaged with securing efficiencies for highways maintenance?

Yes No

If yes, please provide additional information on what your authority has done since 2011 including what % efficiency savings (where efficiency savings are defined as delivering a similar or a better outcome at a lower cost) your authority has achieved year on year and what savings you hope to achieve by end of 2014/15.

The current highways contract which commenced in 2011 requires 3% efficiencies savings year on year. In the first year our integrated service provider, Ringway Jacobs, contracted to achieve 7.5% efficiencies and cost savings for the authority and delivered in excess of 10% in that period which are now captured and provide ongoing benefit to the authority. Ringway Jacobs operate a value plus register that records saving through innovation and the generation of new ideas and practices and they and the authority work in partnership to actively seek and encourage ongoing improvements in service delivery to achieve greater efficiency.

D2: Is your authority exploring or has it already joined with neighbouring local highway authorities or a Highways Maintenance Alliance to achieve economies of scale?

Yes No

If yes, please provide additional information. For example the names of other authorities or the Alliance.

The current integrated service contract is delivered by Ringway Jacobs. They also have County Council contracts in Buckinghamshire, Essex, TfL and LoHAC. They are working closely with them to share best practice and innovation. They have also improved procurement options across these contracts for the shared provision of street lighting and fleet maintenance.

Ringway Jacobs shareholder company Ringway are responsible for operating a number of local authority Term Maintenance Contracts (TMC), including Hertfordshire, Cheshire West and Chester, Shropshire, Worcestershire and North Yorkshire, which gives greater buying power for all contracts within the Group. Although the commercial mechanisms of such contracts are different and tend to be those of a traditional TMC type contract some synergies can be explored across all contract types. In addition both companies benefit from the Group Procurement deals which are in place for the procurement of materials, plant and vehicles using volume spend across the contracts to deliver lower unit cost savings.

D3: Is your authority sharing its efficiency experience and/or case studies with other local highway authorities via the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme or other good practice networks?

Yes No

If yes, please provide state where.

16 As mentioned in D2 we are sharing efficiency experiences with Buckinghamshire and Essex. However in addition Ringway Jacobs operate the North East LoHAC contract so good practice is also shared with and from that contract. The authority also has best value and benchmarking policies which drive best practice and are an active member of the Midlands Service Improvement Group (MSIG) and have links with the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA). In addition Senior Managers within the Contract from the Authority and Ringway Jacobs have been involved in the establishment of the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme (HMEP). Bill Taylor (current Ringway Jacobs Chairman and Managing Director) was on the HMEP Steering Group that was responsible for the development of the HMEP Standard Contract and shares current best practice through the Strategic Board. The Council and its integrated service provider have presented to HMEP members on the Cheshire East contract, its benefits and efficiencies in order to share its experience more widely.

17 SECTION E – Other

E1: Please provide details on which of the following good practice activities your authority is undertaking for its highways management activities.

Invest to save Yes No LED savings, SALIX funding for LED signals heads for all signals across the Borough. LED street lighting, part night lighting and dimming technologies

Cross boundary collaboration Yes No

The authority collaborates with a number of neighbouring authorities on highway management activities including:

Winter maintenance gritting routes with Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC), Cheshire West & Chester Unitary authority (CWaC) and Derbyshire county Council A555 Route Maintenance with SMBC Highway Asset & condition survey Framework for the northwest with CWaC, Wirral, Halton, Warrington and Liverpool Weather Monitoring and Forecasting Contract with Station with CWaC, Wirral, Halton, Warrington Highways Fleet management with Ringway on their Cheshire West contract

Other (please specify):

E2: Do you consider your authority to be an exemplar authority in tackling potholes and undertaking highway maintenance?

Yes No

If yes, please explain why.

Cheshire East has a clear three level maintenance strategy for dealing potholes and improving the condition of its network. Sound asset management approaches have enabled the authority to understand the needs and demands of its most important asset culminating in an investment of £23m over two years topped up to £25m by the Government’s pothole fund of £2.2m.

If yes, would your authority be willing to share its experiences more widely with other authorities / organisations?

Yes No

18