A strategy has been agreed outlining how Westmorland and Furness Council will manage its highways assets over the next five years.
The council looks after a highway network of over 2,600 miles, as well as 1,400 miles of footpaths and cycleways, more than 2,000 bridges and structures like culverts and retaining walls, 72,000 drainage gullies and 20,000 streetlights, all with a combined estimated value of £4 billion and all important in connecting people and places right across Westmorland and Furness.
The Highway Asset Management Strategy agreed by the council’s Cabinet (21 January), details how the council will work to manage the network, considering the condition of the highways, public needs and local priorities and making best use of available resources.
The strategy will guide how the council invests in the highway network and will shape how it delivers its highway services.
It looks at how the highways service can best use the latest technology innovations, planning techniques and customer information to improve efficiency and understanding about work being carried out, and to ensure factors such as the impact of work on the environment, communities and the workforce are carefully considered.
Councillor Peter Thornton, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet member for Highways and ICT, said: “Highways are essential to our daily lives, especially in a rural area such as Westmorland and Furness where there is a high dependency on road journeys.
“We recognise the importance of roads in keeping people and places connected. They support our communities to thrive, to be healthy and safe, ensure places are well connected and they are essential to our economy.
“The council has a responsibility to make sure the highway asset is well managed, and to ensure the network operates efficiently. The network in Westmorland and Furness is an ageing asset and it has been affected by recent extreme weather events, which are becoming more regular.
“Maintaining this asset to the standards expected within the resources available will always remain a challenge, but this strategy sets out how we will do this in a strategic and efficient way.’’
A report to the Cabinet meeting said: “It is recognised that good highway infrastructure and a well-managed network are essential in enabling the council to achieve its priorities and secure better outcomes for Westmorland and Furness.
“The council continues to face significant challenges in maintaining the highway at its current condition with the existing levels of Government funding, which are insufficient to prevent further deterioration of the network.
“In recent years, the council has had to demonstrate good asset management practices, efficiency measures, and improvements across all aspects of the highway service to secure the maximum possible funding from the Department for Transport (DfT).
“The current Highway Asset Management Strategy, which is to be replaced by this strategy, was instrumental in demonstrating these practices and securing DfT funding. Going forward, this new strategy outlines how the council will be prepared to meet the challenges of securing maximum funding from the DfT, regardless of future funding arrangements.’’
Councillor Thornton continued: “People should understand that our basic annual funding is only around £20 million to maintain this huge network, the roads, bridges, footpaths, gullies and everything else.
“It sounds like a lot of money, but in reality it is simply not enough to fix everything we would like, and regularly needs to be topped up by Government in recognition of this. It is also why we must prioritise and have a strategy to help guide our investment to ensure we get the best outcomes for our communities within the resources available.
“We did get a very welcome extra £8 million this year and I now want to see some of this money focused on two key areas - improving the condition of pavements, where we know around 8% require some form of maintenance, and secondly to improve the condition of more rural unclassified roads, which make up around 45% of the entire network in Westmorland and Furness.
“We have made progress on improvements to pavements – the figure requiring maintenance was 10% in 2022/23 – but we know that good quality pavements are vital, especially for those many residents, particularly the elderly, who don’t drive and rely on safe and well maintained pavements to get around.
“The strategy we have approved means we can continue to deliver the best customer focused, most resilient and cost-effective service that we can.
“We want to ensure that we manage our highways assets in a way that keeps you moving, keeps you safe and that we are keeping you informed about the work we are doing.’’
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