Issue - meetings

To consider whether to continue with a revised Traffic Management Agency Agreement with Hampshire County Council.

RESOLVED:

That the County Council be advised that this Council wish to renew the traffic management agency from 1 April 2017 on the basis of the information contained in the County Council decision of its Executive Member for Environment and Transport, “Highways Development Control Agency Arrangements and Traffic Management Agency Arrangements Update”,dated 15 September 2016.

The Cabinet considered whether this Council should continue to operate a traffic management agency agreement with the County Council.

Over recent months the terms of the proposed future traffic management agency agreement had changed to allow greater flexibility.  In particular, although the County Council would only fund traffic management schemes that met their own objective or casualty reduction, they would now allow other schemes, such as waiting restrictions and signs, provided they were funded locally.  The funding from the County Council would still be significantly reduced by 2018/19, but a number of ways of closing the budget gap had now been identified, as set out in Report Item 5 considered by the Cabinet, including an allowed increase in the fee charged for temporary road closures, which were largely for the benefit of utilities.

The Cabinet balanced carefully the relative merits of continuing the traffic management agency against the costs, including significant redundancy costs, associated with terminating the agreement.  Members referred to the local traffic management liaison meetings, which had been valued locally and effective in delivering much wanted schemes.  They hoped that equivalent liaison arrangements would be reinstated.

RESOLVED:

That the County Council be advised that this Council wish to renew the traffic management agency from 1 April 2017 on the basis of the information contained in the County Council’s decision of its Executive Member for Environment and Transport, “Highways Development Control Agency Arrangements and Traffic Management Agency Arrangements Update”,dated 15 September 2016.