At its meeting on 5 April 2018 Keighley Area Committee had considered a report of the Strategic Director, Place (Keighley Area Committee Document “W”) which had asked Members to consider the Highway Maintenance Non-Classified Roads and Surface Dressing Allocation for the Keighley Constituency 2018-2019. 

Keighley Area Committee had resolved –

That with the following substitution in Appendix 2 the proposed programme of works for 2018/19 as shown in Appendices 2 and 3 of Document “W” be approved.

·         The proposed scheme at Wesley Place, Silsden be replaced with the scheme proposed at St Johns Street Silsden and Wesley Place be moved to the reserve list.

The decision of the Committee was subsequently called in.  The reasons for the Call-in were set out below:

“I would like to call in the item about road resurfacing from the meeting on the 5th April of Keighley Area Committee.

There was a substitution of St Johns Street for Wesley Place.  I would like to reinstate the officer recommendation.

The reason for the call in is that the substituted road was almost at the bottom of the reserve list and is a cul-de-sac. The officers’ technical recommendation is that Wesley Place is in far greater need of resurfacing.

Wesley Place is a busier road which provides access to a Bradford Council Car Park.  Additional disabled parking places are being provided in the car park.

The pot holes in Wesley Place will put off people who would otherwise use the car park and potentially restrict the use of disabled Parking places as there are already too few in the town”.

In accordance with Paragraph 8.6.9 of Part 3E of the Constitution Members of the Overview and Scrutiny were reminded that they could, following consideration of the matter, resolve to:

1.    Release the decision for implementation.

2.    Refer all or part of the decision back to the Executive or area committee as appropriate, to reconsider it in the light of any representations the committee may make.  The decision may not be implemented until the Executive or area committee, as appropriate, has met to reconsider its earlier decision.

3.    Refer the decision to full Council for consideration, in which case the decision may not be implemented until the Council has met to consider the matter.

Alternatively, if the Committee made no resolution in accordance with paragraph 8.6.9 above, the decision may be implemented.

The Strategic Director, Place, addressed the meeting and confirmed that the schemes contained in Document “W” were subject to a robust process to ensure they were appropriate and represented the best use of resources. 

It was explained with regard to Wesley Place, the scheme which had been removed to the reserve list, that approximately 40% of existing carriageway had already been potholed to some extent and it was expected that this would rise by at least another 20% during the course of this year which would result in regular visits by streetscene to keep the street safe.

Areas which had not yet started pot holing were either badly crazed or

grinding away due to the breakdown of the binder and have limited

life.  There were large areas where water stands as a result of missing surface course, settlement and poor reinstatement by statutory undertakers

which was expediting the failures.  Wesley Place served two churches, residential properties and the Council’s Car Park which provided the main parking for the village centre.

With regard to the scheme which had been moved transferred from the reserve to the priority list, St Johns Street, Silsden, less than 10% of the road had received or needed the filling of small potholes. Input by streetscene over the coming year would be minimal. The road had a bad ride mainly due to poor and failing statutory undertakers reinstatements but also due to the poor vertical alignment of the kerbs to Airedale Factors private parking area and the poor reinstatement of the carriageway in front of the kerbs, this accounted for almost half the length on one side.

Members questioned if there were measures which could be taken against statutory undertakers to rectify the issues raised in regard to St Johns Street and it was agreed to investigate the action being taken at that location. 

Following those reassurances it was agreed to refer the issue back to Keighley Area Committee with a request that the decision be considered taking account of the road conditions referred to by the Strategic Director, Place.

Resolved –

That the decision be referred back to the Keighley Area Committee with a request that they consider the original decision in light of the comments made to the Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee by the Strategic Director, Place.

ACTION: Strategic Director, Place