Local communities, local priorities, local choices
Dorset County Council (DCC) has a duty to maintain highways maintainable at the public expense and a power to maintain other highways. Dorset Highways is the Service responsible for carrying out DCC’s duties and powers to maintain surfaced highways, footpaths and associated features. DCCs duty to maintain unsurfaced highways is carried out by the Countryside Service.
The level of maintenance necessary to comply with DCC’s duty can be lower than that expected by local communities.
Over the past decade Dorset Highways has seen a significant reduction in the budgets for delivering routine highway maintenance and, as a result, non-essential and minor maintenance items can no longer be carried out; it is necessary to focus resources on the priority issues that affect public safety and the integrity of the highway, i.e. Core Functions.
Many communities have contacted Dorset Highways expressing a wish to become involved in commissioning or carrying out some of the minor maintenance activities which DCC is unable to finance. This leaflet is designed to offer Parish and Town Councils a list of options to carry out additional highway maintenance works in their respective areas, should they wish to do so.
The following items are considered to be core functions and will be provided by Dorset Highways:
- inspect and maintain surfaced highways and associated features in accordance with the Dorset Highway Maintenance Plan
- install new and maintain surface water drainage pipes
- empty surface water gullies in accordance with the Dorset Highway Maintenance Plan
- investigate and rectify flooding as and when required
- maintain highway verges in accordance with the Dorset Highway Maintenance Plan
- development of safety schemes where accident hotspots are identified
- resurfacing as required
- maintain highway bridges and retaining walls
- maintain salt stocks and clear snow in accordance with the published Winter Maintenance Plan
- replacement of essential signs
Local communities may want the following non–essential functions to be carried out:
- increased frequency of: o Urban grass cutting; o Rural verge cutting
- gulley emptying
- weed killing
- sign cleaning
- general cleaning (road sweeping)
- tree pruning
- siding out (removal of detritus from the back of footways)
than would be achieved through the Council’s normal maintenance schedule:
- earlier refreshing of road markings and replacement of roads signs than would be achieved through the Council’s normal maintenance schedule
- additional winter service functions (more salt bins, more salt, salting of additional routes, etc.)
- fingerpost arm replacement or re-painting
- village gateway signage
- other non-essential sign replacement
- grip clearing more frequently than biennial
- cutting back overgrowth around surface water gullies
- clearance of fallen leaves from gullies
- proactive clearing of surface water systems
- painting or treating fencing
It is hoped that by working together with Parish and Town Councils, Dorset Highways can enable non-essential and minor maintenance items to be undertaken in areas where local communities consider them to be desirable.
There are four options that Parish, Town and Borough Councils may consider implementing to enable non-essential and minor maintenance items to be carried out in their area, these options are outlined on the following page.
These are:
- option 1. Use of Volunteers
- option 2. Town / Parish Councils commission suitable contractor
- option 3. Dorset Highways are commissioned by Town / Parish Council
- option 4 Agency Agreement between Town / Parish Council and Dorset County Council
Should you have any concerns or queries regarding which option is most suited, your local Community Highway Team will be happy to advise.