Technology and Productivity Innovation
To explore aspects of existing and emerging technology and techniques, how they might be exploited to improve efficiency in managing roads maintenance and how barriers to their coordinated appraisal and adoption might be overcome.
This Working Group will assume that existing maintenance requirements remain unchanged and will therefore focus on doing things differently in order to achieve the same (or improved) performance but with greater efficiency.
The Group will initially consider all aspects of maintenance, with a developing focus on those areas of largest financial spend, since these areas are likely to represent the greatest potential for larger savings.
It is acknowledged that separate winter service reviews are currently underway and this Working Group will not seek to supplant or duplicate those reviews but will aim to capture any output.
Standards and Prioritisation
To explore aspects of existing and emerging standards and prioritisation techniques, and how these might be exploited, to present options which address how identified barriers to adoption might be overcome, to improve efficiency in managing roads maintenance.
This Working Group will assume that existing maintenance requirements remain unchanged and will therefore focus on doing things differently in order to achieve the same (or improved) performance but with greater efficiency.
Whilst it is anticipated one of the main assessment criteria for determining which options are taken forward will be their impacts on those areas of greatest financial spend, since this represents the greatest potential for larger savings, the initial evidence gathering will not be restricted to those areas.
Resourcing
To explore existing and emerging resourcing and procurement mechanisms and models, to consider how these might be exploited, and to present options which address how identified barriers to adoption might be overcome, to improve efficiency in managing roads maintenance.
This Working Group will assume that existing maintenance requirements remain unchanged and will therefore focus on doing things differently in order to achieve the same (or improved) performance but with greater efficiency.
Whilst it is anticipated one of the main assessment criteria for determining which options are taken forward will be their impacts on those areas of greatest financial spend, since this represents the greatest potential for larger savings, the initial evidence gathering will not be restricted to those areas.
Wider Economic Issues, Impacts, Costs and Benefits
Estimate the economic and social impacts of changes (focussing mostly on reductions) in trunk and local road maintenance expenditure over a ten and twenty year time period.
Explore funding options:
(a) via the principle of ‘polluter pays’ to consider scope to raise (differential) revenue from users to cover maintenance costs resulting from their activities (e.g. utilities pay ‘rent’ to dig up roads); and
(b) investigate the possibility of ‘smart’ funds transfer from other policy areas.
Appraise shortlist of options generated in the other workstreams to assess value for money and how they contribute to policy objectives.
It is acknowledged that separate winter service reviews are currently underway and this Working Group will not seek to supplant or duplicate those reviews, but will aim to capture any outputs.
