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6 September 2022 – 9.8 Report – Relaunch of CEC Highways service to small councils

September 2022 Uploaded on September 1, 2022

REPORT TO PICKMERE PARISH COUNCIL

6th September 2022

AGENDA ITEM 9.8 CEC HIGHWAYS SERVICE – COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT WITH TOWN AND PARISH COUNCILS
1. REPORT

1.1 CEC has been going through the process of considering how well it serves town and parish councils. This is clearly a topic on which your Council has frequently commented unfavourably. CEC has sent the following communication to the councils involved:

Further to my email below you will be aware that a theme from the feedback received from the recent Highways Satisfaction Survey is that the processes for making reports or contacting the service can be inconsistent and there is a need to reconnect and strengthen our relationships at a local level. The purpose of this communication is to commence the process of “relaunching the Local Highways Service” and to ensure that you have the most up to date information available on how best to get in touch with Cheshire East Council’s Highways Service.

Local Highways – Relaunch

Reporting of Issues

If your council would like to bring any highway matters to the attention of Cheshire East Highways, in the first instance it is politely requested that these are channelled via yourself as Clerk. This will help the teams to understand and target the most important priorities for your parish or town and avoid any potential mixed messages. To ensure all issues are managed and allocated appropriately, we also ask that initial contact is made by one of the following methods:

• For all routine service requests such as to report a pothole or a street light that is out of service, online is the most efficient method of reporting and easily allows for supporting photographs to be attached to help demonstrate the issue
• To report any issues that present an immediate danger, call us on 0300 123 5020 during working hours or out of working hours on 0300 123 5025. You can also call 0300 123 5020 to report other highway matters

Once you have logged a service request or issue through any of the above methods, it will be directed to the most appropriate officer within the highways team who will look to provide a response as soon as possible within the given timeframes of 20 working days for all routine service requests. For service requests logged on line or via telephone as above, the response may take the form of an automated response, or email/telephone if necessary, depending on each situation.

With continuing pressures on resources and the many competing priorities throughout Cheshire East, it will not always be possible to carry out each and every element of maintenance or improvement works identified by your council. However, the team will always fully evaluate requests for service, do their upmost to consider for inclusion within future work programmes and at the same time provide you with a timely response to the matters you raise.

Sources of Information

Information on the services provided by Cheshire East Highways, including programmes of work, grass cutting, winter service, gully emptying, details of road closures, etc. is available on the Cheshire East Council website. Social-networking site, Twitter, is also used to provide daily updates and general highways information. Please follow the team on Twitter @CECHighways.

Key Contacts

Finally, if you find that after following the above processes and looking at the available information, you need further assistance or help with any highway matters whatsoever, then please contact the SHO Officer working in your area, who will be happy to assist. [Contact details for Pickmere have been provided.]

1.2 CEC has also circulated a presentation which summarises the considerations it has been giving to the process of CEC/small council liaison. The presentation is circulated with this report as an appendix.

2. RECOMMENDATION

2.1 That the report be noted and any relevant comments passed to CEC.

 

 

Jack Steel
Clerk to the Parish Council