Agenda item

Simon Moss, Service Director, Regeneration and Environment, to report

Simon Moss, Service Director, Regeneration and Environment, presented a report setting out the actions taken and implementation of the recommendations made with regard to the Partial Assurance Internal Audit report on highway structures.

Under the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, the Highway Authority was to carry out General Inspections (GI) every 2 years and Principal Inspections (PI) every 6 years.  PIs could be risk assessed to reduce the frequency up to 12 years.

In 2024 it was acknowledged that there was a significant backlog of inspections and a range of actions were determined to manage and reduce the risk profile.  One of the actions was to invite Internal Audit to undertake a further detailed review.

Internal Audit had issued a Partial Assurance opinion on the report with 9 recommendations:-

Recommendation One – Risk Reporting

This action was completed prior to the final audit report being circulated in December, 2025.

Recommendation Two – Risk Appetite

This action was completed prior to the final audit report being circulated in December, 2025.

Recommendation Three – Mine Workings

As the action was for future works, there was no deadline.  However, as part of pre-construction information, a section for mine working had been highlighted in the PCI packs to be completed in the future.

Recommendation Four – Weakness in inspection data

This action was completed prior to the final audit report being circulated in December, 2025.

Recommendation Five – Safety Inspections

This action had started prior to the final report being circulated in December, 2025, however it was an ongoing activity.

Recommendation Six – Ownership of Highways Structure Assets

This was an ongoing action and agreed that it would be managed on a case-by-case basis where there was ambiguity in records of the asset ownership.

Recommendation Seven – Highways Asset Management Plan (HAMP) disclosure

This action was completed prior to the final audit report being circulated in December, 2025 as the HAMP update was in November, 2025.

Recommendation Eight – Continuing Professional Development

This was an ongoing action.  It was agreed that at the time of appointment of staff (permanent or temporary) that suitable checks would be carried out as part of the onboarding process.  For contract staff, suitable checks would be carried out annually at a point where purchase orders needed to be extended/renewed.

Recommendation Nine – Follow-up Inspections

This was ongoing activity.

In 2025, the Council had 365 structures listed on its highway asset register.  Of those, only 9 structures had a GIs within the 2 year validation period and 43 PIs within the 6 year validation period.  As of June, 2026, all the structures had an up-to-date GI and carried out within the 2 year timeframe.

The approach to PIs was to commission external contractors for the inspections which could be carried out inhouse due to third parties e.g. Network Rail Canal and River Trust etc.  In the last year 40 PIs had been commissioned and a further 50 carried out inhouse.  81 structures now had a valid PI within the timeframe with a further 31 to be reviewed and approved.

Discussion ensued with the following issues raised/clarified:-

-        It was hoped that all the PIs would be complete by the end of the next financial year

-        The Team in place now were suitably qualified, however, some of the PIs were being outsourced due to the specialist equipment required

-        The increase in inspections was leading to an increase in defects found leading to challenging demands for resources

Resolved:-  That the report be noted.