National Roads Maintenance Review Phase 1 Report

3 Conclusions & Recommendations

The following recommendations have been developed from the themes summarised in Section 2 of this report.

3.1 Effective Asset Management

Asset Management Plans deliver value in this and other sectors. The sector needs to implement these.

Recommendation 1 - Action should focus on identifying the impediments to implementation and how these can be reduced.

This addresses the Audit Scotland recommendation "Councils should respond fully, as a matter of urgency, to the recommendations made in our 2004 report, and in particular ensure that:

all information is available to allow effective asset management to take place;
they fully support SCOTS' road asset management project and have a road asset management plan in place no later than the end of 2011, with those councils that have still to develop adequate inventory and information systems doing so quickly in order to comply with this deadline"

Recommendation 2 - Action should be taken to foster wider use of Lean techniques by all road authorities. Those authorities already applying Lean techniques at an operational level should consider applying them strategically, to identify where structural changes may be of benefit. Best Practice should be shared with all roads authorities to encourage those not yet applying Lean techniques to do so.

This will enable more efficiency by reducing duplication and sharing services wherever possible.

3.2 Prioritisation

More consistent and transparent methods of prioritisation are needed to secure Value for Money in delivery and to ensure roads maintenance can put forward a strong case for budget allocations. By prioritising expenditure within road maintenance, potential negative outcomes can be prevented.

Recommendation 3 - Action should focus on rapid implementation of RAMPs and effective prioritisation methodologies, adapted to suit local authority needs.

Recommendation 4 - Action should focus on developing an approach that assists in prioritisation between different types of road.

These address the Audit Scotland recommendation "Transport Scotland and councils should review their road maintenance strategies and plans to confirm that adequate prioritisation is given to those routes which are likely to contribute greatest to economic growth and improved quality of life".

3.3 Benchmarking and Monitoring

The sector is using KPIs and enters into benchmarking activities to help inform performance. This is not shared publicly so it is difficult to say how the data collection and monitoring is influencing behaviours. The current KPIs are in the main not outcome-focused.

Recommendation 5 - Action should focus on (a) identifying what are the right KPIs for the sector and (b) how to introduce more effective monitoring as a means of leading to improved outcomes.

This addresses the Audit Scotland recommendation "Councils should ensure that they can demonstrate that the best use is being made of resources currently available, through benchmarking and improved performance management and reporting".

It also recommends "Councils should respond fully, as a matter of urgency, to the recommendations made in our 2004 report, and in particular ensure that:

they adopt the suite of performance indicators being developed by SCOTS as an important first step in allowing the relative performance of councils' road maintenance activities to be measured consistently;

they make greater efforts to benchmark road maintenance activities with other councils and the private sector in order to drive out cost inefficiencies"

3.4 Delivery models

The evidence across the sector suggests that there are a number of delivery model options which offer varying degrees of benefits.

Recommendation 6 - Action should be taken to examine which of the various delivery models offer the best returns in local circumstances, including any legislative barriers to implementation.

This addresses the Audit Scotland recommendation "Transport Scotland and councils should work together to consider all opportunities for achieving more with the resources currently available, by exploring new ways of working, such as service re-configuration, pooling and flexible use of resources (including staff and machinery) and partnerships between councils and with the private sector."

It also recommends "councils should…..seek to develop a costed model for shared services".

3.5 Incentivising Innovation

Innovations do happen but risk aversion and minimisation may not be leading to the most effective outcomes. The culture of standards can limit the sector's ability to innovate if applied too prescriptively.

Recommendation 7 - Action should look to assess how more effective risk-transfer can be introduced.

There are significant barriers to introducing new products and techniques and some UK standards may not be appropriate in Scotland.

Recommendation 8 - Action should focus on how to significantly rationalise the standards, appraisals and approvals processes in Scotland for new products and techniques.

3.6 Enabling faster change

Given the economic circumstances, the scale of the maintenance backlog and the Audit Scotland recommendations, there is a compelling case for all roads authorities to examine how they can work together to deliver a better service. To allow integrated service provision, roads authorities must work much more closely in partnership and thus improve the outcomes they achieve.

Recommendation 9 - Action should be taken by the sector to encourage collaborative engagement which achieves regional outcomes, improves performance and reduces costs.

This addresses the Audit Scotland recommendation - "The Scottish Government should consider a national review on how the road network is managed and maintained, with a view to stimulating service re-design and increasing the pace of examining the potential for shared services"

It also recommends "Councils should respond fully, as a matter of urgency, to the recommendations made in our 2004 report……and in particular ensure that a consistent way of costing total road maintenance backlog is used across all councils".

3.7 Communication

The sector is facing increased competition for scarce public sector budgets and increasing frustration from road users affected by the impact of the deterioration of the roads.

Recommendation 10 - Action should be taken to implement an external communications strategy to (a) convey the full extent of the backlog, (b) determine acceptable steady state service levels and (c) convey the importance of road maintenance to ensuring sustainable economic growth.

This addresses the Audit Scotland recommendation "Transport Scotland and councils should ensure that information on maintenance backlog and road condition is reported regularly to elected members and the public".

The sector needs to be better at sharing knowledge and best practice, including with its wider stakeholders.

Recommendation 11 - Action should be taken to strengthen internal links on research and development, and communication with stakeholders.