Local highways maintenance transparency report

Plans

Overall strategy

Cheshire East Council is committed to a highway asset management approach for the long-term maintenance of its highway infrastructure assets. Methodologies comply with national guidance and best practice, including the recommendations set out in the Department for Transport’s and UK Roads Liaison Groups ‘Well Managed Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice’ published October 2016.

As part of our asset management approach the Council have adopted a 3-level strategy for repairs and improvements to highway assets: 

Level 1 – Delivering a safe and serviceable network

Level 2 – Managing and Protecting the network

Level 3 – Investing to improve the network

For more information and to understand on how we make repairs and improvements on the road network using the 3 level strategy, see our road condition and repairs webpage.

Cheshire East Council are a forward-thinking Highway Authority that strives to identify ways in which the delivery of the highways service can be improved by using the latest innovating ideas and best practice from across the industry.

In recent years, the authority has tested and put into action various innovative projects. For example, we have tested and utilised artificial intelligence to identify asset condition and potholes, enabling us to prioritise suitable improvement projects. It has also helped us programme our works more efficiently daily through systems such as Triopsis.

We have also made use where suitable to introduce innovative low carbon solutions for carriageway, footway and certain highway works, supporting the Council’s sustainability targets and helping to reduce the climate impacts of schemes.

Specific plans for 2025/26

Using our highways asset management approach, we identify and prioritise what maintenance, repair and improvement work we undertake each year.

Works programmes are compiled using council approved methodologies which assess various asset data led intelligence across the network to prioritise current and future needs.

The capital funding will continue to be prioritised on preventative maintenance with the aim to reduce the number of defects appearing, improving condition across the highway network and helping to reduce insurance claims made against the Council.

Cheshire East Councils structural and preventative highway maintenance rolling programmes are published online and can be found on our highway maintenance investment programme webpage.

Streetworks

To effectively oversee street works, Cheshire East Council implements a permit scheme in accordance with the West and Shires Permit Scheme (WASP) to efficiently manage street works on the highway network. Within the permit scheme, anyone carrying out works in the road within the Borough will legally need to apply to the council for permission before starting works.

The council will review the details of the proposed works on the permit and evaluate if the requested timeframe is suitable. If not the council will challenge them to ensure that highway occupation is kept as minimal as possible.

To further lessen inconvenience to residents, Cheshire East will encourage those carrying out the works to collaborate and share traffic management whenever feasible. We also endeavour to ensure that works promoters actively carry out consultation and communications with all relevant stakeholders where necessary prior to the works starting,

All carriageway and footway works will have a Section 58 restriction put in place under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. A Section 58 restriction allows a local authority to protect a street from any planned street works following any major works. This restriction can be in place for up to five years depending on the type of work that has taken place.

Cheshire East Council are also considering introducing a Lane Rental Scheme on a proportion of its road network with its core objective to reduce disruptive road works on the most traffic sensitive parts of the network, at the most sensitive times.

For further information about how the council mange road works across the Borough and up and coming road closure please see our dedicated road works page.