Top rating for council for roadworks
Midlothian Council’s co-ordination of roadworks has achieved the top rating of ‘Well Managed’ for the third year in a row by the independent public official, the Scottish Road Works Commissioner.
One of only nine local councils
At the full Council meeting on Tuesday, councillors heard only nine of Scotland’s 32 local authorities were awarded the highest rating in the commissioner’s latest annual performance report 2022/23.
Commended
Midlothian Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for roads, Councillor Dianne Alexander commended the council’s roads and transportation team.
Excellent performance
She said: “I am sure my fellow councillors will join me in applauding the excellent performance by the team, especially when you consider there can be more than 100 ‘live’ roadworks sites at any given time and just two officers - a roadworks coordinator and a utility works inspector – making sure the commissioner’s requirements are carried out and all relevant information recorded in the Scottish Road Works Register.”
Traffic lights system
The commissioner uses the traffic light, green, amber and red system to rate each roads authority against 22 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) covering areas such as safety for road users and if work is completed on time.
Green ratings
Midlothian Council achieved green ratings for all but one KPI. The commissioner rated the council’s performance as ‘amber’ in relation to the percentage of works extended beyond the anticipated completion time.
Adverse weather impact
Councillors heard extensions are mostly due to adverse weather conditions or delays due to unforeseen circumstances during the roadworks period and are therefore generally outwith our control.
Understand impact on communities
Councillor Alexander added: “We acknowledge and appreciate the impact, frustration and inconvenience roadworks can have on our communities, but this report demonstrates that our roads team is diligent and robust in mitigating these impacts through its management and monitoring of works.”
Note
The Scottish Road Works Commissioner is an independent public official established under section 16 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 and is accountable to the Scottish Ministers and ultimately the Scottish Parliament. The commissioner's aim is to improve the planning, co-ordination and quality of roadworks throughout Scotland.
The commissioner monitors performance, promotes and encourages good practice across both utility companies and roads authorities, and provides annual performance reports to each road authority and utility company.
All roadworks require to be notified, and progress recorded in the commissioner’s Scottish Road Works Register (SRWR). The commissioner’s KPIs are embedded in the SRWR.