To approve the allocation of funding to enable priority flood damage repairs and as able works to enhance the resilience of the county's infrastructure.

The Bellwin scheme will not fund all repair needs following flooding in February 2020. With no further funding having been specifically made available by Government for recovery from Storm Dennis, the significant gap between what Bellwin provides and the cost of all necessary repairs must be met from within the capital programme. This report sets out the funding options from across the capital programme and including the allocation of capital funding available following the announcement of Pothole and Challenge Fund allocations for 2020/21.

That:

(a)     Cabinet recommend to Council that the £7.674m (Pothole and Challenge Fund 2020/21 grant allocation) be added to the capital programme as a new programme;

(b)     Subject to the decision taken at Council in regard to the Pothole and Challenge Fund 2020/21 grant allocation, authorisation be given to commit this funding to deliver highway maintenance works in the current financial year, as detailed in paragraph 23 of this report;

(c)     The director of economy and place be authorised to agree, through the contract governance arrangements, adjustment to the programme and budget allocation in the public realm services contract annual plan to include programmes of work funded by the Pothole and Challenge Fund in 2020/21;

(d)     Cabinet recommend to Council that the £4.027m (Priority Flood Repair Works) be added to the capital programme as a new programme;

(e)     Cabinet recommends to Council that priority flood repair works totalling £4.027m, as set out in paragraph 24 of this report, are funded through the use of extended borrowing (Option 1);

(f)      subject to the decision taken at Council confirming the changes to the capital programme, the director of economy and place be authorised to procure the priority flood repair works; and

(g)     In the event that new funds are made available by Government specifically to address the priority flood repair works, then those funds would be added to the Priority Flood Repair Works programme.

1.         In the absence of Government funds specifically to address the impairment in the highway asset as a consequence of Storm Dennis, the £7.674m made available through the pothole and challenge fund in 2020/21 could be directed towards the repair of all high priority flood damage. The balance of the pothole and challenge fund in 2020/21 would then be directed towards highway maintenance and improvement in network resilience. A review of priorities across all flood damage sites and the wider highway asset would determine the high priority flood damage works that will be progressed alongside a programme of highway maintenance funded by the pothole and challenge fund in 2020/21. This option is not recommended as its use in this way will divert much needed funding from the maintenance of the county’s highway network. The pothole and challenge funding is needed to put the asset into a resilient (not perfect) condition. If these funds are not invested, as they are intended, in ensuring that our local roads and other highway assets are fit for the future, then deterioration in the condition of the asset will result. The consequently we will see a reduction in local productivity, a deterioration in the environment by increased delays, and a less attractive environment for cycling and walking

2.         All flood damage repairs are funded from a combination of the pothole and challenge funding received in 2020/21 and from elsewhere in the capital programme. This option would limit the negative impact on the delivery of existing capital programme projects, it is not recommended as insufficient priority would be given to the resilience of the highway asset making it more susceptible to damage as a consequence of future severe weather events.