In 2006 our local government services team undertook a
feasibility study on the development of a collaborative approach to
the delivery of highway network management and maintenance services
in the East of England.
Local authorities and the Highways Agency are under significant
pressure from the government to achieve efficiency savings and
demonstrate value for money. It is likely that future spending
reviews will bring many new challenges. One of the difficulties
facing senior management in the Highways Agency and local
authorities is how they can deliver more in terms of quality and
service within strict budgets.
The study identified significant opportunities to develop
collaborative working and concluded with nine cross-cutting themes
and fifteen recommendations. The recommendations have been well
received and accepted by the local authorities and the Highways
Agency with many now being actively developed.
The nine cross-cutting themes are:
- External purchasing organisations
- Capital projects
- E-procurement
- Highway maintenance contracts
- Organisational structure
- Resource sharing and rationalisation
- Communications and customer service
- Travel and contingency planning
- Value for money and benchmarking
