Fixed
Unacceptable response received
Reported via mobile in the Road surface category anonymously at 06:20, Wed 6 March 2024
Sent to Buckinghamshire Council less than a minute later. FixMyStreet ref: 5674401.
To whom it may concern, I am somewhat aghast at the inadequate response received from Buckinghamshire Council after 23 working days in regards to FixMyStreet ref: 5517791. Are you telling me that Buckinghamshire council do not employ street works inspectors, who have a statutory duty to inspect the public highway to ensure that utility works are completed to the SROH. That’s the Specification for the reinstatement of openings in highways: code of practice for England if you aren’t aware! It is no wonder why street works in the Borough take so long, quality of works so poor, if utility know they aren’t being monitored by the council and the residents are expected to do your job! Due to your unacceptable response, passing the onus on to the long suffering residents to do your statutory duties under the New Roads & Streetworks Act 1991. I would like to escalate this request to a formal stage 1 complaint and that someone in management explain exactly what your streetwork inspectors are being paid for, if you have any at all. Surely they should take up our complaints and deal with the utility companies throughout the defect process. Do you not charge Utility companies for working on the public highway? Do they not have to issue you with a permit to work on the public highway? Do they not have to register their reinstatements which are guaranteed for 2 years? Do Buck not periodically inspect utility reinstatements within the guarantee period? I will now be raising a F.O.I request & forward your response to the chief executives office, as well as to my local councillors, to find out this information, as I don’t expect a worthwhile response to my questions. How many FPN’s have been issued to Utilities? I would like a break down of each major Utility over the last 5 years. How many over run (section 74 charges) have been levied against each individual utility? How many section 72 defects have been issued? How many non compliant Category A (work in progress) inspections?
Updates
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The report has been passed to the Highway Officer, who will carry out an inspection of the issue within 10 working days, emergency defects will be corrected or made safe at the time of the inspection, if reasonably practicable to do so. In this context, making safe may constitute displaying warning notices, coning‐off or fencing‐off to protect the public from the defect or other suitable action. If the inspection team cannot make safe the defect at the time of inspection, then they will instigate the relevant emergency call procedures to ensure appropriate resources are mobilised to make the defect safe.
There may also be occasions when the issue reported will not be repaired as it has been classified as a minor defect and does not pose any risk to either the safety or the integrity of the highway, these are called minimum recording levels as specified in our Highways Safety Inspection Policy in these cases no action will be taken.
During winter months we receive a very high number of reports regarding potholes or a poor road surface, it's easy to assume that potholes are formed due to roads being poorly maintained but that is not usually the case. There are many factors that can cause potholes, particularly during the winter months when water seeps in through cracks in the road surface, collecting underneath and when the water freezes, it expands and creates cracks in the road surface. Our priority is always the safety of road users, so in some cases during busy periods a permanent repair is not always possible immediately. However, temporary repairs are a way to ensure the area is safe until such times as we can return to make a permanent repair.
Posted by Buckinghamshire Council at 06:20, Wed 6 March 2024
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Update
We are very pleased to tell you that the issue reported has now been resolved.
Alongside our Highways Safety Inspections, reports from the public help us to keep the roads in Buckinghamshire safe.
State changed to: Fixed
Posted by Buckinghamshire Council at 15:19, Wed 28 August 2024
This report is now closed to updates from the public. You can make a new report in the same location.