Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme

The review is based on the tried, tested and trusted local government peer challenge model. This emerged as a response to a desire within local government for councils to informally test their effectiveness and learn from others. It was traditionally applied on a corporate basis but many service-based models have emerged over a number of years.

It is a voluntary and flexible process commissioned by a council (as highway authority) to aid their improvement and learning and brings together a team of local government officers, an elected member and other relevant expertise connected to the sector.

The team will spend three days on site at a council. During this time they use a themed framework of questions, prompts and activities. These are designed to enable strategic conversations between the team and a range of participants and stakeholders connected with the authority commissioning the review. And it is founded upon the principle that peers are at the heart of a process managed and delivered by the sector for the sector. The Strategic Guidance for the Reviews provides more information on what councils can expect from a Review. This includes the core themes and approach of these Reviews.

• Encourages engagement, collaboration and commitment to action.
• Provides a critical friend challenge to the council’s delivery of its Highways function.
• Informs decision-making and priority setting.

• They are sector-led.
• They provide critical friend challenge.
• They are voluntary.
• The feedback is to an authority not about it.
• There is a clear strategic focus.
• Reviews are flexible and proportionate.

Stage 1: The initial output from the review a summary of the key findings and conclusions from which is produced by the team while on site. These messages are delivered before the team leaves site via a feedback presentation to the receiving authority.

Stage 2: The next phase is an action planning day which takes place within weeks of the feedback presentation from Stage 1 being delivered.

The total cost of the two stages is £13,450.00. This includes all expenses and costs associated with running the review

Since 2012 the HMEP programme has delivered in excess of 30 and bespoke support projects at the following councils:

1. Surrey County Council - November 2012
2. Blackpool Council - January 2013. Action Planning Day February 2013
3. Cambridgeshire County Council - July 2013
4. Oxfordshire County Council - July 2013
5. Kent County Council - January 2014
6. Bristol City Council - March 2014
7. Devon County Council - April 2014
8. Hertfordshire County Council - June 2014
9. Dorset County Council - September 2014
10. Thurrock Council - October 2014
11. Hull City Council - December 2014
12. Hampshire County Council - January 2015
13. Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council - January 2015
14. Wokingham Borough Council - February 2015
15. Suffolk County Council - February 2015
16. Lincolnshire County Council - March 2015
17. Middlesbrough Council - July 2015
18. Northumberland Council - September 2015
19. North Yorkshire County Council - November 2015
20. Wigan Council - February 2016
21. Wiltshire Council - February 2016
22. St Helens Council - March 2016
23. Telford and Wrekin Council - March 2016
24. Gloucestershire County Council - September 2016
25. Kent County Council - September 2016
26. West Sussex County Council - October 2016
27. Wakefield Council - November 2016
28. Staffordshire County Council - March 2017
29. Buckinghamshire County Council - December 2017
30. East Riding of Yorkshire Council - June 2018
31. Southend on Sea Council - October 2018