The Joint meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee and the Place & Environment Scrutiny Committee recommended the establishment of a Task and Finish Group to conduct a detailed review of the Highways Maintenance Contract. This group will examine the council's strategic approach to highways maintenance, the delivery of services to residents, performance against standards, and contract management effectiveness.

Highways Maintenance Contract

The committee resolved to recommend to the Scrutiny Management Board that it considers establishing a nine-member Task and Finish Group. This group will be drawn from both the Place & Environment and Corporate Scrutiny Committees and will undertake a comprehensive review of the Highways Maintenance Contract. The review will focus on several key areas, including the council's overall strategy for maintaining highways, how effectively services are delivered to residents, the performance of the contract against agreed standards, and the effectiveness of the arrangements in place for managing and overseeing the contract. This decision was made following a presentation by George Candler, Executive Director of Place.

The meeting was attended by Councillor Chris Munday (Chair), Councillor Jim Hakewill (Vice-Chair), Councillor David Baker, Councillor Gavin Beales, Councillor Scott Brown, Councillor Jonathan Carvetta, Councillor Matt Davies, Councillor Lee Duffy, Councillor Emily Fedorowycz, Councillor Leon Gibbs, Councillor David Howes, Councillor Ben Jameson, Councillor Frank Kilgallon, Councillor Brendon Lovell-Moore, Councillor John Barry Lumsden, and Councillor Denis McLean. The meeting took place in the Council Chamber at the Corby Cube, George Street, Corby, NN17 1QG. The proceedings were available to view live on North Northamptonshire Council's Democratic Services YouTube channel.

The agenda for the meeting included apologies for absence and members' declarations of interest, followed by the main item for discussion: the delivery of the Highways Maintenance Contract. The report pack provided to attendees detailed the focus of the presentation, which included the performance of highway maintenance activity, the maintenance of potholes, business processes, the scope of the maintenance schedule, and the governance of the contract.

Further information about the meeting and its outcomes can be found in the following documents:

• Agenda frontsheet 15th-Jul-2026 18.30 Joint meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committe and the Pla.pdf
• Public reports pack 15th-Jul-2026 18.30 Joint meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committe and the P.pdf
• Printed minutes 15th-Jul-2026 18.30 Joint meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committe and the Place.pdf
• Decisions 15th-Jul-2026 18.30 Joint meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committe and the Place Env.pdf