Political dispatch. HTMA view by Richard Chinn, HTMA External Perception Working Group and Director for Local Authority Services, Mott MacDonald.

"Later this year the Highways Term Maintenance Association (HTMA), will attempt to influence the future of the highways maintenance sector by focusing the industry on strengthening a collaborative approach to the delivery of highway management and maintenance services. The HTMA 2007 'Collaboration with Impact' Conference is designed to strengthen a partnership approach towards a more sustainable and ambitious future for highways maintenance, based on improving relationships between central and local government, better local choices, more effective management of pressures, and greater public trust in the system as a whole."

The Government white paper 'Strong and Prosperous Communities' and the 'Lyons Inquiry into Local Government' is likely to lead to more enabling councils working in partnership with private sector providers to improve services delivered to the public - so collaboration is essential - there is no option.

And in the current climate of rising costs, frozen investment and increasing public expectation, councils, contractors and consultants certainly have an interest in making highways maintenance affordable and economic and we believe a collaborative approach to the delivery of highway management and maintenance services can help local authorities achieve efficiency savings, provide value for money and improve performance.

Of course, we accept that highways maintenance is a major issue because costs are rising way ahead of inflation and we also accept that highways maintenance will always be one of the most visible things on which the public judge a council's performance. There are major challenges ahead, not least in the area of budget pressures, which is a major concern for both councils and contractors, but collaboration can open up new avenues of efficiency and innovation and is arguably the key to unlocking the full potential of efficient maintenance and management of our roads.

We believe that long term partnering is the key to a successful future for the highways maintenance industry but it requires a culture change from everyone. Long term contracts create a climate of enhanced cooperation where the whole supply chain is encouraged to deliver better value and the contractor and the council work together, more efficiently, for the public.

Effective Asset Management leads to a better understanding of appropriate levels of investment and is an essential ingredient to achieving efficiencies. Most people agree that long term investment cycles are more cost effective, which is why most Local Authorities are already operating or developing asset management plans. Further development in this area must be a priority for councils, contractors and consultants.

Reducing the carbon footprint of highways maintenance is also high on the agenda. Our industry must adopt a culture change to mitigate the environmental impact of its activities and needs a much longer-term planning strategy that considers the future sustainability of its business. Highways maintenance companies have a key role in a much wider environmental agenda and this can only benefit the client-contractor partnership and help in the reduction of carbon emissions.

The HTMA has set up an Environmental Working Group to establish resources to measure the carbon footprint of the highways business. The short term objectives for the group are to identify 'quick wins' by ensuring members of the association adopt environmental best practice by sharing knowledge and experiences, such as the use of recycled materials and innovative carbon positive techniques A time table has been agreed to define the objectives and delivery plan for four environmental and sustainability topics - Climate Change, Industry Carbon Footprint, Working Methods and Transport.

"The environment is high on the public agenda and is a driver for current public perception.We have a big PR job to do, which is why we are a working on cross industry initiatives around image, recruitment and retention. In terms of improving overall public perception, we need a collaborative approach to raise levels of customer satisfaction."

End

The HTMA members are: Accord, Alfred McAlpine, Amey, Atkins, Carillion, Colas, Edmund Nuttall, Fitzpatrick, Halcrow, Jacobs Babtie, May Gurney, Morrison, McNicholas, Mott MacDonald, MouchelParkman, RCS, Ringway, Scott Wilson, URS, and WSP.

For further details about the HTMA Conference 2007. Collaboration with Impact contact htmaconference@theprfirm.co.uk