The county’s largest local authority has been invited to provide further evidence to the government about the growing disruption caused by roadworks.

Kent County Council (KCC) will go before the Transport Select Committee on Wednesday, March 19, represented by its senior highways official Neil Edwards.

In particular, KCC wants to emphasise the effect of the number of closures caused by utility companies, many of which are classed as emergencies, according to the cabinet member for transport, Cllr Neil Baker.

Recent council papers showed that in 2020-21 there were 6,604 closures for utilities which leapt to 10,296 in 2023-24 while KCC works rose from 3,477 to 5,992 in the same period.

KCC’s Conservative leader Cllr Roger Gough told a meeting of members: “KCC does not have the power to prevent utility companies carrying out planned or emergency works on our roads.

“The limited powers the council does have is to minimise disruption wherever possible through co-ordination of all works on the highway to avoid conflicts, and where you have emergencies that becomes so much harder.”

A KCC statement said: “Distinct from works done to repair and maintain the road itself, street works are works carried out by utility companies to install, repair or maintain their services, including water, gas, electricity and communications including broadband.

“These works usually involve digging up roads or pavements, causing disruption to the travelling public and can affect the surface quality, integrity and lifespan of the road and pavement.”

Liberal Democrat group leader, Cllr Antony Hook, suggested the “road rental” scheme should be encouraged where profit-driven contractors would have to hire the roads they work on.

The select committee is now exploring ways to help limit the damage and disruption to roads and pavements carried out by utility companies and other providers, and the effectiveness of fines councils can impose if works are mismanaged.

KCC has already addressed the committee in January recommending the amendment of the legal definition of an “emergency” and encouraged the promotion of technology to reduce the duration of works.

Utility firms can apply for emergency road closures with only two hours’ notice. There is growing public frustration when the highways are shut but the work on occasions does not start for several days afterwards.

The council statement added: “KCC has been working with 1Spatial, a company that has developed 1Streetworks – an application that produces compliant traffic management plans in under two minutes.

“Following trials with UK Power Networks (UKPN), using 1Streetworks could reduce road closures by up to 40%.

“Further funds have now been awarded to roll this out on a greater scale across all works promoters within Kent. If successful, the benefits to Kent, its citizens, and the organisations that operate here could be significant.”

Cllr Baker said: “We want to see significant change in this area and I am pleased that we have been asked by the select committee to give verbal evidence on the impact this is having on residents and businesses in Kent.

“Across Kent, and the UK, temporary road closures continue to increase.

“In the past six months, Kent had almost twice as many emergency closures carried out by utility companies, telecommunication providers and developers, compared to those carried out by KCC for emergency road repairs.

“Street works will continue to be busy, and we expect this to only increase if nothing is changed.

“I thoroughly welcome this investigation, and I look forward to Kent having a voice on this subject.”