The final part of the first phase of the Highways PFI project is yet to be signed off, despite now being 15 months late.
Initially supposed to last for 7 years, from April 2013 to March 2020, the Core Investment Period (CIP) of the Highways PFI has been extended to March 2023 – because the last marker point (Milestone 14) in the contract has not been completed.
The new cabinet member for Transport and Infrastructure, Councillor Phil Jordan, confirmed the final milestone was yet to be signed off, now 15 months after it was supposed to be, and discussions were taking place regarding the agreement to finalise the CIP. He said he expected it to be concluded in the coming weeks, rather than months.
Cllr Jordan has said:
“I am currently being briefed on the operating performance of the PFI contractor and have not been alerted to specific issues, but I am very well aware of the missed date on the CIP obligations and have asked for details of any outcomes as a result of that situation.”
All aspects of Milestone 14 have been approved by the independent certifier, the council says. The only outstanding works mostly relate to some bridges and retaining walls, for which additional time has been agreed.
Island Roads are currently working to replace Skew Bridge in Lake – a project which has massively overrun.
Other work in Milestone 14 included the upgrading of cycle paths, verge crossings kerbs, drainage, street furniture and carriageways.
Cllr Jordan’s cabinet predecessor, Cllr Ian Ward, who dealt with the PFI contract during the Conservative administration for the last 4 years, did not know whether Milestone 14 (the final one) had been signed off but knew it had ‘slipped’.
1 of the 7 years of the CIP, Cllr Ward said, had really bad weather which meant Island Roads was not able to keep up with the schedule. He said:
“It was outside of their control but the contract said they were supposed to finish on that certain date, but that had to be renegotiated.”
Due to not meeting the Milestone 14 deadline, an Isle of Wight Council spokesperson said payments to Island Roads have been withheld until it is complete, although Island Roads are investing ‘significant additional sums’ to meet the structure requirements.
Now, the CIP is overlapping the first part of the second phase, so the 25-year contract life will end when it is supposed to, in 2038.
A council spokesperson said Island Roads will continue to make investments over the next 18 years to ensure the highways network remains as the standards set out in the contract.
Jasmine Consultancy, the team behind the building of the Highways PFI Contract, were paid £203,964 by the Isle of Wight Council to provide legal, technical and financial expertise on the Milestone 14, between June 2020 and April 2021.
Closing in April, a job application for a Strategic Milestone 14 Programme Manager was advertised by the council, lasting for 2 years with a possible 1-year extension. The position, paid between £32,801 and £35,447 per year, would ensure the Milestone 14 programme was delivered by Island Roads in the next 2 years, following the extension.
Cllr Ward said the council’s highway department did not have the capacity to monitor all the work that Island Roads was doing which was why a Milestone 14 strategic programme manager was procured.
We seem to have ended up with some wonderfully smooth back-roads, but far too many diabolically rough main roads. Was that the intention?
Jim, this is because they choose to ‘do’ the easy back roads, with little parked cars, fewer drains and service covers as you get in urban streets, and so they can then, by doing the easy ones first, brag how much ‘mileage’ has been acheived.
Yet the most needed roads ARE the one parked solid, with hundreds of drain covers to raise, and countless drives to make good for people’s private parking.
Hence the next phase will be slow and likely then it will go broke before the contract end
island roads are responsible for the maintenance roads they resurface so if the roads that are used the least are resurfaced first,they will require less maintenance, the council should be telling island roads which roads should be done as it, is its the tail wagging the dog, our road was resurfaced but the worst part was not done the same with our pavement which was not bad the only part that was quite bad was left untouched. lets hope our new council will be better at handling contractors than the old one.
So when are they going to re due the poor workmanship that they have already delivered. Some of the roads are in a worser state than they were before Island roads touched them. This has then been exasperated by Wight cable then Digging them up & making them worse.
Wow the previous person in charge of this didn’t know it was that long in not being signed off, what the hell was he doing then for 15 months, wasn’t that his job. He got paid enough for not doing his job, wish my job was like that. Let’s get together and not pay council tax for 15 months, see how they like that.
yeh I like that idea i dont like paying the tax anyway it is far to high for some one who lives on their own.
Has this got anything to do with the ‘go slow’ on the St Georges Way work ?
Whilst it has given employment to many, and upgraded a lot of our roads, this is still a very lucrative contract for Island Roads. Contractor and Consultant under the same hat, mmmm, sounds nice work if you can get it
I wonder if all that salary went to the ‘consultant’, or if some of it went to one or two to turn a blind eye.
Who would have guessed we’d get some rainy weather stopping work, in the UK?
Cllr Ward is trying to sound knowledgeable, but he’s just making pathetic excuses for his failings.
Cllr Jordan has encyclopaedic knowledge of the contract, though, from his past stint on the Council, thank goodness.