Minor Works Fund Guidance
Pembrokeshire County Council is committed to bringing about real improvements in Pembrokeshire. The Traffic & Highways Minor Works Fund forms part of the Council’s Highway Works programme.
The Traffic & Highways Minor Works Fund (MWF) provides an opportunity for Town/Community/City Councils to submit bids for schemes that are larger than Community Works Funds (CWF), these are transport-related highway schemes which have a cost in excess of £10,000.
Schemes are assessed on five elements and assigned an overall score, this then feeds into the priority listing and ranking of all schemes. Schemes which do not score highly will fall lower on the list and schemes which are in excess of £150,000 will be classed as 'Named Schemes'. These will require individual funding by Capital Asset Management Budget (CAMB) and a business case will be put forward to the County Council Cabinet for a decision. The fund has a maximum PCC Capital Budget of £170,000 per annum for all schemes, to which the Local Authority will endeavour to allocate as many beneficial schemes as possible to this budget.
Please note that the MWF is not subject to any match funding from the Local/City/Community Councils and is dependent upon annual budgetary decision making.
1. What is funding available for?
Funding can be used for any of the following improvements:
- Footways (new/extended/improved)
- Visibility improvements at junctions
- Passing bays
- Bus stop improvements (new/improved)
- Traffic calming measures and traffic management*
- Minor carriageway improvements (i.e. carriageway widening)
*Please note that traffic calming measures may include hard or vertical measures, and the introduction of speed limits
2. What criteria does the scheme need to meet?
Projects also need to meet one of Pembrokeshire Council’s corporate goals, which are structured around five well-being objectives identified within the County Councils Corporate Plan (2020 – 2021).
The objectives are as follows;
- Raising overall standards of achievement
- Healthy communities: Communities supported by affordable and appropriate housing; improving social care
- Increase the economy's productivity and address regeneration issues
- Safeguarding our environment
- Self-sustained and vibrant communities
In addition, projects should show the following:
- ·Reflect community priorities and vision.
- Support from the local community and partner organisations through appropriate consultation.
- They are well thought out and can be delivered
- They consider future sustainability
- They add value to existing activities and are complementary to other projects and initiatives
- Through consultation, that they meet current and future needs and opportunities in their communities
- They have given consideration how the project can benefit those who share protected characteristics
Protected characteristics are designated under the Equality Act 2010 and include people of different abilities, ages, ethnic backgrounds, genders and religions.
*Pembrokeshire County Council have set policies and processes for the development of Traffic Management, Speed Limit and hard Traffic Calming measures.
3. How much funding is available and how is it allocated across the county?
In total, the Traffic & Highways Minor Works Fund is approximately £170,000 per annum
Schemes are assessed on their individual merit and costed according to the requirements of the scheme. Schemes smaller than £10,000 will be assessed under the Community Works Fund Scheme. Any schemes which exceed the annual budget of £170,000 will be identified as 'Named Schemes' and will need to be put forward for their own budget stream via CAMB.
The greater the Town/Community/City Council input the more favourably the proposal will be viewed.
4. What is the Process for the Minor Works Fund?
The process for the MWF is set out in the workflow diagram.
The process comprises of 4 key steps:
- Project Initiation – The forms are available on the website for City/Town/Community Councils to download and complete in their own time and obtain the support of their Local Member. The application form is the submitted via email to minorworksfund@pembrokeshire.gov.uk
- Initial dialogue with PCC regarding schemes commences. If required, a one-hour meeting can be held with an appropriate PCC officer to discuss the scheme and further requirements in detail. City/Town/Community Councils are requested to gather all evidence required to support the scheme during this time period and undertake consultation with their constituents.
- Assessment - PCC Officers will then undertake the scheme assessment and complete the assessment form which will generate an overall project score. The project score then informs where the scheme will sit in the priority ranking.
- Following on from the assessment the MWF team will discuss the projects viability and if a scheme does not meet the criteria it will not be taken forward that financial year. PCC Officers will discuss the outcome and make any recommendations for an alternative scheme or explain why the original scheme is not viable.
- Design Development – Once a scheme has been considered successful within the decision making process, a PCC internal programme of works commences with officers to design, cost, undertake any traffic management assessments needed, undertake a HSE assessment and assemble a works package. Any further information required from the City/Town/Community Council may be requested during this time.
- Implementation – During this phase, the scheme works commence on the ground. A programme of works will be released, relevant contractors will engage on site and works will commence.
- Scheme Completion – Following the works on the ground, the works will then be inspected by PCC and signed-off. Any minor snagging or tweaks will be undertaken prior to sign-off being completed. The timeline for both implementation and scheme completion is dependent upon funding and the ranking of the scheme in the overall priority listing.
- Reserve List - Any unsuccessful applications which do not make the MWF for the current year will be placed onto the Reserve List. This will allow PCC to engage with the relevant Council for any necessary adjustments to the scheme in order to it to become successful the following year. A scheme that is on the Reserve List may become a “Named Scheme”, could be integrated into a wider Minor Works Scheme in the area or could be undertaken by a developer. Where possible, PCC will work with the key stakeholders to ensure that projects on the Reserved List are reviewed and updated regularly to progress forward.
5. Who can apply for funding?
The MWF is open to City/Town/Community Councils with the support of their Local Members. Alternately Elected Members can raise schemes directly via the same process. Elected Members are requested to provide written support for MWF Schemes should they be raised by City/Town/Community Councils.
6. What can be funded?
Funding is available for capital costs necessary for the allowable highway scheme of footway connections (new or extended), visibility improvements (i.e., minor junction improvements), passing bays, bus stop improvements, traffic calming measures and traffic management, as well as minor carriageway improvements.
Funding for capital costs can include:
- Site investigation, clearance and preparation work
- New build and / or refurbishment costs including direct professional fees where necessary
- Landscaping and other environmental enhancement work
- Fixtures and fittings directly related to the project
7. What can’t be funded?
Other activities, which can’t be funded include:
- Those which conflict or adversely affect the aims, objectives or policy of Pembrokeshire County Council or any other associated company / organisation
- Those which a public body has a duty to provide
- Those which are or could be more appropriately funded from other sources
- Those which duplicate other projects being delivered locally
- Those which impact upon or adversely affect the sustainability of existing provision.
- Those which have already been started cannot be considered, however a different phase of a project can be.
- Those for which contracts have been signed or orders placed before approval
- Normal operating costs or costs incurred in daily operation / routine repairs and maintenance costs / equipment. After any period of maintenance cover by a supplier the responsibility for maintenance will rest with the Town, Community or City Council.
- The organisation’s general employment activities / costs
- The organisation’s health and safety obligations
- Recoverable VAT costs
- Insurance
- Those which promote religious faith activities (although applications from religious organisations can be considered if the intended project benefits the wider community)
- Those which are party political
- Fundraising campaigns
- Trips and visits
Vehicular Activated Signs (VAS)
Previously, PCC has supported the implementation of VAS within areas where traffic calming measures were required within the MWF. However, given the upcoming 20mph Scheme by the Welsh Government, a decision has been taken to no longer implement VAS schemes until after the 20mph Scheme has been implemented, and a period of monitoring has been concluded. Any VAS already in place will automatically be recalibrated to the lower speed limit and monitoring will continue to ensure good traffic behaviour.
8. Match Funding
There is no match funding required with Minor Works Fund schemes.
9. How to apply
Applications
If you have details of your scheme and know exactly what the issue is you want to solve, please fill in the Minor Works Fund Application Form. Forms are available from minorworksfund@pembrokeshire.gov.uk or on the PCC website.
You can only make one application per City/Town / Community / Council per year per project. Traffic & Highways Minor Works funding may potentially be used to fund different stages of a project, with a further application being made once a phase has been completed (see Frequently Asked Questions below).
Submitting an Application
Applications must be submitted via email to minorworksfund@pembrokeshire.gov.uk and should include the scanned signature of relevant people in the organisation.
On submission of an application, an acknowledgement will be issued by the Infrastructure Division and Minor Works Fund Team. All officers will work with the organisation applying to ensure that all necessary information is provided.
Supporting Evidence & Consultation
Evidence of consultation on the scheme within the City/Town/Community Council must be provided to support this application. This can consist of a list of supporting signatures, scheme details advertised within any City/Town/Community or Parish newsletter or local newspaper and/or evidence of publication on an appropriate City/Town/Community of Parish website. It is the responsibility of the Applicant to demonstrate that appropriate consultation has taken place prior to submitting an application.
Other evidence may be required in the form of liaison with Heritage, Listed Buildings, Landowners/Landlords, Statutory Utilities and Environment. A more complete list can be seen in Section 10, below.
Councillor Support
Support from the relevant Elected Member needs to be demonstrated in the form of written evidence and submitted along with the application.
Application Deadline
The MWF operates on a rolling annual cycle scheme submissions will be accepted at any point during the year, successful schemes may not be fully funded until the next budgetary cycle.
Assessing the Application
The Application will be assessed by officers and determined by a panel including the Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services and Leisure.
Where relevant, advice from other appropriate officers / experts will be considered. In some cases, advice may be sought from other appropriate officers from within the Council or partner organisations, or other relevant experts. Where further evidence is needed, you may be contacted by a member of the Minor Works Fund Team.
Application Determination: Successful or Unsuccessful?
Publicity and acknowledgements – all organisations in receipt of Traffic & Highways Minor Works Funding must acknowledge Pembrokeshire County Council in all publicity and media generated about their successful project. Additional requirements for projects in receipt of capital funding will be outlined in the offer letter.
Unsuccessful – unsuccessful applicants will receive feedback and, if appropriate, be invited to re-submit or provided with information on alternative funding sources where applicable. There is no right to appeal.
A reserve list is available for works which are not successful for the current years funding but could be included in the following year or combined within a Minor Works scheme. The reserve list is monitored, and may be updated as necessary.
10. Additional Information
Depending on the type of scheme the following may also be required:
- Scheme Design and/or detailed plans
- Environmental Consent
- Listed Building Consent
- Scheme description
- Drainage Consent
- Maintenance arrangements
- Bank Account Details
- Highways Consent Planning Consent (if required)
- Building Regulations
- Landowners/Third-Party Consent
- Proof of Ownership/Title Deeds
- Business Plan
- Landlords Consent
- Quotations or Estimates of Cost of Work
- Conservation Consent
- Licenses
- Signed Lease Agreement ( with a minimum of 15 years left to run)
11. Frequently Asked Questions
- Who decides what schemes are funded? The City/Town/Community Council and Elected Members, reflecting the wishes and aspirations of their community, decide what to bid for. The MWF Team including the Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services and Leisure, will assess the schemes and determine which schemes are to be funded.
- What is the budget? Pembrokeshire County Council has allocated a total of £170,000 per annum to be spent across all Minor Work highway schemes. Schemes which are in excess of the annual budget will be considered as a ‘Named Scheme’ and put forward for separate funding. All funding is dependent upon the CAMB decision making process.
- Why do we need to provide evidence of consultation? Applicants are advised that any application must be supported by evidence of consultation. City/Town/Community Councils are advised to notify their constituents of their intent to apply for the scheme prior to submitting an application. Schemes can be held-up by lack of proper consultation.
- How are schemes prioritised? Schemes are assessed based upon a multi-criteria assessment, which examines schemes against the criteria of: road safety, well-being, value for money, deliverability and environmental benefits. Each criteria is awarded points and the total number of combined points provides the ranking number.
- Is the priority list worked through in order? Yes, where possible the priority list is worked through in order starting at No. 1. Where is makes sense for some schemes to be done in tandem due to proximity and construction requirements, these are then considered and bundled together. Alternatively, should a planning development come forward which can accommodate the scheme, we would then seek to have the developer provide and pay for the scheme.
- Which areas are nominated for schemes? Schemes are put forward by Elected Members via the City/Town/Community Councillors and any area in Pembrokeshire is encourage to apply. On the current Minor Works List, there are a total of 76 schemes. We currently have approximately one third of all schemes located in the North of the County and the remaining two thirds in the South.
- How will the schemes be managed and delivered? Pembrokeshire County Council Highways Design Team will manage the delivery of the approved schemes in partnership with the City/Town/Community Council.
- What happens if the outturn scheme cost is materially different from that submitted in the bid by the town, community or city council? The approved bids will be designed by the PCC Design Team which will include determination of the scheme cost. If that is materially different from the bid cost then that may impact on the contribution required, further funding via CAMB may be needed or the scheme could be put forward for funding via a ‘Named Scheme’.
- What is my scheme is refused? If a scheme turns out to be unviable due to road safety, construction or cost implications, it will be returned to the City/Town/Community Council or Elected Member with a detailed explanation as to the decision making process and any recommendations. The scheme will not be added to the Minor Works Fund Priority List. It is then up to the City/Town/Community Council or Elected Member to determine whether they wish to review the scheme and incorporate any recommendations, or terminate the scheme at this point.
12. Complaints, Compliments and Comments
As a Council we are determined to make the services we provide for you as effective as possible. We value your comments and want to work together to achieve this aim. We recognise it is important to learn from what you say, not only to deal with your particular issue, but to ensure that we improve our services.
You can submit a complaint, compliment or comment in a number of ways:
Disclaimer
The information in this document is intended for guidance in relation to the Traffic & Highways Minor Works Fund. It is not suitable for professional advice and we cannot accept any responsibility for loss occasioned as a result of any person acting or refraining from acting upon it.
All the information that we hold concerning you as an individual will be retained and processed by the Minor works Fund Team strictly in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation 2016, as set out in our Fair Processing Notice. A full version of this Notice can be viewed Privacy Promise, alternatively a paper copy can be provided upon request.