West Berkshire Council has formed a Highways Improvements Group to improve how local concerns influence road priorities across the district.
Some decisions on highways happen long before a road gets closed or resurfaced. They start with petitions, local feedback, and network management challenges. The new group aims to bring local knowledge into those early discussions.
Five members, cross-party input
The group includes five elected members representing all political parties on the council. They provide oversight, input, and recommendations on how highways improvements are prioritised and developed.
Highways officers support the group by offering technical and procedural advice. Named substitutes will also be appointed to maintain continuity.
Focus on defined highways activities
The group has a specific remit rather than a broad role. It considers petition responses, the annual Highways Improvement Programme, the Network Management Programme, and the Winter Service Plan. It also reviews ad-hoc network management requests, the Peer Review Action Plan, and performance under the highways term contract.
This connects the group directly to routine decisions shaping how the local highway network is managed, from planned works to ongoing operational issues.
Recommendations, not decisions
The group itself cannot approve schemes or make formal decisions. Instead, it offers recommendations that inform actions taken by the Executive Member for Highways and Environment.
This distinction ensures the group acts as a route into the decision-making process, rather than an authority that controls it.
Public engagement in the process
Members of the public can attend group meetings and submit questions in advance. The council requires questions to be sent at least 10 days before meetings. Written responses will be provided within five working days after each meeting.
This adds a clear route for residents and communities to raise highways issues alongside elected representatives.
Early oversight before schemes reach delivery
Roadworks and resurfacing are the visible end of a longer decision-making process. The group brings local input into discussions alongside the technical advice officers provide, during early scheme prioritisation.
West Berkshire Council says the arrangement supports clearer and more transparent involvement of residents and councillors before key highways matters proceed through formal council processes.
Meeting schedule and next steps
The first meeting of the Highways Improvements Group is set for 6 October 2026 at 6.30pm, at West Berkshire Council’s offices on Market Street. Subsequent meetings will happen every two months.
While this does not create new road projects or grant approval powers to the group, it changes how local input is embedded into existing highways priorities. For residents and the council alike, it offers a more defined mechanism for scrutiny and dialogue.
