Agenda item

To consider the Road Gritting Short Sharp Review - Final Report.

(Report to follow)

The Committee received the Gritting Short, Sharp Review Group’s final report for consideration.

Members were informed that the Committee had been unable to engage with the responsible Portfolio Holder and relevant officers at Worcestershire County Council during the course of the review. The Group were, however, aiming to submit the final report for the consideration of the County Council, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.

Members praised the report for its thoroughness and agreed that more could be done to preserve the condition of the roads in Redditch during future periods of inclement weather.  Members commented that arrangements suitable for gritting and clearing snow in a hilly area should be applied in Redditch as many of the town’s roads were located on steep gradients. It was commented also that more action needed to be taken to mitigate the affect of inclement weather on concentrated residential areas of elderly and vulnerable people.

Instances of anti-social behaviour that had taken place on local roads during the winter were discussed. This included cars being parked at the top of hazardous roads which restricted road access for other vehicles. The report recommended that smaller snow ploughs should be utilised to clear snow on the narrower roads in the Borough, to help reduce this problem in future years.

Members were advised that Officers at Worcestershire County Council and Redditch Borough Council had worked closely during the winter in 2010/11 to help ensure that the finite resources to maintain the condition of the roads were used most appropriately.  This collaboration had been appreciated at both levels and had helped to prevent further difficulties.

RECOMMENDED that

1)           when monitoring the implementation of their recommendations Worcestershire County Council’s Environment and Economy Overview and Scrutiny Panel should observe that the following recommendations proposed in their report, Gritting: Winter Service Policy, were not fully implemented in Redditch during the inclement weather in December 2010: recommendations 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11 and 15;

2)           the co-ordination of responses to inclement weather should be delegated to the district level; and

a)      responses should involve local stakeholders planning local solutions to local problems;

1)           Redditch Borough Council should urge Worcestershire County Council to adopt this local approach to co-ordinating responses to inclement weather;

2)           resources, suitable for local needs, should be available to access in Redditch when needed;

3)           the precautionary gritting route map needs to be agreed with district Councils to make use of local knowledge;

4)           Worcestershire County Council and Redditch Borough Council should:

a)           identify and use local private resources, including farmers’ tractors, for snow clearance;

b)           identify and use smaller, more suitable vehicles to clear snow on smaller urban roads; and

c)           identify and develop a list of emergency additional labour forces that could be used to clear snow during inclement weather;

5)           there should be a service available to deploy 24 hours a day 7 days a week locally in response to inclement weather;

6)           Worcestershire County Council should meet with representatives of Redditch Borough Council to clarify the standards expected from each other in relation to snow clearance;

7)           grit bins should be filled when requested. 

(However, we recognise that it may not be possible to fill grit bins immediately).  Therefore:

a)           members of the public who request that their grit bin be restocked should be clearly advised when this will take place;

b)           a schedule for restocking grit bins should be published for public consideration in a clearly accessible format; and

c)           if the snow is worse than expected one tonne tote bags should be distributed to roads where needed as an emergency measure;

8)           WorcestershireCounty Council ensure that following information on the Council’s website is presented in a more user friendly manner:

a)           general information about gritting and snow clearance;

b)           gritting routes;

c)           snow ploughing routes together with clarification as to whether these routes are the same as the gritting routes;

d)           grit bin locations; and

e)           when gritting, snow ploughing and the filling of grit bins will take place;

9)           the successful approach that WorcestershireCounty Council has adopted to communicate road conditions to the schools should be extended to all stakeholders;

10)       WorcestershireCounty Council and Redditch Borough Council should ensure that clear information about both the road conditions and public transport is provided when communicating with the public during inclement weather;

11)       Worcestershire County Council’s Highways Department should:

a)           be available for all relevant bodies, particularly the emergency services, to contact directly and quickly and at all times; and

b)           be more responsive to residents.

RESOLVED that

the report be noted