Meeting documents

Apologies of absence were received from Ruth Vigor-Hedderly, Michael Brand, David Rowlands and John Cartwright.

There were no declarations of interest.

of the meeting held on 15 June 2010 to be confirmed.

The minutes of the meeting held on 15 June 2010 were confirmed as a correct record.

Contributors

• Val Letheren, Cabinet Member for Transport
• Jim Stevens, Head of Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB)

Purpose

This is an opportunity for members of the Task and Finish Group to question the Cabinet Member for Transport and Head of Transport for Buckinghamshire in relation to Winter Maintenance issues. Members have now received evidence from a number of witnesses, and other sources, and this session should be used to resolve any outstanding issues Members may have. 

The Cabinet Member for Transport, Jim Stevens, Head of Transport for Buckinghamshire and Tim Fowler,Area Maintenance Manager North, Transport for Buckinghamshire were welcomed to the meeting.

This was an opportunity for Members to ask questions in relation to Winter Maintenance issues. The questions and answers are summarised below:

There appeared to be a lack of preparation last winter and the reaction to the winter weather slow, particularly in relation to the second period of snow. There appears to be a general feeling that the County Council should have responded quicker and sooner. What are your thoughts?

Nationally there had not been a continuous period of bad weather as was experienced last year with cold periods lasting 3 to 4 days each time. This winter Buckinghamshire County Council and nationally authorities should be better prepared. There is also a need for the public to be better prepared should there be a similar weather conditions this winter and need drive in accordance with the road conditions to consider whether they will fit snow tyres to vehicles.

The review of the Overview and Scrutiny Task and Finish Group, the national review regarding resilience and the review carried out by Transport for Buckinghamshire will enable the County Council to be better prepared next winter provided salt supplies are delivered.

Buckinghamshire County Council activated their Winter Maintenance Plan and undertook a huge amount of activity 24/7 mobilising the work force to carry out gritting and assist Adult Social Care. Officers were in contact with the Chief Executive discussing procedures at all times including midnight and early mornings. The sheer scale of the event took the Council by surprise but it was not due to inactivity. On receiving forecasts action was taken.

Lessons have been learnt and include issues around:

• How Buckinghamshire County Council talks with other Local Authorities
• Footway clearance
• The secondary network and how resources can be mobilised to keep on top of it

There was a usually prolonged period of severe weather.

What is the situation regarding salt supplies?

There is currently just over 2,500 tonnes of salt in stock, through Ringway Jacobs an extra 2,500tonnes of salt has been secured – delivery of which will commence next week. There is also a further 7,200 tonnes on order with Salt Union. A delivery schedule for this has been received and the salt should be delivered by October 6 2010. There is therefore an anticipated 12,500 tonnes of salt which is 25% more than last year and 50% more than the year previous. The salt is also likely to go further due to the new technique of pre-wetting which uses approximately 30% less salt than normally. Effectively this is equivalent to having approximately 16-17,000 tonnes of salt which is double the stock level of salt 3 years ago which was 8,500 tonnes.

How confident are you that you will receive delivery of the salt supplies?

As Officers have been able to schedule and plan delivery there is a reasonably high level of confidence.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Contributors

• All Members of the Task and Finish Group

Purpose

Members will discuss the key findings from the evidence they have heard to-date and formulate these into draft recommendations. The recommendations will shape the report that will be presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Commissioning Committee on 7 September and to Cabinet on 27 September 2010.

The Chairman said that the work of the Task and Finish Group had been interesting and that the Task and Finish Group had heard many times that it was the worst winter experienced for 30 years. The Committee were now asked to prepare draft recommendations. The recommendations will be discussed at the Overview and Scrutiny Commissioning Committee on 7 September 2010 and then taken to Cabinet on 27 September 2010.

Member discussed draft recommendations and formulated the following:

1. Communications:

The County Council should provide a practical guide advising members of the public of the safest methods to clear snow and ice without fear of litigation. This will ensure local areas are safer and more accessible for the local community.

The following resources should be used to communicate information about snow and ice events by the County Council:

County, District, Town and Parish Council websites

Local radio

Local press

County Council internal communications

Email alerts to schools and a governing body representative

Members of the public given the opportunity to sign up for email and text alerts from the County Council

Thames Valley Police (TVP) Community Messaging

2. Use of Farmers:

The Council, with the assistance of the National Farmers Union (NFU), Local Area Forums (LAFs) and Parish Councils, develop a list of farmers from across the County to clear local roads on its behalf.   

3. Government Lobbying:

The County Council, in partnership with the local authority representatives on the South East Winter Group, should lobby Central Government to allow farmers to use red diesel on public highways when gritting the roads on behalf of Highway Authorities.

4. Business Continuity Plans:

All County Council services ensure that their Business Continuity Plans include a section on how they will continue to provide a core service during periods of prolonged snow and ice.

Services must be proactive rather than reactive.  Including the following:

Requesting bus providers adapt their vehicles to be useable during periods of prolonged snow and ice

Keep schools open, where possible, to ensure key workers are available to work

5. Community Resilience Plans:

The County Council’s Resilience Team should engage with and support Town and Parish Councils to establish and implement Community Resilience Plans. These plans must include details of how the local community can mitigate the impact of prolonged snow and ice events. 

6. Gritting access roads to key strategic sites:

The County Council should ensure that access routes to key strategic sites, such as bus depots, waste sites, household waste recycling centres, railway stations and schools, are included on the list of primary routes within its Winter Maintenance Policy and Operational Plan.

Cross border consistency when gritting priority routes:

The Council should ensure that they work with neighbouring authorities to ensure that there are consistent levels of gritting on priority routes crossing county borders. This will enable the emergency vehicles to travel safely during ice and snow incidents. 

7. Utilisation of Council Staff in their Local Communities:

The County Council should seek to utilise the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.