York Council must be ‘ready for winter’

Cllr Andrew Waller with one of the salt bins that he has asked to be refurbished and refilled

Cllr Andrew Waller with one of the salt bins that he has asked to be refurbished and refilled

 

 

 

Liberal Democrat councillors are urging Labour run City of York Council to be properly prepared for winter and not to gamble on continuing mild weather.

 

The warning comes amid growing concerns that York will not be able to cope with snowy and icy weather following cuts to the winter maintenance budget.

 

Since 2011 Labour has cut the council’s winter budget every year and last year took 30 miles of road off the priority gritting list and stopped funding two-thirds of salt bins. Whilst Liberal Democrat councillors and campaigners worked with parish councils and residents groups to save some salt bins, many were still lost.

 

Council budget cuts meant that despite last year’s mild weather, York still overspent its winter budget by around £100,000 leading to fears how it will cope with bad weather this year.

Now Lib Dem councillors have written to the Labour Cabinet Member responsible calling on the council to make sure it is ‘ready for winter’ and to work with local residents to identify gaps in provision.

 

Cllr Ann Reid, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Environmental Services, commented:

 

“Despite the recent mild weather I have spoken to many residents in recent weeks who are asking for salt bins to be replaced and roads to be put back on gritting routes as we approach winter. Residents have also raised concerns about salt bins which have been left to rot and are now without lids or full of rubbish.

 

“Last year the council was fortunate to have a particularly mild winter, but it must make sure it is ready for winter this year and able to cope if more seasonal weather comes in the next few months. It needs to work with local residents and community groups to identify and tackle gaps in provision. These frontline services need to be the priority rather than Labour’s vanity projects in the city-centre.

 

“While I am pleased to see that the snow warden service is restarting – now in its fourth season having been brought in by the previous Lib Dem administration – this team of volunteers needs proper support from the council, and officers who work hard to keep the city running need support from the top.”

 

 

Liberal Democrat councillors have sent the following letter to the Labour Cabinet Member responsible:

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Salt bins – 121 fail to find new parents

snow_wardensThe Council has admitted that only a handful of threatened salt bins have found new sponsors.

The remaining 121 bins are now set to be removed.

  • 31 salt bins are being taken over by Parish Councils
  • 6 are being adopted by Residents Associations
  • 2 others have been sponsored by other groups

Meanwhile the last Council meeting heard that the total number of “snow wardens” in the City has increased to 208.

Their postcodes can now be viewed on a map (click here)

The spread of “snow wardens” across the City is very uneven.

Council gets salt bin calculations wrong

Snow in York

The Council has published the “scores” that it gave when assessing which salt bins should be removed.

The list for Westfield can be viewed by clicking here.

The form used to allocate “marks” can be seen here (same for the whole of the City)

What is immediately obvious from the “scores” is that some potentially very hazardous routes (including St Stephens Mews and the Grove Terrace snicket) fared badly because they were judged to be on the normal precautionary gritting routes.

In reality the gritting Lorries never get near enough to these areas to have any effect on the ice.

Meanwhile our story last month about the poor take up of snow warden posts seems to have shamed some residents into action.

Some Tory Councillors are reported as having volunteered.

This news came soon after a question was tabled at last weeks Council meeting asking whether the responsible Cabinet member (Cllr Levene) would be out and about clearing snow?

Maps showing the general location of snow wardens can be found by clicking here.

Advice on clearing the footpath in front of your own home can be found here

The Council have been out and about replacing some of the grit bins (Linnet Way, Cornlands Road) which they threaten to remove, so the right hand doesn’t seem to know what the left hand is doing.

The Council’s map of salt bin locations can be found here.

All of which may be academic as the long term weather forecast shows mild weather continuing into January!!

Poor take up for York “snow warden” scheme; one salt bin “saved”

snow_wardens

Only 8 volunteers have so far stepped forward in the Westfield Ward to act as “snow wardens”.

 

With continuing mild weather, the effects of Labours decision, to scrap most salt bins in the City, have yet to be felt.

But clearly most people don’t feel that they should be expected to make up for the Councils irresponsible attitude to safety

Many residents do, of course, routinely clear the footpaths outside their homes of snow but others are unable to do so for health or domestic reasons.

“Snow wardens” effectively formalise this tradition.

Snow wardens are given basic training by the Council. Volunteers are provided with a high-visibility vest, snow-clearing kit and grit (salt) so that they are able to make a difference in their neighbourhoods.

If you like to become a snow warden contact Michal on (01904) 551832, or e-mail michal.czekajlo@york.gov.uk.

The next training session is taking place on Wednesday 4th December 2013, 18:00-20:00 (training and Q&A time)

A map showing the location of snow wardens in each ward can be found by clicking here.

The roads on which Westfield 8 volunteers are located are:

  • Bramham Road
  • The Green, Acomb
  • Milner Street
  • Askham Lane
  • Severus Street
  • Stuart Road
  • Willoughby Way
  • Middleton Road

The map currently shown on the Councils web site appears to be out of date.
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NB. The Foxwood Residents Association has “saved” the salt bin which is located outside the shops on Beagle Ridge Drive.

They have agreed to pay for the bin to be retained and have set aside funding which will allow it to be filled twice (if necessary) during the current winter.

Updates…. Gritting, Salt bins, keeping warm, energy prices.

Gritter

You can find out when the gritter is out spreading salt on the roads by following them on “twitter”. Remember though that Labour have taken a number of roads in York off the gritting schedule this year.

Salt bins going

Labour are currently removing most of the local salt bins. If the going gets icy try these

Staying upright: Sticky Feet

Sticky feet

Sticky feet

Well into my adult life I finally got round to trying out slip-on snow grips for my shoes, and these work a wonder. They are rather fiddly to put on (and I would certainly recommend erring on the order of buying a larger rather than smaller size), but once on my trainers they turned slipping and sliding into easy walking. Given the very impressive amounts of grip added by these I highly recommend them if you are wearing shoes or trainers. If you are wearing boots, however, I suspect even the largest size would struggle to fit properly over the toes. You can buy the Sticky Feet slip-on grips for ice and snow here.

 Keeping warm

Radflek

Radflek


Staying warm: Radflex radiator sheets As someone with three radiators against external walls, I’ve become a great fan of the Radflek reflector sheets. They are very easy to install – with little skill beyond the ability to use scissors required – and reflect heat back into your home rather than having it escape via the external wall. The ease of installation appeals to my lack of DIY skills but also makes them suitable for use in rented property – giving even short-term tenants a practical extra insulation option beyond nagging their landlord to do better. You can buy Radflek sheets from Amazon here.

Energy prices

We’ve found OVO one of the most reliable power supply companies. . Read their views  here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24728992 Contact them here

Road and path de-icing cuts – crunch meeting on 21st October.

The Council’s review committee will meet on Monday 21st October to look again at Labour Councillor Levene’s plans to cut de-icing activities.

Revised gritting proposals click to see larger map

Revised gritting proposals click to see larger map

He decided last week to scrap most salt bins in the City and remove many roads from the routine gritting schedules.

This is a major issue which potentially affects the safety of all York residents.

The meeting will take place at West Offices starting at 5:00pm

A copy of the agenda and supporting papers can be found by clicking here

Damaged salt bin Cornlands Road

Damaged salt bin Cornlands Road

Residents may also attend and speak at the meeting. To do so you must register to speak before the meeting by contacting Jill Pickering on York 552061 (E-mail : jill.pickering@york.gov.uk)

The deadline for registering is 5.00pm on Friday 18 October 2013.

The telephone numbers and Email addresses of the members of the committee are reproduced below. Residents can contact them to make representations

Councillor John Galvin Chair (Conservative) 01904 704829 Email: cllr.jgalvin@york.gov.uk

Councillor Sandy Fraser (Labour) 01904 651443 Email: cllr.sfraser@york.gov.uk

Councillor David Horton (Labour) 01904 777274 Email: cllr.dhorton@york.gov.uk

Councillor Lynn Jeffries (LibDem) 01904 551088 Email: cllr.ljeffries@york.gov.uk

Councillor Ken King (Labour) 01904 783024 Email: cllr.kking@york.gov.uk

Councillor Neil McIlveen (Labour) 01904 623062 Email: cllr.nmcilveen@york.gov.uk

Councillor Ruth Potter (Labour) Phone: 01904 438634. Mobile: 07947 539725 Email: cllr.rpotter@york.gov.uk

Councillor Carol Runciman (LibDem) 01904 764356 Email: cllr.crunciman@york.gov.uk

Councillor Chris Steward (Conservative) 01904 638810 Bus. email: cllr.csteward@york.gov.uk

Call for salt bin rethink

Leaking salt bin

Leaking salt bin

Liberal Democrats have called on Labour to rethink plans that would see two-thirds of salt bins in York lost and gritting routes across the city cut.

The decision to cut the winter maintenance service was taken by Labour’s Cabinet Member for Environmental Services on Wednesday despite the opposition of local residents and concerns over the online only public consultation.

Lib Dem Councillors Ann Reid, Nigel Ayre and Keith Aspden have ‘called-in’ the decision for further review and the proposals are now set to be reconsidered at a special meeting of York’s Corporate and Scrutiny Management Committee later this month.

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