Call for salt bin rethink

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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“Keep the bus routes on gritting schedule” say Westfield residents.

Pressure is growing on Labour Councillors to agree to continue to de-ice all bus routes during the coming winter.

Another petition – containing the signatures of 175 residents living in the Kingsway, Danesfort Avenue and Hamilton Drive areas – has been submitted to the decision meeting that is taking place tomorrow (Wednesday 9th October West Offices, 4:00pm).

The petitioners point out that the Councils latest proposals

Christmas 2009

reprieve the Hollybank area which will now be gritted. That area has a 1 hour frequency 13A bus service, the same frequency as the number 24 Kingsway/St Stephens Road link.

The petition is in addition to those who signed a similar plea aimed at retaining gritting and salt bins in the St Stephens Road area.

A copy of all the written representations should be available on the Councils web site shortly. Click here.

Residents wishing to attend and speak at the meeting have only got until 5:00pm today (Tuesday) to register to do so. Telephone – (01904) 552062 Laura Bootland.

The Council has confirmed the list of salt bin sites that will be retained if their proposals go ahead. Around 2/3 of the existing bins are scheduled to be scrapped.

Click here to download a full list of those that will remain.

Residents sign petition asking for salt bins and de-icing to be retained in the St Stephens Road/Cornlands Road area

49 residents have signed a petition asking the Council to think again about reducing ice clearance activities in the Cornlands Road area.

Residents are particularly concerned about the Councils proposal to stop de-icing St Stephens Road – which is a bus route.

The Council is set to agree to continue to salt the bus route in Hollybank which has a similar frequency service.

The petition has been sent to the Council for consideration at its “decision” meeting which is taking place on Wednesday.

Sacks of salt were deployed by the then LibDem controlled Council during icy weather in 2010

The Council proposed cuts would leave the area without a salt bin. The bin near the shops on Cornlands Road was heavily used during the last bad winter weather which occurred in 2010.

Residents may attend and speak on the proposals at the meeting which is taking place at West Offices on Toft Green on Wednesday starting at 4:00pm click here for details

You must register to speak before the meeting. The deadline for registering is 5pm on Tuesday 8th October 2013. Telephone – (01904) 552062 Laura Bootland.

Written representations must be made by 5pm on Monday 7th October 2013. They should be E-mailed to laura.bootland@york.gov.uk

Derisory response to Councils road gritting consultation – residents alternatives not published by Council

Only 285 residents responded to the Councils consultation on their future road gritting plans.

This represents only 0.14% of the population and is as clear an indication as possible that York residents are not prepared to answer “loaded” questions.

Only 146 responses were judged by the Council to be “valid” suggesting that many residents had simply told the Council to rethink it priorities.

Petitions, which have been submitted to the Council, have not even been recorded as having been received, while the views of Residents Associations have also been suppressed.

Although officials are recommending that some bus routes – which were scheduled not to be gritted this winter – are returned to the de-icing schedules, local residents pleas that the self help salt bin network be sustained, look set to be ignored at the decision meeting which is scheduled to take place on 9th October .

Many of the salt bins were installed by Ward committees as a result of requests by residents.

Amongst the roads reprieved in the proposals are Bellhouse Way, Ryecroft Avenue and Acomb Wood Drive which may now continue to be gritted. Click to see map

Revised gritting proposals click to see larger map

However the Dringthorpe estate, the whole of the Kingsway (West) estate, the little Moor Lane approach to Hob Moor school, Danesfort Avenue, St Stephens Road, and part of Chapelfields will not be gritted.

The Council have now admitted that the reduced number of gritting rounds will save only £20,000 a year.

This would compare to the £100,000 that the Council is planning to spend on an” Arts Barge” or the £600,000 reserved to sign new 20 mph speed limits.

Residents may attend and speak on the proposals at the meeting which is taking place at West Offices on Toft Green on Wednesday 9th October at 4:00pm..

You must register to speak before the meeting. The deadline for registering is 5pm on Tuesday 8th October 2013. Telephone – (01904) 552062 Laura Bootland.

Written representations must be made by 5pm on Monday 7th October 2013. They should be E-mailed to laura.bootland@york.gov.uk

Residents in the Middleton Road area are known to be collecting a petition this week which asks the Council to reverse the planned cuts on safety grounds.

40 residents in the Foxwood area – backed by the local Residents Association – have already submitted a petition asking for the existing network of salt bins to be retained.

Winter maintenance (snow and ice clearance) consultation – more cuts expected

Damaged salt bin Cornlands Road

The Council is asking residents whether it should cut even further the number of salt bins available in the City. They also plan to reduce the number of roads that are gritted (salted).

From Monday 12 August until Sunday 1 September, residents and businesses are invited to complete a three-week consultation on the criteria which is used to help determine how and where the council provides winter maintenance across the city.

To take part in the survey or view the criteria and gritting maps please visit: http://www.york.gov.uk/info/200262/gritting/402/winter_maintenance_services (from Monday 12 August).
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