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24
Sept 2021
Gritting to be reduced to minimum on North Yorkshire roads
North Yorkshire County Council looks set to reduce its precautionary winter salt spreading to minimum levels set out in national guidelines.
A report before the county council reveals lowering the minimum salting spread rate to 8g per square metre could save the authority a further £75,000 during a “normal season”.
In recent years the council has faced calls to review its gritting policies amid claims that a lack of action has seen parts of the county suffer gridlock,
The proposed move follows the authority cutting the amount of salt it spread on the county’s 6,000 miles of roads last winter with the ambition of saving £195,000 of taxpayers money a year.
Under the Highways Act 1980, councils have a duty to ensure within reason that safe passage along roads is not endangered by snow or ice, while the Traffic Management Act 2004 requires authorities to do all that is reasonably practicable to manage the network effectively to keep traffic moving.
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The Local Government Association says with the salt and grit mix costing up to £40 per tonne, this duty can weigh heavily on councils, particularly when there are long, cold winters.
National guidance states authorities must determine their own spread rates that are appropriate for use on their own networks.
'No negative impacts last winter'
The officer's report states the further proposed cut follows the experience of last winter’s partially reduced spread rates, along with greater confidence in gritter accuracy, coupled with the recent £2.2 million purchase by North Yorkshire Highways of 18 new gritters.
It states:
Cllr Stuart Parsons, leader of the authority’s Independent group, said residents “paid through the nose for the county council’s services”, so they should be able to expect some returns.
He questioned whether North Yorkshire’s geography would make it suitable for the national minimum salting levels.
Cllr Parsons said:
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