Decision details

(i)       to thank the Council staff, residents, community groups, businesses, and others for their actions in tackling the recent exceptional period of cold and snowy weather;

(ii)       to note that Council staff Teams worked around the clock to grit and clear roads and pavements during the recent cold weather;

(iii)      to welcome officers’ action in hiring 31 private contractor diggers to assist with snow clearing in side streets;

(iv)      to recognise the impact the snow had on Council services, including education and refuse collection, and the impact that in turn had on residents and businesses;

(v)      to recognise that, while it is too early to be able to make a link to this extreme weather event, climate change, including the increase in freeze / thaw cycles, has put additional pressure on the Council’s winter maintenance operations; and

(vi)      to agree to instruct the Chief Officer - Operations to report to the Net Zero, Environment, and Transport Committee to consider what resources would help Roads Operations meet extreme weather challenges, including what further support and assistance might be offered to local community resilience groups for all types of extreme weather events and provide a "lessons learned” report for inclusion in future winter resilience planning.