Agenda item

That this Committee:

 

1.    Thanks the Council staff, residents, community groups, businesses, and others for their actions in tackling the recent exceptional period of cold and snowy weather.

 

2.    Notes that Council staff Teams worked around the clock to grit and clear roads and pavements during the recent cold weather.

 

3.    Welcomes officers’ action in hiring 31 private contractor diggers to assist with snow clearing in side streets.

 

4.    Recognises the impact the snow had on Council services, including education and refuse collection, and the impact that in turn had on residents and businesses.

 

5.    Recognises 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.

 

6.    Agrees 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.

The Committee had before it an urgent Notice of Motion by the Convener in the following terms:-

 

That the Committee:-

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

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

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

(d)      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;

(e)      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

(f)       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.

 

Councillor Malik, seconded by Councillor Tissera, moved a procedural motion to allow Members to ask questions of officers in relation to the Notice of Motion.

 

On a division, there voted:- for the procedural motion (4) – Councillors Brooks, Malik, Nicoll and Tissera; and against the procedural motion (5) – the Convener; the Vice Convener; and Councillors Hutchison, McLellan and van Sweeden.

 

The Committee resolved:-

to reject the procedural motion.

 

At this juncture, the Convener advised that there were three amendments in the names of Councillors Nicoll, Brooks and Tissera, and that he would accept the amendment from Councillor Nicoll into the motion at point (f), namely:-

 

That the Committee:-

(f)       agrees 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 while providing an enhanced service throughout the year, 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.

 

The Convener moved, seconded by the Vice Convener:-

 

That Committee approve the amended Notice of Motion.

 

Councillor Brooks moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Nicoll:-

 

That the Committee:-

approve the notice of motion with an amendment to point (f) as follows:-

instructs the Chief Officer - Operations to review the Council’s performance against their winter weather policy and refer any potential additional funding required to the budget process to deliver an enhancement to the plan in anticipation of delivering an improvement in response for winter 26/27, whilst a revised plan is being developed to inform 27/28 budget process and the 27/28 plan; as the 2025/26 provision fell short and left many residents stranded for a number of days.

 

Councillor Tissera moved as a further amendment, seconded by Councillor Malik:-

 

That the Committee:-

(a)      notes the contribution from Trade Union colleagues and other Council employees relating to tackling the recent snow and floods at the start of 2026, noting employees were hindered in doing their duty due to the Winter Plan 2025/26 being approved prematurely despite Aberdeen Labour’s amendment being voted down by the SNP Lib Dems Conservatives and Independent Councillors;

(b)      notes the Aberdeen Labour amendment opposed by the SNP at Committee in September 2025 said:-

 

That the Committee:-

 

(a)      do not approve the “Roads Winter Service Plan 2025/2026” (Appendix 1); and

 

(b)      instruct the Chief Officer – Operations to hold an induction meeting on a date to be arranged, for Elected Members on the winter service process in order that the proposed plan can be amended taking into consideration what the public are telling Elected Members.

 

(c)      agree that had Aberdeen Labour’s amendment been approved most if not all of the issues relating to the expectations from Council tax payers and business rate payers relating to clearing the roads and the pavements within our communities could have been avoided given the proposed buy-in from Elected Members representing their constituents;

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

(e)      agrees to instruct the Chief Officer - Operations to hold a briefing meeting on a date to be arranged, for Elected Members on the winter service process to allow them the opportunity to provide valuable information on what the Council tax payer expects from the council for their ward in order that the proposed plan for 2026/27 can meet weather challenges, including identifying what further support and assistance might be offered to local community resilience groups for winter weather events;

(f)       refers the following points to the 20 April 2026 meeting of the Staff Governance Committee, recommending that it:-

 

(i)             recognises the impact the snow had on Council employees and the various emails from Council officers to employees relating to instructing facility staff including cleaning and catering staff to attend Schools which were listed as closed. Noting the Council policy to the public was to travel only if essential;

(ii)            recognises there was a threat of unlawful deduction of wages to facility staff who could not attend Schools. Noting deductions were made but Council realising the error have agreed to honour all wages. Further notes some employees were forced to make up time for not attending work due to the weather have also been advised that time will now be paid. (these emails are a matter of record);

(iii)          agrees the Chief Executive must make a public apology to our hard working facility employees who were humiliated and treated in a different way to other employees such as senior officers and instruct the Chief Executive in her role as Head of Paid service to carry out an investigation into why these instructions were issued bearing in mind all Schools were closed and the Council’s own policy was for only essential travel; and

(iv)          recognises that as far as we are aware no threats relating to Council employees relating to attending the workplace or face deduction in pay were issued to Teachers, Middle management or Senior officers within the Council.

 

During the debate, reference was made to NHS Grampian, and the Convener made a transparency statement that he was a member of NHS Grampian Board, but did not consider that this amounted to an interest which would prevent him from participating in the remainder of the item.

 

During the debate, Councillor Ali, who was observing the meeting, indicated that he wished to address the Committee.  The Convener advised that in terms of Standing Order 16.1.1, this was not permitted as the Committee was in debate.

 

Councillor Nicoll, seconded by Councillor Tissera, moved as a procedural motion:-

That the Committee suspend Standing Order 16.1.1 and allow Councillor Ali to enter debate.

 

On a division, there voted:- for the procedural motion (4) – Councillors Brooks, Malik, Nicoll and Tissera; against the procedural motion (5) – the Convener; the Vice Convener; and Councillors Hutchison, McLellan and van Sweeden.

 

The Committee resolved:-

to reject the procedural motion. 

 

There being a motion and two amendments, the Committee first divided between the amendment by Councillor Brooks and the amendment by Councillor Tissera.

 

On a division, there voted:- for the amendment by Councillor Brooks (2) – Councillors Brooks and Nicoll; for the amendment by Councillor Tissera (2) – Councillors Malik and Tissera; declined to vote (5) – the Convener; the Vice Convener and Councillors Hutchison, McLellan and van Sweeden.

 

There being an equality of votes, in terms of Standing Order 32.7, the Convener exercised his casting vote for the amendment by Councillor Brooks.

 

The Committee then divided between the amended motion and the amendment by Councillor Brooks.

 

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (5) – the Convener; the Vice Convener; and Councillors Hutchison, McLellan and van Sweeden; for the amendment (4) – Councillors Brooks, Malik, Nicoll and Tissera.

 

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the amended motion.