Labour insist council must show true grit
Warningservicesmustbeinplacetodealwithicyconditions
The Labour group in South Lanarkshire have warned that streets can’t be‘gritted on the cheap’ this winter.
This comes as weather forecasters warn of an icy blast heading our way by the end of the month – with the possibility of snow.
Labour now say that council gritting services should not be compromised after officials invited community groups to co-ordinate gritting in their localities.
Communities have been encouraged to co-ordinate gritting over and above the council’s existing winter service.
However, Labour say after years of cuts to council budgets and frontline jobs, there is growing concern about the inadequacy of existing winter services and the prospect of communities being asked to replace trained council workers.
Councillor Margaret Walker, Labour spokeswoman for community and enterprise, said: “Local volunteers can make an enormous difference in their communities, but they should not be expected to provide a council gritting service on the cheap.
“Almost 100 grounds workers have gone in South Lanarkshire Council and year after year the council has to battle with SNP Government-imposed cuts to frontline services.
“Instead of just accepting rotten budget deals for our communities, the council should be fighting back and demanding the resources we need locally.
“So while we wish volunteers well, our priority is to secure more resources for the frontline.”
Head of roads and
transportation at SLC, Colin Park, said: “We recently promoted our Winter Awareness Week, which as well as giving tips and advice to what members of the public can do, also highlighted the action the council take during the winter months.
“It is important to emphasise that we will continue to deliver the same level of service as normal, and this has not changed in recent years. What is being proposed is in
addition to our core service. We grit approximately 52 per cent of our roads when ice or snow is forecast, which is more than the Scottish average of 47 per cent.
“But we cannot grit every road – no council could – and that is why, for many years, in addition to our core service we have been promoting a ‘self-help’ message.”
Mr Park went on to say that this encourages residents to clear paths, driveways and – if possible
– the frontage of their properties if they are able, and also to help elderly or less-able neighbours if they can.
He added: “This year, a new community resilience fund is available to equip Community Council volunteers to undertake voluntary gritting at a local level.”
A report to the social work resources committee stated that planning for winter 2021/22 commenced in July and, as in
previous years, is a multi-agency approach across NHS Lanarkshire, North and South Lanarkshire Councils together with the respective support networks.
The ongoing work aims to ensure that services are prepared for the coming winter months – with particular recognition of planning alongside the impact of current staff shortages; Covid-19; national service wide pressures; and adverse weather.