Agenda item

Purpose:

·              To be informed of the response to the Commission’s recommendations following its review into the severe winter weather of 2009/10.

·              To receive an update on the activity undertaken since the Commission’s review.

·              To examine the preparations in place for the coming winter. 

The Commission considered a report (Agenda Item 8) providing an update on the activity undertaken since the Commission’s review and to examine the preparations in place for the coming winter.

Councillor Brian Bedwell opened the item by stating the importance of the scrutiny undertaken at the beginning of the year and in the valuable work that had followed in response to, and in addition to, the scrutiny work.

Mark Edwards was then asked to provide an update from the perspective of the Highways Service and the following points were made in relation to the six highways related recommendations formed by the Commission:

·                    The Highway Winter Service Plan had undergone a detailed review during the previous six months.  This encompassed the Commission’s recommendations and some additional activity which had been identified from within the service.  The full draft had been sent to all Members and parish/town councils for consultation and the latest version would be made available in the Members Boardroom.  It was hoped that the plan would be approved as an Individual Decision on 11 November 2010.

·                    The comments received from parish and town councils in relation to gritting routes had been taken into account and approximately a dozen routes had been added.  Many of these ensured that routes to, for example, schools and General Practitioner surgeries were included in the primary gritting route and treated wherever practicable. 

·                    Amendments had been made to the Winter Policy to allow for earlier treatment of town centre footways and to provide greater clarity on this matter. 

·                    The salt stock had been increased, as recommended, to 5,000 tonnes, this took into account the fact that around 4,000 tonnes were used last winter.  This was purchased at an early stage which ensured that the salt had been delivered in time.  This was not the case for all local authorities.

·                    All parish and town councils had been consulted on the draft Salt Bin Policy.  This proposed that the existing West Berkshire Council (WBC) owned bins would remain on the network, but gave parish and town councils the opportunity to obtain new bins at their own cost with WBC paying for salt refills.  This had been positively received by many and approximately 50 new bins had been requested.  Discussions were also ongoing with parish and town councils with regard to them taking on the ownership of WBC bins at no further cost, as it would be ideal if they were under one ownership.  Replacement of existing bins was expected to be infrequent, but it would be the responsibility of the owner to do so. 

·                    To ensure adequate communications regarding the use of salt bins, an information notice would be put on them.  Information on WBC’s website was also being updated.

·                    The report produced following the Governments’ Winter Resilience Review had been published and this included information and guidance on the issue of potential legal action arising from an individual clearing their own footpath etc.  This stated that there was no law to prevent someone from doing so and it was very unlikely that they would be subject to legal action.  This information would be made available on WBC’s website and shared with Ward Members and parish/town councils.  It had also been incorporated into the Winter Service Plan. 

·                    Discussions had been held with the Thames and Kennet Machinery Ring (TKMR), which represented a number of local farmers, with a view to employing local farmers to make use of their vehicles in periods of severe winter weather.  A response was awaited from TKMR.  A contractual agreement with one organisation was a preferred approach, but there was the potential to consult with separate groups/individual farmers if TKMR did not want to participate. 

·                    The arrangement whereby staff from Veolia and Waterers could be utilised to assist with snow clearing had been formalised and would be operational for this winter.

·                    The appropriateness of treatment to roads, footpaths etc depended on a variety of factors, this included the level of snow forecast and the severity of the weather.

Discussion then followed on the level of salt stock.  It was recalled that the use of salt was restricted by the Government a year ago and it was queried how much salt would have been used if a restriction had not been imposed.  Mark Edwards estimated that an additional 25% could have been used in this eventuality.  The Resilience Review recommended there was sufficient stock for 48 gritting runs over a 12 day period (approximately 2,000 tonnes) and this was comfortably the case in West Berkshire.

Councillor David Betts added that an equally severe winter could again lead to rationing directives, as well as a potential need to share resources.

An audit of the number of salt bins was undertaken by WBC during 2009 and as a result some were removed.  The severe weather experienced had led to these being returned/replaced by WBC. 

The siting of the salt bins was unchanged since the review undertaken in 2008/09 and it was felt that the number of bins (around 200 including those replaced above) and their location was correct from WBC’s perspective.  Alternative locations for new and/or existing bins was a decision for local communities to take, as long as they were seen to be appropriate and safe. 

Carolyn Richardson then described the activity she had undertaken/co-ordinated, as follows:

·                    An internal debrief of activity was undertaken around the same time as the Commission’s review.  These pieces of work led to the production of two documents, the debrief action plan and the Commission’s response document.

·                    Contact was ongoing with parish and town councils, and as part of that a severe weather emergency plan template had been provided that could be adopted to include more localised risks.  A number of neighbouring parishes were looking to work together. 

·                    A national flooding exercise was being planned for March 2011 and a Thames Valley wide community day was being arranged as part of this. 

·                    The Adverse Weather Plan was out for consultation and this covered all actions in the two documents referred to.  This included the Commission’s recommendations in relation to the use of 4x4 vehicles and sharing of resources with other organisations.  There was also a section to help identify the level of response required, which could be a trigger to open the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) or involve outside agencies.  The roles and responsibilities of those involved in emergency situations was clarified.

·                    There were five appendices to the plan which covered heat waves, drought, flooding, storms (not snow) and extreme cold/snow (this included the Highway Winter Service Plan).

·                    The Adverse Weather Plan was still in draft to allow for appropriate consultation to take place and for extensive work to be undertaken to avoid duplication with other plans.  However, other than the drought aspect of the plan, it was the intention for it to be published by the end of November 2010.  In addition, a frequently asked questions document would be put on the website. 

·                    The opportunities for Members and for parish/town councils to be involved in the event of severe weather was covered in the plan.  An example of Member involvement from last winter was the assistance provided with measuring snow depths. 

Caroline Corcoran then described the activity undertaken in the Education Service:

·                       Guidance had been provided to West Berkshire’s schools, including Governors. 

·                       The guidance incorporated the aspects covered in the Commission’s review, where appropriate, and was a way of helping to ensure that schools were well prepared in the event of severe weather. 

·                       It was the responsibility of schools to have their own plans in place to ensure that they could be opened safely wherever possible.  I.e. pathways within a school site adequately cleared and gritted. 

Members felt it was the responsibility of the Education Service to ensure plans were in place and it was suggested that schools should be required to confirm this was the case.  Caroline Corcoran agreed to take this point back to ensure that adequate plans were in place.  These would be shared with the Commission.

One of the Commission’s recommendations was a suggestion that a mutual aid scheme could be adopted to allow staff unable to reach their usual place of work to report to their nearest school in the event of severe weather.  Caroline Corcoran advised that due to issues regarding safeguarding and child protection this was not possible. 

It was understood that there was the potential for staff, who lived some distance from their place of work, to be accommodated locally with fellow members of staff during severe weather.  It was suggested that the possibility of extending this to governors, and perhaps parents, should be explored.  Caroline Corcoran agreed to take this point back for exploration. 

Finally, with regard to schools, Caroline Corcoran advised that based on her experience of another local authority during last winter, schools made every effort to remain open. 

Carolyn Richardson advised that two vulnerable people plans had been produced since last winter.  The first was specific to Community Care and this contained activity to be undertaken if a full service could not be provided.  This covered the location of staff and their ability to offer assistance to those known to be in need.

The corporate vulnerable people plan sought to identify those who were vulnerable in the community for a number of reasons, but not known to Community Care, and looked at ways in which data could be shared confidentially with other agencies/organisations. 

Councillor Bedwell thanked all involved for their hard work in ensuring that the District would be further well prepared in the event of a similar occurrence. 

RESOLVED that:

(1)       The update would be noted.

(2)       Caroline Corcoran would ensure that schools provided the Education Service with copies of their severe weather plans and that these would be shared with the Commission. 

(3)       Caroline Corcoran would investigate the potential for school staff, who lived some distance from their place of work, to be accommodated locally in the event of severe weather.