Nottinghamshire County Council Gritting Controversy...

People in the rural areas of Nottinghamshire have expressed concern over the County Council's decision not to grit the surrounding roads; putting hundreds of lives at risk.

Pic: Timothy Hackworth - Flickr

The narrow and unlit roads of the Nottinghamshire countryside have been left out of the Council's gritting plans for the Winter of 2012. The Council's webpage says:


"[We are] spending £2.79 million this year gritting 1,800km of road or 35 percent of the county’s road network... This is more than the Government-recommended amount.  If we were to grit every road, it would cost three times as much, which would have to be funded by Council Tax payers. Road Tax does not pay for council gritting services. We have to strike a balance between keeping critical roads available and the very high cost of gritting roads, which has to be paid for by the public." 

Tax payers in these rural areas argue that they are essentially paying for the safety of those in urban areas and on the Council's gritting routes at the expense of their own safety.

Nottinghamshire County Council's website also says:

"The Council is raising £507 million in 2011/12 from local taxpayers and the Government."

Pic: Ian Britton - Flickr

If the Council was to pay triple the amount it currently spends (8.73 Million) on gritting to ensure that 100 per cent of the County's roads were ice-free; according to statistics it would save money in the long term.


Figures from the County Council's Annual Casualty Report explain how:


"Each year [road accidents] cost to the national economy is in the order of £18 billion pounds...their cost to the community is around £180 million pounds per year and they remain a huge drain on the resources of the NHS and emergency services."

Reports show that between January 1st and January 31st 2009 there were a total of '42' fatalities on Nottinghamshire's roads. 

During this period, according to the BBC's Weather Report:

"Temperatures locally fell below -10C on some nights and the lowest temperatures... fell to -12.3C..." causing severe icy conditions and "some unusually severe frosts."

The question remains: is it only a matter of time before another member of the public pays the ultimate price for the Council's refusal to grit all of its roads?

By Benjamin Yates

Sources:

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/timothyhackworth/3253168445/)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/freefoto/4251848193/

(http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/home/your_council/financeandthebudget.htm)

 (http://www3.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/travelling/roads/road-design-and-maintenance/winter-roads/)
(http://www3.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/travelling/roads/roadsafety/accident-information/)
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/uk_reviews/newsid_7869000/7869750.stm#england)