As winter approaches, Calderdale Council is preparing new plans for any spells of bad weather.
At the meeting of Calderdale Council’s Cabinet on Monday 2 October, members will look at proposals for a new Winter Services policy, which has been prepared following a review of the service.
The revised service would follow the national highway maintenance code of good practice, which sets out guidance for highways management. The winter service aspect of the national code sees a move from specific guidelines to a “risk” based approach with the appropriate risks being determined by each authority from a wide range of evidence.
The Calderdale policy would clearly set out what would and would not be done as part of the delivery of winter service, with each road and footway in the borough ranked in categories according to priority.
New methods of reducing the effect of adverse weather would also be trialled, including the use of a brine based solution to reduce ice on town centre footpaths – a method that is successfully used across Europe.
The location of grit bins would also be assessed according to a criteria related to the number of nearby properties, and the altitude, gradient and distance of properties from existing salt bins or primary gritting routes.
In preparation for this, all 600 grit bins in Calderdale have been removed and inspected over the summer, with repairs made where possible, or replacements issued. All these bins will now be reinstated in their current position before this winter. The current cap on grit bins is also being removed so that by next winter, further bins that meet the criteria can also be provided.
If approved, the policy would be piloted this winter, with amendments made if necessary, before a formal policy is adopted for future years.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, Cllr Barry Collins, said:
“We want to ensure that we do all we can to keep Calderdale moving during periods of bad weather. This new efficient approach has been proposed following a full review of the borough’s road network, and aims to target resources where they’re needed most.”
The policy will be discussed at the meeting of Calderdale Council’s Cabinet on Monday 2 October at Halifax Town Hall, from 6pm.