Rotherham braced for worst of winter, pledge

Local authorities all over the country have slashed their spending on winter road services by an average of 3.6% this year as budget cuts bite.

But Rotherham Borough Council hasinsisted that it has not had to cut back on its efforts to keep the borough’s roads clear in the event of another snowfall like last year’s.

A spokeswoman for the borough council insisted that the authority has done all it can to prevent a repeat of the troubles in the event of similarly extreme conditions this winter.

She denied that the authority had been forced to reduce its spending on its winter roads operation and claimed that salt had been stockpiled, the winter maintenance team expanded, investment made in new equipment and the help of local farmers and their equipment enlisted.

She added: “The Streetpride winter maintenance team and equipment will be on standby for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, endeavouring to carry out its duty as a highway authority to ensure safe passage along its roads.

“We have a clear Winter Maintenance policy in place to do this, which can be viewed by keying in winter services on the council's website, www.rotherham.gov.uk.”

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Cllr Gerald Smith, Cabinet member for town centres, economic growth and prosperity, said: “As usual, we have reviewed all aspects of our winter service and begun preparations as last season’s bad weather ended.

“We now have more rock salt stockpiled than in previous years as the new salt barn at Hellaby allows us to store more rock salt and keep it better protected.

“We currently have 8,000 tonnes of salt stockpiled both in the salt barn and elsewhere while smaller satellite depots scattered around the borough also have their own smaller stockpiles ready for use on footways in local towns and villages.

“A new initiative is also being considered this season, which will see Streetpride enlisting the help of local farmers on the highways when extreme snow conditions occur, particularly in the more rural southern parts of the borough.”

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