SNP Councillors Call for Review of Snow-Clearing Operation

SNP councillors have called for a review of snow clearing operations to see whether there are any lessons to be learned from December’s big freeze.

Prolonged low temperatures have meant that despite there being relatively little snow fall in recent days, snow and ice has not shifted despite treatment, leading to a number of complaints from residents about underfoot conditions.

Opposition Leader Cllr Richard Thomson has asked for a review of the council’s snow clearing operation to see whether any lessons can be learned.

Commenting, Cllr Thomson said:

“The council workers involved in gritting and snow clearing operations do so in often appalling conditions and deserve our thanks for what they do. It's clear that Aberdeenshire Council staff have been putting an enormous amount of effort into keeping Aberdeenshire residents safe in line with the policies which have been approved by councillors - something which we recognise and commend. During this most recent cold snap, most of our major routes were kept open and that in itself is a major achievement.

“The prolonged low temperatures have brought their own issues however, and where we would normally have expected the snow and ice to have cleared by now, a lot of residential streets are still affected because council staff are having to still have regard for keeping the major routes safe. That reduces the amount of time available for tackling other roads which, while less of a priority in terms of keeping goods and services flowing, are nonetheless still important to local residents.

“There are always lessons which can be learned from how things are done and I am keen to see if there are any here which can improve how the council responds to wintry conditions. This is a particularly appropriate time to do so as the various political groups are working on their budgets for the council and if there are any resourcing issues affecting the council’s winter weather response, now would be the ideal time to factor that in to the budget.”