A number of residents have asked which routes are gritted by Hampshire County Council and why. Also how many gritters, snow ploughs, etc the County has.
We have 43 gritters in Hampshire, and they run Priority 1 and Priority two routes as directed, based in route patterns from the depots. In bad weather emergencies we move capacity around the County to maximise our response (e.g. we have put resource from the west into south and east latterly). We do not have local dedications to an area.
As well as our deployed ploughs, we have around 130 that are stored on farms and deployed by the farmer at our request in snow events.
Fareham Borough Council's obligation is to provide the services it is responsible for (i.e. housing the homeless, administering housing benefits, provision of a sheltered housing service, maintaining community buildings, refuse collection, removal of litter, environmental health and regulatory services, planning and development control, building control, maintenance of cemeteries and parks, etc). In an emergency situation such as severe adverse weather FBC has a responsibility to work with other agencies including Hampshire County Council, the Police, Health Services and provide assistance where able to do so ( this could involve setting up an emergency rest centre for stranded motorists and vulnerable people or providing labour or resources to help clear snow and ice. Clearly FBC can only continue to provide these services where it is safe to do so. We are unable to put our refuse vehicles on the road in extreme snow and ice due to the risk of the vehicles sliding/ slipping and causing serious damage or injury to other road users or property. To do so would be reckless in the extreme. Similarly we have a responsibility to our work force and we cannot expect them to empty bins when the roads and footpaths are covered in snow and icy and are very slippery. Residents are asked to bear with us and we will collect and remove all waste as soon as practicable; priority will be given to the collection and removal of household waste when services recommence. The FBC refuse crews, grounds maintenance staff, street cleansing staff and car park patrol staff have not been sat idle. They have been out helping to clear footpaths around the Town Centre, at Sheltered Housing Schemes, underpasses, footbridges, schools and shopping centres. Our staff also worked across the weekend helping to clear the snow and ice.
Winter maintenance accounts for around £4M though we budget on the basis of a 4 year rolling average and a contingency to ensure that we are able to respond as well as we can to extreme events. The issue is not so much cash flow as capacity - you cannot simply conjure up additional staff, plant, etc only when needed. HCC has an established Winter Maintenance Plan which is the basis of its operation.
Priority 1 routes are the main road network, carrying 85% of the County's traffic, and covering access to strategic sites (large employers, main hospitals, large schools etc). The routes are not trunk roads or motorways, which are the responsibility of the Highways Agency, but do include mainly A roads and some strategic B class roads in rural areas. The network is defined in the County Council Winter Maintenance Plan. The P1 network is about 25% of the County road network. The P2 routes are the second priority, and comprise more B roads, side roads etc.
£2M has been spent by HCC since 17th December on winter maintenance, that includes over 50 P1 salting runs Countywide, and bringing in additional resources to deal with snow and ice clearance in Basingstoke before Christmas, and Countywide since. HCC will be doing a report to cabinet on 25th January, and a full review once the immediate event is passed. Once the severe weather has abated and things are returning to normal, Councils will reflect on the lessons learned and consider what changes and or budgets are needed for the future.
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