Council parties clash over restocking of salt bins

10:00am Friday 18th January 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Mark Stead, Political Reporter

Coun David Levene, left, the City of York Council cabinet member for environmental services, and Martin Horner, the council’s head of engineering, watch as salt is prepared to fill salt bins across the city Coun David Levene, left, the City of York Council cabinet member for environmental services, and Martin Horner, the council’s head of engineering, watch as salt is prepared to fill salt bins across the city

POLITICAL rivals have clashed over how York’s salt bins were restocked amid freezing temperatures and snow warnings.

On Wednesday, City of York Council filled 170 bins which it now does not automatically stock, saying it wanted to ensure residents’ safety, but the Liberal Democrat group has accused the Labour-run authority of not acting quickly enough.

The group said its request for the bins to be filled on Monday was refused and this caused an “avoidable delay” in dealing with “increasingly treacherous” conditions. Labour said it took the necessary action, branding the Lib Dems “petty”.

Last year, the council said funding cuts meant only 199 of York’s 369 salt bins would be automatically filled, but the remaining 170 would be stocked in severe weather.

Coun Nigel Ayre, Lib Dem councillor for Heworth Without, said: “I was shocked that when I asked council officers to refill salt bins in my ward on Monday, they refused, saying that despite snow, ice and plummeting temperatures, the weather was not severe enough.

“I am glad, after continued pressure, they have seen sense, but am concerned vital hours and days have been lost, during which time residents could have been taking pre-emptive action. Labour should have inspected and refilled the bins before winter or, over the weekend, watched the forecast and decided the council needed to act.”

Coun David Levene, cabinet member for environmental services, said: “We made a commitment to fill these 170 salt bins if it became necessary, and when it became clear temperatures well below zero and further snow were forecast for a number of days ahead, we did exactly this.

“Our focus is on keeping roads, footpaths and cycle paths safe for residents, rather than wasting time on petty attempts at political point-scoring.”

Comments(26)

The Great Buda says...
10:03am Fri 18 Jan 13

Sack the lot of them.

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TB1 says...
10:13am Fri 18 Jan 13

Wish these presumptious pompoius local politicians would stop arguing like spoilt children and just let people get on with the job.
What a poor example to be setting when we should all be pulling together

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Ichabod76 says...
10:31am Fri 18 Jan 13

TB1 wrote:
Wish these presumptious pompoius local politicians would stop arguing like spoilt children and just let people get on with the job.
What a poor example to be setting when we should all be pulling together
Awful thing

"Democracy"

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YorkPatrol says...
10:32am Fri 18 Jan 13

What about all the POO bins for dog people - many of these have been removed so nows there POO everywhere

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m dee says...
11:01am Fri 18 Jan 13

This same scenario seems to have repeated itself for years.

http://www.yorkpress
.co.uk/features/read
ersletters/8483333.S
alt_bins_attack_on_C
oun_Ann_Reid/

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Sawday2 says...
11:30am Fri 18 Jan 13

Dear CYC - What exactly is the use of an empty salt bin? Either it's there to provide a service or it's not. If it's the latter then get rid. If the former then fill it you silly billys.

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The Great Buda says...
11:47am Fri 18 Jan 13

Ichabod76 wrote:
TB1 wrote:
Wish these presumptious pompoius local politicians would stop arguing like spoilt children and just let people get on with the job.
What a poor example to be setting when we should all be pulling together
Awful thing

"Democracy"
Democracy would improve this country no end.

Report this post »

far2bizzy says...
12:36pm Fri 18 Jan 13

It’s all well and good arguing the toss about filling salt bins, but what I want to know is how is it expected to get from the bins to the paths where it needs to be.

Bins may have been filled on Wednesday – but on my 5 mile walk (slide) through the suburbs yesterday there was no sign whatsoever of any salt on the pavements.

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timcore says...
1:30pm Fri 18 Jan 13

Enough political finger-pointing, but there's no point filling the bins if it then isn't going to be used. Some of the pavements in and around the city are treacherous. This needs to be remedied.

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atorycouncil2014 says...
1:40pm Fri 18 Jan 13

The Great Buda wrote:
Sack the lot of them.
Are you offering to resign James? I

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YorkPatrol says...
1:50pm Fri 18 Jan 13

far2bizzy wrote:
It’s all well and good arguing the toss about filling salt bins, but what I want to know is how is it expected to get from the bins to the paths where it needs to be. Bins may have been filled on Wednesday – but on my 5 mile walk (slide) through the suburbs yesterday there was no sign whatsoever of any salt on the pavements.
What you do is - walk to your nearest salt bin with a bucket or similar, fill it up, take it home and throw it around!

It's self service

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timcore says...
2:01pm Fri 18 Jan 13

YorkPatrol wrote:
far2bizzy wrote:
It’s all well and good arguing the toss about filling salt bins, but what I want to know is how is it expected to get from the bins to the paths where it needs to be. Bins may have been filled on Wednesday – but on my 5 mile walk (slide) through the suburbs yesterday there was no sign whatsoever of any salt on the pavements.
What you do is - walk to your nearest salt bin with a bucket or similar, fill it up, take it home and throw it around!

It's self service
Is this what we pay our council tax for?

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alfie says...
2:02pm Fri 18 Jan 13

YorkPatrol wrote:
What about all the POO bins for dog people - many of these have been removed so nows there POO everywhere
put the poo in an empty salt bin of course.

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dsom73 says...
2:10pm Fri 18 Jan 13

timcore wrote:
YorkPatrol wrote:
far2bizzy wrote:
It’s all well and good arguing the toss about filling salt bins, but what I want to know is how is it expected to get from the bins to the paths where it needs to be. Bins may have been filled on Wednesday – but on my 5 mile walk (slide) through the suburbs yesterday there was no sign whatsoever of any salt on the pavements.
What you do is - walk to your nearest salt bin with a bucket or similar, fill it up, take it home and throw it around!

It's self service
Is this what we pay our council tax for?
For the free salt, yes.

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timcore says...
2:16pm Fri 18 Jan 13

dsom73 wrote:
timcore wrote:
YorkPatrol wrote:
far2bizzy wrote:
It’s all well and good arguing the toss about filling salt bins, but what I want to know is how is it expected to get from the bins to the paths where it needs to be. Bins may have been filled on Wednesday – but on my 5 mile walk (slide) through the suburbs yesterday there was no sign whatsoever of any salt on the pavements.
What you do is - walk to your nearest salt bin with a bucket or similar, fill it up, take it home and throw it around!

It's self service
Is this what we pay our council tax for?
For the free salt, yes.
Making us pay for free stuff? That's genius on their part, the criminals.

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roskoboskovic says...
3:19pm Fri 18 Jan 13

pathetic.

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chunks says...
3:25pm Fri 18 Jan 13

What a complete none story this is.

Salt bins weren't filled, but they didn't need to be.

Now that they might be needed, they've been filled.

I'd love to know what "pre-emptive action" Cllr Ayre had in mind. But know doubt he'll be flushed with the sense of satisfaction that must surely come from knowing that the salt bins in his ward are filled.

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YSTClinguist says...
3:59pm Fri 18 Jan 13

I found salt in the road at a junction in Clifton today, not the main road. I cycled round the corner and wondered "Why that now?" Must have been one of those self service bins some enterprising person put out in a sensible fashion.

I was pondering this, because the foot areas on the bridge at the top of Wilton Rise and Holgate Bridge has been icy for the last few days. Not just a little bit icy, but joined up , "you're ending up on your a**e unless someone comes and salts me now!" icy.

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helzwash says...
4:10pm Fri 18 Jan 13

Have you seen outside the Next store on Coney street? They went a bit OTT with salt surrounding their entrance/exit.

I chortled as I went past.

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south bronx red 2 says...
6:16pm Fri 18 Jan 13

Has Councillor Ayre sobered up yet ?

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Willy Eckerslike says...
9:29pm Fri 18 Jan 13

I was pondering this, because the foot areas on the bridge at the top of Wilton Rise and Holgate Bridge has been icy for the last few days. Not just a little bit icy, but joined up , "you're ending up on your a**e unless someone comes and salts me now!" icy.

Contact Network Rail, they are responsible for the bridge, they own it not the council

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south bronx red 2 says...
11:16pm Fri 18 Jan 13

They'll be too busy. Havent you heard ? Buzz Aldrin is somewhere on the east coast train line.

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bob the builder says...
12:21am Sat 19 Jan 13

south bronx red 2 wrote:
They'll be too busy. Havent you heard ? Buzz Aldrin is somewhere on the east coast train line.
One big step for man, one giant slide for mankind if he'd got out at York - the USA would have probably sent a drone to deal with our errant councillors for neglecting to salt the pavements!

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Bobby12 says...
7:18am Sat 19 Jan 13

Have we all not learnt to rely on ourselves in life. If you want something doing properly in this day and age, do it yourself and set an example. Buy your own salt, shovel your own snow, and buy some grip for your shoes. Work with the snow not against it! Councillors would probably argue the over the table given half a chance!

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Candy Cupcake says...
8:31am Sat 19 Jan 13

Anybody with half a brain cell would realise that keeping the salt ins stocked and the paths gritted and cleared would reduce the amount of falls and broken bones, especially for elderly citizens of the city, have the Council not done a cost analysis??? If an elderly person falls and breaks a bone the rehabilitation is so much longer and in most cases requires lengthy stays in hospital, and then on their return to home will require care in the community funded by .. yes you guess the council.... I have battled to get a salt bin in Acomb to cover the Road between the Chemist, pedestrian Crossing and the Post Office, which is a very busy area used by elderly residence, last year I had to call an ambulance to 4 elderly people who slipped on the ice, the council's response .. sorry we have no money in the budget!!! but obviously there is plenty of money in the Care budget for rehabilitation!! If these clowns ran a private business, it would be in receivership within 6 months!

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Magicman! says...
12:31am Sun 20 Jan 13

The salt bins are there for people to use the salt mainly on the footpath outside their house, with a bit onto the road, and a remainder onto their own private driveways. You might notice that generally these salt bins are positioned on roads which don't get gritted by machines so there is a subtle hint there: do it yourself. When the first lot of snow fell I had a full barrow of salt from last year, I went out there with a snow shovel to clear a track along the pavement in front of my house and both my surrounding neighbours' houses, then salted it and finished off with my own driveway - took me 15 minutes at the most because the snow was still fresh.
And that's all it takes is for 1 of every 3 people in a street to have a few spare minutes to move some snow around and flick a bit of salt down, and you'd end up with a nice clear pavement the full length of the road. But apparently it's always 'somebody elses job'.

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