Cold war erupts over City of York council's gritting policy (From York Press)

The opposition have blamed the people in charge of the gritting policy, not the workforce.
How about accepting responsibility for once Galloway? The Liberals are utterly useless on every level.

I wonder how many councillors have fallen on icy pavements? Its more than one.

The hospital is running out of hip replacement parts after people have slipped.

The same old chestnut comes out every time and I'm not just talking about York City Council here!Snow and the like always take the country by surprise. We never learn!

Labour have been found out. Rather than reporting issues in their wards - to allow gritting resources to be concentrated in problem areas - they have sat at home issuing critical media releases.
Easy to resolve. Can Cllrs Bowgett, King and Fraser publish the requests for gritting that they have raised with the Council over the last few weeks

I would like to congratulate the gritting team, who are doing their best to keep this city moving. Remember that many of them will have families who will have seen very little of them over the festive period because of this extended bad weather and there are only so many hours that they can drive their wagons before exhaustion takes over! Keep up the good work gritters, and ignore the moaning minnies.

Big drinker wrote:
I would like to congratulate the gritting team, who are doing their best to keep this city moving. Remember that many of them will have families who will have seen very little of them over the festive period because of this extended bad weather and there are only so many hours that they can drive their wagons before exhaustion takes over! Keep up the good work gritters, and ignore the moaning minnies.

I totally agree , I dont imagine the council have had anyone ringing them up asking for salt or volunteering to help. Learn to live with the conditions instead of moaning about them.

However much they are doing its not enough, I almost broke my hip this morning and I was walking through central York

It must be a first for me to be in agreement with Mr Galloway but it is about time people got off their backsides and did a little to help themselves and the community by clearing their own paths and gritting where possible. I appreciate there are those who cannot but there are many who could that dont and then moan the council dont do X.

That the Lib Dem controlled Council has been a disaster for the City is beyond doubt, having said that Cllr Galloway is absolutely right and Labour as did Cllr Galloway some years ago at the time of a frosty/snowy spell. Why don't the the two parties grow up and act responsibly? The gritters and supporting staff have worked very hard in keeping our main roads open, they deserve our thanks not the nonsense that is being pedalled currently by Labour and othe detractors.

Bit bored of this now, lets concentrate on the man found in wifes thong story !!

1speedisalluneed wrote:
Bit bored of this now, lets concentrate on the man found in wifes thong story !!

Just read it, made my eyes water in this weather.

Well to the the workmen and women of York during this time.
Get rid of big Steve for and for all.
Galloway to get a get away!

Regardless of which political party is in charge the end result would have been the same. To watch the other parties try to score political points off each other due to the weather is dull. If the Lib Dems had control of the weather I'd vote for them but only out of fear of the unnatural power they would have. But this is a freak weather occurence that everyone all over the country is struggling with. Lets just grow up and stop mumbling and do something ourselves or are we too immature to look after ourselves?

Coun Galloway said he had been out on Christmas Day and spread some salt from a self-help bin in the Gale Farm Court car park to avoid an unnecessary callout of staff




It that triple time and a days holiday then for him ??

LibDem wrote:
Labour have been found out. Rather than reporting issues in their wards - to allow gritting resources to be concentrated in problem areas - they have sat at home issuing critical media releases.
Easy to resolve. Can Cllrs Bowgett, King and Fraser publish the requests for gritting that they have raised with the Council over the last few weeks

Two weeks on from the first snow and still York’s pavements are like polished glass in most areas.
.
Lib Dum take on events? “Let's blame the Labour Party for issuing media releases.”
.
Pathetic beyond words really.

Soothsayer17 wrote:

LibDem wrote: Labour have been found out. Rather than reporting issues in their wards - to allow gritting resources to be concentrated in problem areas - they have sat at home issuing critical media releases. Easy to resolve. Can Cllrs Bowgett, King and Fraser publish the requests for gritting that they have raised with the Council over the last few weeks

Two weeks on from the first snow and still York’s pavements are like polished glass in most areas. . Lib Dum take on events? “Let's blame the Labour Party for issuing media releases.” . Pathetic beyond words really.

No they aren't. They're mostly covered in 6 inches of snow.
Try watching the national news. There are problems everywhere.
It's people like you that are pathetic. Get a life.

Are these people stupid?
`
I'd like to sincerely thank the workers, ALL of them, who made the A64 and A19 clear for my drive home last night. It was the fastest journey I'd made since moving to Selby, and I was dreading it immensely.
`
Thank you.

At last we are getting some ommon sense on this site, well said Silver, Mystic_genius and others who are being sensible and realistic.

Well Done!!

Just back from Market Weighton with another bag of grit. Did the wacky York parson extoll 'grit-lifting' or was it 'shop-lifting,' I can't remember?

Soothsayer17 wrote:

LibDem wrote: Labour have been found out. Rather than reporting issues in their wards - to allow gritting resources to be concentrated in problem areas - they have sat at home issuing critical media releases. Easy to resolve. Can Cllrs Bowgett, King and Fraser publish the requests for gritting that they have raised with the Council over the last few weeks

Two weeks on from the first snow and still York’s pavements are like polished glass in most areas. . Lib Dum take on events? “Let's blame the Labour Party for issuing media releases.” . Pathetic beyond words really.

Yesterday I walked 6 miles into York and today 5 miles into Acomb.

The pavements were snow covered but not in the least like polished glass and if you have boots with the right soles it's nae bother.

Too many politicians around here, if not bankers.

Why not attach a grit-spreader to the back of the buses to keep the bus routes clear?

Minsterview wrote:

Soothsayer17 wrote:

LibDem wrote: Labour have been found out. Rather than reporting issues in their wards - to allow gritting resources to be concentrated in problem areas - they have sat at home issuing critical media releases. Easy to resolve. Can Cllrs Bowgett, King and Fraser publish the requests for gritting that they have raised with the Council over the last few weeks

Two weeks on from the first snow and still York’s pavements are like polished glass in most areas. . Lib Dum take on events? “Let's blame the Labour Party for issuing media releases.” . Pathetic beyond words really.

No they aren't. They're mostly covered in 6 inches of snow.
Try watching the national news. There are problems everywhere.
It's people like you that are pathetic. Get a life.

Actually, you should get one - and maybe cut out the personal remarks while you're at it. Over the last 2 weeks, I’ve yet to find any resident who thinks the council’s approach to pavement gritting has been anything but pathetic, the usual smattering of drongos on here not withstanding.
.
Ultimately however, this will be a matter for the voters. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise to read the Lib Dums believe they have performed well: everything they have done for York since 2003 has been well-documented and explains why their number of councillors almost halved after their first term. Roll on 2011. In the meantime, I’d recommend all those with elderly relatives ensure the older folk are well-stocked with food as the short-term weather forecast (in conjunction with the noises from the Lib Dums) suggests they will remain prisoners in their homes for at least another week.

As one of the York gritter drivers it is nice to read some very complimentory messages above. Others do not even deserve a reply and they are mostly from the "lets moan about everything" regulards of theis site.
Although I am no great fan of the current council, it is hard to know how much better prepared they could have been. We began the winter with the salt storage facility full with over 2,500 tons of salt in stock (enough for an entire average winter). The gritting fleet has been replaced over the last 3 years with vehicles incorporating the latest technology. Not once over the the current bad weather has there been any question on holding back on operations due to cost or lack of salt.
No doubt some lessons will be learnt as a result of the longest cold spell for very many years and procedures are always being reviewed and updated. However please lets be realistic in our expectations and take some personal responsibility for our own safety including taking time to review our travel plans and methods according to conditions. It seems to me that people are happy to spend £100 to buy footwear to go night clubbing in but begrudger spending £20 on some sensible boots capable of keeping them upright in the snow!
JUST ONE PERSONAL REQUEST. As most gritting operations take place through the night it would really help us if you put a little bit of thought into how and where you park your car on a night. If possible leave it off the road, but if that's not possible try and keep corners and junctions clear and avoid parking opposite other vehicles to give us a clear passage.

jt wrote:
As one of the York gritter drivers it is nice to read some very complimentory messages above. Others do not even deserve a reply and they are mostly from the "lets moan about everything" regulards of theis site. Although I am no great fan of the current council, it is hard to know how much better prepared they could have been. We began the winter with the salt storage facility full with over 2,500 tons of salt in stock (enough for an entire average winter). The gritting fleet has been replaced over the last 3 years with vehicles incorporating the latest technology. Not once over the the current bad weather has there been any question on holding back on operations due to cost or lack of salt. No doubt some lessons will be learnt as a result of the longest cold spell for very many years and procedures are always being reviewed and updated. However please lets be realistic in our expectations and take some personal responsibility for our own safety including taking time to review our travel plans and methods according to conditions. It seems to me that people are happy to spend £100 to buy footwear to go night clubbing in but begrudger spending £20 on some sensible boots capable of keeping them upright in the snow! JUST ONE PERSONAL REQUEST. As most gritting operations take place through the night it would really help us if you put a little bit of thought into how and where you park your car on a night. If possible leave it off the road, but if that's not possible try and keep corners and junctions clear and avoid parking opposite other vehicles to give us a clear passage.

Good man, I for one appreciate all of your effort. Keep up the good work.

You lazy bunch of pathetic moaning idiots, there are only a hand full of council employees who are busy keeping the roads clear.

Get off your fat bums people and help keep the pavements clear.

My 67 year old mother clears her foot path why can't you?

I would like one of you moaners to answer me a question. If the council's gritters are out working almost constantly, which as I understand it they are, what else exactly would you like them to do? Should they have 200 men on the books in case of extreme weather, ready to help? Or should they have 50 extra gritters sat in a shed to be used once every decade? I'm no fan of this council but these things happen and if we all just got on with life instead of moaning it would be great. The only thing I'm sick of with this recent cold spell is people whinging - that's it! And well done jt keep it up mate.

Bishlad wrote:
At last we are getting some ommon sense on this site, well said Silver, Mystic_genius and others who are being sensible and realistic. Well Done!!

It's nice to know there's a few of us who don't panic when white cold water falls from the skies, although in the more rural areas I'm led to believe they try sacrificing virgins to appease the sky god to bring back the footpaths.....

again wrote:

Soothsayer17 wrote:

LibDem wrote: Labour have been found out. Rather than reporting issues in their wards - to allow gritting resources to be concentrated in problem areas - they have sat at home issuing critical media releases. Easy to resolve. Can Cllrs Bowgett, King and Fraser publish the requests for gritting that they have raised with the Council over the last few weeks

Two weeks on from the first snow and still York’s pavements are like polished glass in most areas. . Lib Dum take on events? “Let's blame the Labour Party for issuing media releases.” . Pathetic beyond words really.

Yesterday I walked 6 miles into York and today 5 miles into Acomb.

The pavements were snow covered but not in the least like polished glass and if you have boots with the right soles it's nae bother.

Too many politicians around here, if not bankers.

give it time. this is what the footpaths were like just before christmas. boxing day, they were sheet ice. i won't recount the story of my dogs slit open foot because of the ice, but has anyone actually tried buying boots lately? i've been all over trying to find some to fit me and nowhere has any with decent soles. i'm still having to slide everywhere in my DC's & smooth soled womens boots, or brave the blisters from my college PPE boots!

i understand that the council workers are doing their best, but the grit bin we used to use on my street was removed. had it still been there now, it would have been made **** good use of. until it is returned, i'm afraid i'm not very happy about the situation.

Bishlad wrote:
That the Lib Dem controlled Council has been a disaster for the City is beyond doubt, having said that Cllr Galloway is absolutely right and Labour as did Cllr Galloway some years ago at the time of a frosty/snowy spell. Why don't the the two parties grow up and act responsibly? The gritters and supporting staff have worked very hard in keeping our main roads open, they deserve our thanks not the nonsense that is being pedalled currently by Labour and othe detractors.

Pedalled....?

Coun Galloway said he had been out on Christmas Day and spread some salt from a self-help bin in the Gale Farm Court car park to avoid an unnecessary callout of staff,
.
Where did he spread the salt? Im pretty sure he doesn't live at Gale Lane Court!!!

Soothsayer17 wrote:

Minsterview wrote:

Soothsayer17 wrote:

LibDem wrote: Labour have been found out. Rather than reporting issues in their wards - to allow gritting resources to be concentrated in problem areas - they have sat at home issuing critical media releases. Easy to resolve. Can Cllrs Bowgett, King and Fraser publish the requests for gritting that they have raised with the Council over the last few weeks

Two weeks on from the first snow and still York’s pavements are like polished glass in most areas. . Lib Dum take on events? “Let's blame the Labour Party for issuing media releases.” . Pathetic beyond words really.

No they aren't. They're mostly covered in 6 inches of snow. Try watching the national news. There are problems everywhere. It's people like you that are pathetic. Get a life.

Actually, you should get one - and maybe cut out the personal remarks while you're at it. Over the last 2 weeks, I’ve yet to find any resident who thinks the council’s approach to pavement gritting has been anything but pathetic, the usual smattering of drongos on here not withstanding. . Ultimately however, this will be a matter for the voters. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise to read the Lib Dums believe they have performed well: everything they have done for York since 2003 has been well-documented and explains why their number of councillors almost halved after their first term. Roll on 2011. In the meantime, I’d recommend all those with elderly relatives ensure the older folk are well-stocked with food as the short-term weather forecast (in conjunction with the noises from the Lib Dums) suggests they will remain prisoners in their homes for at least another week.

Whilst I occassionally agree with you, Sooth, in this instance I do not.
`
The council workers, and the gritters in particular, are working wonders in very difficult conditions. Yes, some roads are not very clear. So what? The road my house is on is covered in about 4 inches. Do I grumble? Or do I just get on with clearing some and driving along? Or do I take my dogs out and have a bit of fun when I'm not at work?
`
My heart goes out to all the people who are working round the clock to clear roads, that they know full well will be under 3inches of snow in a few hoursr time. keep up the good work. In spite of the morons on here, you are doing a great job.
`
To those complaining. Perhaps, as you obviously drive, you should wander to the council offices and volunteer to drive around roads gritting and moving snow at 3am. Didn't think so.
`
Yes, the commute isn't much fun. Yes, there have been a few accidents (to my knowledge, none fatal or serious). But the kind men (and possibly women, I don't know) who crawl out of bed on a freezing January morning to make their best efforts to clear the roads so ungrateful sods like you can whinge deserve more than the unnecessary rants on here.
`
The council do not control the weather. Nor are they able to see what weather we are going to have any further into the future than the rest of us. If they'd spent £100,000,000 on grit and salt and the snow/ice hadn't come, then what? You'd be whinging about that too.
`
Grow up, move on. We've had some freak conditions and the council have done a great job for the vast majority. Residential roads are not, and should not, be a priority for the council. Keeping the arterial roads should be, and they are.
`
Well done to all concerned. please ignore the ignoramouses on here who just enjoy a good rant. My apologies for the personal insults, but the CYC are useless, and I'll be the first to admit it. But when they do something well, we should also be able to congratulate them. After all, it doesn't happen very often.

Henry Swanson wrote:
However much they are doing its not enough, I almost broke my hip this morning and I was walking through central York

you should be more carefull you may get hurt

I despair of this country sometimes! OK, so the gritting perhaps hasn't been organised as well as it might have done but COME ON. Does someone really need to hold your hand when you leave your house? It's pathetic! Yeah, so ice is slippery. It's hazardous. If you venture outside, woo, you may slip. Either man up, and accept that fact, or stay indoors. The arterial routes are fine, most places are navigable with extreme care. It's so sad that we expect our country to wipe our nose for us even in exceptional weather conditions. Once again, looking for someone to blame. Oh how about the Liberal Democrats (or just 'liberals' as some idiot has suggested)? Of course, because if the Tories ran this country, or the BNP, then it would NEVER snow, no one would ever fall over, and we'd have nothing to whinge on about. Pah.

I would like to add my thanks to the gritters who have worked very hard to keep the major roads clear of snow and ice. The footpaths and side roads are a problem but I suppose we have to put up with them in these difficult times. Lets all stop moaning and help clear some of the paths ourselves like we used to.

nasrudin wrote:
Why not attach a grit-spreader to the back of the buses to keep the bus routes clear?

better still attach steve galloways wallet to the front of a bus and clear the snow that way

Usual small minds complaining from the comfort of their armchairs. Look around the country people - this is unprecedented with only a limited supply of Salt & Grit left.

Here's a scenario - the gritters are out all the time gritting everywhere instead of being selective and we run out of supplies in York. Oh - and don't you know there's hardly any left UK-wide so from now on NO roads will be gritted. Fancy that situation do you?

Use your loafs for goodness sake - it is impossible to grit everywhere all the time - supplies have to be eked out on major routes to protect people whilst looking to maintain enough to last for another week...

Lib Dems, Labour or Tory - none of them would have done any different in this situation...

The Council is continually reviewing its policies. Refinements are being made to try to ease the problems and to get more information to people about what is posssible and when. For example, more information is now posted on the Councils web site and it is updated more frequently.
It has been possible to distribute more self help salt bins (locations are also now on the Councils web page http://www.york.gov.
uk/). They can be used by any York resident
However the depth of snow is such, on sub-urban paths, that simply spreading salt is unlikely to be enough to completely free the surface of snow and ice.
There are two things that residents can do to help
1. Pleae keep an eye open for elderly and infirm neighbours. If you are in doubt about anyones welfare then please contact the Council. It is some 3 weeks since the bad weather started and so we are entering the period where some residents may become more vulnerable
2. If you have any (constructive) comments about how the Council should prioritise the use of its resources in these difficult times then please use the direct email address and let the maintenance team know

highways @york.gov.uk

or Email me at the following address and I will pass them on.

cllr.stephengalloway
@york.gov.uk

Thank you

I would just like to say to all staff involved with gritting - well done and keep up the good work. I know how busy these guys have been.
Secondly people are moaning about the lack of salt bins and ones that have been removed - who do you expect to pay for these??? You would all moan if your council tax went up because the council puts a salt bin at the end of everyones streets! Please people (and cllrs / policitical parties) get over yourselves - its weather - it happens deal with it - and let have some community spirt with people helping each other, with clearing paths, helping older people etc....

mystic_genius wrote:

Soothsayer17 wrote:

Minsterview wrote:

Soothsayer17 wrote:

LibDem wrote: Labour have been found out. Rather than reporting issues in their wards - to allow gritting resources to be concentrated in problem areas - they have sat at home issuing critical media releases. Easy to resolve. Can Cllrs Bowgett, King and Fraser publish the requests for gritting that they have raised with the Council over the last few weeks

Two weeks on from the first snow and still York’s pavements are like polished glass in most areas. . Lib Dum take on events? “Let's blame the Labour Party for issuing media releases.” . Pathetic beyond words really.

No they aren't. They're mostly covered in 6 inches of snow. Try watching the national news. There are problems everywhere. It's people like you that are pathetic. Get a life.

Actually, you should get one - and maybe cut out the personal remarks while you're at it. Over the last 2 weeks, I’ve yet to find any resident who thinks the council’s approach to pavement gritting has been anything but pathetic, the usual smattering of drongos on here not withstanding. . Ultimately however, this will be a matter for the voters. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise to read the Lib Dums believe they have performed well: everything they have done for York since 2003 has been well-documented and explains why their number of councillors almost halved after their first term. Roll on 2011. In the meantime, I’d recommend all those with elderly relatives ensure the older folk are well-stocked with food as the short-term weather forecast (in conjunction with the noises from the Lib Dums) suggests they will remain prisoners in their homes for at least another week.

Whilst I occassionally agree with you, Sooth, in this instance I do not. ` The council workers, and the gritters in particular, are working wonders in very difficult conditions. Yes, some roads are not very clear. So what? The road my house is on is covered in about 4 inches. Do I grumble? Or do I just get on with clearing some and driving along? Or do I take my dogs out and have a bit of fun when I'm not at work? ` My heart goes out to all the people who are working round the clock to clear roads, that they know full well will be under 3inches of snow in a few hoursr time. keep up the good work. In spite of the morons on here, you are doing a great job. ` To those complaining. Perhaps, as you obviously drive, you should wander to the council offices and volunteer to drive around roads gritting and moving snow at 3am. Didn't think so. ` Yes, the commute isn't much fun. Yes, there have been a few accidents (to my knowledge, none fatal or serious). But the kind men (and possibly women, I don't know) who crawl out of bed on a freezing January morning to make their best efforts to clear the roads so ungrateful sods like you can whinge deserve more than the unnecessary rants on here. ` The council do not control the weather. Nor are they able to see what weather we are going to have any further into the future than the rest of us. If they'd spent £100,000,000 on grit and salt and the snow/ice hadn't come, then what? You'd be whinging about that too. ` Grow up, move on. We've had some freak conditions and the council have done a great job for the vast majority. Residential roads are not, and should not, be a priority for the council. Keeping the arterial roads should be, and they are. ` Well done to all concerned. please ignore the ignoramouses on here who just enjoy a good rant. My apologies for the personal insults, but the CYC are useless, and I'll be the first to admit it. But when they do something well, we should also be able to congratulate them. After all, it doesn't happen very often.

Mystic very well said, the last time we had a good word to say about the council was the gritting in normal winters. To compare the amount of snow we had to then and the effort they've shown is indeed worth of our thanks.

Just one sensible suggestion.... Let's do what the kids did by Acomb Green roll GIANT snowballs... Helps clear the paths and keeps the kids busy.... And it is free.....

Steve Galloway wrote:
The Council is continually reviewing its policies. Refinements are being made to try to ease the problems and to get more information to people about what is posssible and when. For example, more information is now posted on the Councils web site and it is updated more frequently. It has been possible to distribute more self help salt bins (locations are also now on the Councils web page http://www.york.gov. uk/). They can be used by any York resident However the depth of snow is such, on sub-urban paths, that simply spreading salt is unlikely to be enough to completely free the surface of snow and ice. There are two things that residents can do to help 1. Pleae keep an eye open for elderly and infirm neighbours. If you are in doubt about anyones welfare then please contact the Council. It is some 3 weeks since the bad weather started and so we are entering the period where some residents may become more vulnerable 2. If you have any (constructive) comments about how the Council should prioritise the use of its resources in these difficult times then please use the direct email address and let the maintenance team know highways @york.gov.uk or Email me at the following address and I will pass them on. cllr.stephengalloway @york.gov.uk Thank you

Steve. A good letter and it's caused discussion between me and the missus. I've kept our frontage clear and, to a varying degree, those of adjacent properties. This is one advantage of being a young retiree. However nowadays, the truth is that we live in such perfect isolation we are not sure if we have vulnerable people beyond our near neighbours.
We'll keep a look out.

Steve Galloway wrote:
The Council is continually reviewing its policies. Refinements are being made to try to ease the problems and to get more information to people about what is posssible and when. For example, more information is now posted on the Councils web site and it is updated more frequently.
It has been possible to distribute more self help salt bins (locations are also now on the Councils web page http://www.york.gov.

uk/). They can be used by any York resident
However the depth of snow is such, on sub-urban paths, that simply spreading salt is unlikely to be enough to completely free the surface of snow and ice.
There are two things that residents can do to help
1. Pleae keep an eye open for elderly and infirm neighbours. If you are in doubt about anyones welfare then please contact the Council. It is some 3 weeks since the bad weather started and so we are entering the period where some residents may become more vulnerable
2. If you have any (constructive) comments about how the Council should prioritise the use of its resources in these difficult times then please use the direct email address and let the maintenance team know

highways @york.gov.uk

or Email me at the following address and I will pass them on.

cllr.stephengalloway

@york.gov.uk

Thank you

Steve of all people! (Well, Westfield Ward at any rate…).
.
Good grief, this is a first, providing it’s you of course - and even if it isn’t come to that. The weather must be truly frosty for you to break your duck after all these long years.
.
As a Lib Dem voter, may I selfishly risk a few more frozen husks to ask one plaintive question?
.
Presumably you will be asking Inner York folk to vote Lib Dem in this general election year? What about Christian Vassie, broken (your party claims) beneath York’s (humiliating) dalliance with the Big Wheel?
.
Sacked by the Exec but still standing as MP? Genuinely no malice but what are voters supposed to make of it? As anyone with the thumb-power to click on Wikipedia can see, he obviously has no chance in that seat in any event but does your silence (or even fulsome support should it ever materialise) mean you’re just itching for him to go back to TV jingle-land?
.
Genuine Happy 2010 by the way!

Steve Galloways wife has broken her leg after slipping and falling on the ice. I think he will be in the dog house for a while.

I won't have time to routinely monitor the comments on this site but all are free to Email me with any constructive suggests about how we might get through the current period of poor weather.
After we get a thaw, the next concern will be the possibility of flooding so could I respectfully remind (not to sound too much like Stalin) residents who live in a flood-risk area you can get warnings sent direct to you by phone, text message or e-mail. To find out more tel: 0845 988 1188 (Environment Agency's Floodline).
Finally I can confirm that my wife’s winter Olympics practice session on our front drive before Christmas was somewhat flawed but she hasn't “broken her leg”

Well, this has started to warm people up hasn't it ! The CYC emplyees that are actually doing the work of gritting the roads and thankfully, some pavements now, have done an excellent job and no Labour Councillor has said anything different.
However we do have concerns about the fact that so many salt bins were removed 2 years ago based on what I believe is a decision made over 3 years ago by the council to save money. This is what has made it difficult for communities to manage even if they did want and were fit and able to use them.
Some of us also felt that more should have been done to grit some of the pavements earlier in the freeze. That is a management issue and has nothing to do with the grand job the guys in the gritters and on the salt wagons are doing. It is the overall policy that needs re-visiting and Cllr Bowgett has called for that issue to be scrutinised.
LibDem who is strongly suspected as being a councillor by the regular contributors to this forum, if he is, should know full well that complaints have been passed on from residents, many directly to the current Director of Neighbourhood Services....I know that because the Director has responded to me on the ones I sent in. If he wishes to contact any councillor directly and perhaps for him controversially, using his real name, I'm sure they will happily advise him of the way to get the information on the number of and subject of the complaints and requests for gritting we have received.

I can't praise the council workers highly enough, and jt's point about spending a few quid on appropriate footwear is spot-on. I've got much better boots this year than last (thanks Santa!) and, touchwood, haven't fallen at all compared to half a dozen tumbles in last year's much milder winter.
`
I'm also an advocate of people clearing their own streets where possible.
`
That said, there are no salt bins within easy walking distance of my street, and my local shop has had no grit since before Christmas.
`
I'm sure we can all do more to help ourselves and our neighbours, but that shouldn't mean letting the council bosses of the hook for their failures.

Soothsayer a Lib Dem voter - that's a joke - you've posted many times before using the words "Lib Dums" and saying you'd be happy with a Labour victory. Exposes your disigenuity for all to see...just a general mischief maker more like...

I challenge Sonja Crisp (and Steve Galloway & any of the Conservative Councillors) to publicise how many de -icing issues, and concerning which roads, they have lodged with the Council over the last few weeks? Dates and times please

360k for spreading 3 ton of salt! this works out at £120 per ton to spread am more than confident some businesses would be more than happy to do it for a lot less and still make a lot of money,

consumer wrote:
The opposition have blamed the people in charge of the gritting policy, not the workforce.
How about accepting responsibility for once Galloway? The Liberals are utterly useless on every level.

I have been very impressed with York City Council throughout this cold spell I live in Elvington and have not been blocked in once.
The road to York is in a far safer state that than that of many other roads I have travelled on in the last week. All I can say is that try living in East Yorkshire there gritting policy is just do the bare minimum, and advise their village residents to buy a 4x4. We should be congratulating the council, while other councils are running out our council still have stocks. Well done all the hard working employees involved with the gritting of the roads, not the councilors or the politicians who are probably still on Christmas
as holidays, or looking for votes.

laughingboy wrote:
360k for spreading 3 ton of salt! this works out at £120 per ton to spread am more than confident some businesses would be more than happy to do it for a lot less and still make a lot of money,

I doubt it.
`
It would take a strange business to want to start up in the industry. There is no guarantee of work, and even when there is work, it's only for the odd night a year - this year is an exception, not a rule, but it;s only been a fortnight. It's probably not worth any business buying and running several gritting snow ploughs just for the limited demand of their service. Not to mention the purchase and storage of huge quantities of grit - which normally you must buy in advance of the winter and so are prepared. not to mention the staff - presumably they have other jobs for when it doesn't snow, which would need to be covered by someone else. if not, you'll have to pay through the nose to find people willing to work the odd night a year (recession again the exception).
`
On top of that, you have the whining whinnies who will whine of incompetance regardless. It would be near suicide for a company to risk its reputation on a project with limited income, limited work and almost guarantee of publicly-viewed failure.
`
Just a point too, it's actually £360k for 3000 tones of salt. your maths is correct but your quote isn't. :-)