Snow patrol plan to keep Shropshire moving
The winter weather was snow joke – and now councillors are demanding more be done to help pedestrians and businesses should the forecast be poor again.
Summer might be upon us, but steps are being taken to ensure the county is better protected by the time the next cold snap descends.
A cross party motion is to go before Shropshire Council's full council meeting on Thursday calling for volunteer snow wardens to be employed across the county.
The Green Party, Lib Dems and Labour say that the situation that played out in the towns and villages last December and March must not happen again. Authorities struggled to cope with repeated snowfalls, with villages cut off and town centre pavements treacherous.
The idea to go before the council bosses is to use volunteer snow wardens and increase collaboration between Shropshire Council and town councils.
In mid-December and at the beginning of March, heavy snow fell across Shropshire which saw roads blocked and rail services coming to a standstill.
Shropshire Council’s highways team worked to get roads open and safe, but didn’t have enough resources to clear pavements and pathways.
According to those leading the motion, this left many people, especially those with mobility issues, trapped in their homes. Others risked falls by walking on pavements covered in snow and ice.
Councillors from across the political spectrum believe that more needs to be done by involving the whole community in clearing pavements.
The motion is being proposed by Green Party councillor, Julian Dean, who represents Porthill in Shrewsbury.
He said: “It is unrealistic to expect Shropshire Council’s highways team to clear the majority of pavements across our huge county. It’s simply not practical. For the council to clear pavements outside town centres would require huge extra expenditure at a time of tightening budgets. The idea of this motion is to get everyone who can help working to clear the snow.
“All our market towns need to be open and working during snow events."
Andy Boddington, Lib Dem councillor for Ludlow North, added: “This is about making the best use of our resources as a community. I am repeatedly told that residents are not allowed to clear the snow off the pavement in front of their house. People fear they will be sued if someone falls. Neither are the case.
“We have a great volunteering community in this county. We need to empower and encourage volunteers to help during snow events."
The cross party motion calls for Clive Wright, chief executive of the council, to investigate and cost a snow warden scheme for Shropshire and to bring forward proposals in the light of such investigation.
The motion also asks that the chief executive draws up and pursues the use of a model protocol for partnership working with town and parish councils to enable a joined-up service to improve the treatment and clearing of footways during cold weather across the county.
