Shropshire's road gritting policy to be reviewed for first time since 1990s
Shropshire Council's method of gritting the roads throughout winter is to be "comprehensively" scrutinised for the first since the 1990s, with just 28 per cent of roads covered currently.
A report formed by a working group to review the authority's highways winter service policy will go before cabinet members on Wednesday.
It states that Shropshire's grit coverage has not been "comprehensively" reviewed since it was made in the 90s and could currently serve facilities which no longer exist.
The report adds that Shropshire is "at the lower end of a comparison of similar rural local authorities", and is roughly half the length of Staffordshire Council's – which has just a 20 per cent larger highways portfolio.
In January 2021 the place overview committee received a report from the executive director of place which outlined the current winter service arrangements and identified areas of concern in the plan.
Officers told the committee that they planned to review the winter service plan and that they sought to engage with elected members of Shropshire Council, as well as town and parish council, in carrying out the review.
The report going before cabinet contains the findings of the committee’s working group and makes recommendations to guide development of the highways winter service plan.
It states: "The group heard that Shropshire Council’s defined winter network constituted just 28 per cent of the highways network in Shropshire.
"This places Shropshire at the lower end of a comparison of similar rural local authorities.
"Neighbouring Staffordshire, for example, treats a defined network almost twice the length of Shropshire’s, despite its road network being just 20 per cent larger.
"However other local authorities, such as Dorset and Cerdigion, treat a defined network that is smaller in both percentage and total length."
The report also states that a priority is given to the north of the county.
"The group also heard that the network is unevenly distributed across the county, with a lower percentage of the network being treated in the south of the county compared to the north," it says.
The report also states that respondents to surveys said "vital" businesses were cut off.
It says: "More than one respondent gave examples of seemingly vital businesses or public amenities that were cut off from the defined network, with little understanding about how network was chosen."