Key Gritting Routes to be restored
The ruling Executive will use its first public meeting of the new year to consider reinstating all of the council’s primary winter gritting routes, which had been dropped by the previous Labour administration, with effect from the first of February 2017.
In Westfield this would see the number 24 bus route between Kingsway West and St Stephen’s Road brought back onto the primary route. Westfield Liberal Democrats had campaigned for this to be retained on the primary gritting route as it was a lifeline to elderly and vulnerable residents in the ward. The proposals would see the route added back on; Kingsway West, Ascot Way, Windsor Garth, Danesfort Avenue, and St Stephen’s Road.
This proposal will appear on the council’s forward plan on the 28th December in order to allow it to come before Executive Members at their Executive meeting on the 26th of January. Reinstating these routes as part of the council’s gritting plan will cost approximately £36,500 which will come from the council’s contingency budget. The reinstatement will return approximately 43km to York’s primary gritting network, restoring the total network to its pre-2013 level of 384km.
Additionally a further report will be brought later this year to the Executive to consider the adoption of the new Statutory Guidance ‘Well-managed highway infrastructure’ which has an impact on both the highways maintenance and gritting methodologies employed by the Council.
Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader of the Council Cllr. Keith Aspden said: “I am very pleased that we will be able to secure funding for gritting routes to be reinstated to the winter gritting schedule across the city. When the Labour administration cut gritting routes, we campaigned with local communities in order to ensure that everybody could travel safely, including on important local bus routes. It is very important that we now continue to look to protect and improve the frontline services that matter to local residents.”