Council ‘confident’ they are prepared for winter

Questions were raised at the full Council meeting regarding preparations for the winter months.

Rochdale Council was pilloried at the end of December 2009 and the start of the new year for failing to carry out sufficent gritting, making driving conditions treacherous and journeys for people on foot dangerous.

The message from cabinet member for Highways and Transport, Councillor Liz Thirsk, was: “You don’t need to worry about salt.”

The council says it has sufficient supply of salt in storage should the snow and ice return.

Councillors also raised issues about grit bins, Councillor Carol Wardle asked: “When are our grit boxes being replaced and when will they be full of grit?”

Councillor Thirsk explained that grit bins are now being filled and they will all be ready by 5 November.

However, Councillor Thirsk was reluctant to say the council is “fully” prepared, though she did say: “We are as prepared as we can be. I am confident we will cope and we will do the maximum we are supposed to do.”