Kirklees Council facing gritting crisis as drivers refuse to work

Nov 2 2009 by Nick Lavigueur, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

“They will be extremely exposed as Kirklees is the largest authority in England in terms of roads to cover.”

Mr Holmes said union officials would be meeting with the council tomorrow to try to resolve the matter.

The stalemate comes after it was revealed the council had only budgeted for five days of gritting this winter.

And a report by the Local Government Association (LGA) last week revealed that Britain risked grinding to a halt if it suffers another severe winter.

The report said that while it may not be a good use of council taxpayers’ money for councils to stockpile more salt, the UK was almost entirely reliant on just two companies for supplying grit for the roads.

The LGA criticised salt suppliers for failing to admit that they were struggling to meet demand during last year’s crisis, as this would have allowed councils to find alternative supplies.

The report was also critical of the way the cold snap at the beginning of February this year was handled.

Kirklees came under criticism from residents for its poor gritting service during the wintry spell in early February.

The LGA report also criticised the quality of the service that train and bus companies were able to run and said businesses could have done more to prepare for the severe weather.

A spokesman for Kirklees Council, said: “We are in contact with the union on this matter, and those negotiations are still ongoing.”