Bradford Council budget hit by ‘Beast from the East’

Wednesday, 5 September 2018 07:00

A report from Bradford Council has revealed how much impact the severe weather in February and March had on the council’s coffers.

The council said the 2017/18 winter, which included the notorious ‘Beast from the East’, was one of the worst in the last ten years forcing the council to spend £1.3m on salt-spreading services, more than £520,000 over its budget.

In the previous year, the council spread only 6,900 tonnes of grit whereas over 3,000 tonnes were spread in a single week alone at the end of February this year.

The authority has reviewed its Winter Services Plan and says it will make a number of improvements to its cold weather service.

The plan includes new arrangements for dealing with prolonged periods of extreme weather and introduces a Winter Resilience Champion to ensure effective coordination of council services during cold snaps.

Coun Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “Last winter’s extreme conditions were incredibly challenging for our Highways Service staff who literally worked around the clock to keep the roads and footpaths clear.

“Managing our incredibly variable winters can be tricky so it is important we regularly review our operations and work to continuously improve our services.”

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