County Council Seeks Volunteers To Clear Snow This Winter

Derbyshire County Council are seeking volunteers to keep roads and paths safe during winter weather.  The same call went out last year.

They are seeking both residents and farmers who are willing to help when bad weather hits.  The council are emphasising their aim as keeping residents safe.Town and parish councils and other community groups have been asked to rally local people to join the Snow Warden Scheme.

Each council or group will get a free delivery of up to a tonne of bagged grit.  They will be given training and advice on how to clear snow and ice safely.  They will be kept up-to-date with specialist weather reports.

Farmers and others with ploughing or gritting equipment are also being asked to work as contractors to help keep their local roads on the move from October to next April.

Anyone taken on as a contractor will get £200 for signing up plus get extra payments for call outs.

Snow wardens get involved in:

• clearing snow and ice from their community’s pavements
• reporting local weather conditions through the council’s website
• co-ordinating volunteers to clear snow and distribute grit
• reporting empty grit bins

Farmers and contractors need to:

• provide their own equipment
• be available to work from 7am to 7pm, 7 days a week – although extra help may be requested if conditions are particularly severe
• arrange appropriate insurance
• be able to respond to a call out within 90 minutes

Councillor Simon Spencer, our Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure, said:

“While it may seem early to be preparing for winter, especially with our recent stretch of warmer weather, the reality is it’s not far off. We have to start planning now to make sure we have the right resources in place so we are ready when colder conditions arrive.

“We look after around 3,500 miles of roads and pavements and grit around half of them. These include our major roads, routes where there is only one way in or out of an area, major bus routes and roads serving emergency services’ bases. But we can’t be everywhere, which is why our volunteers and contractors are a vital resource, particularly in our more rural communities.”

 

Councillor Spencer added:

“We need people to sign up so we can make sure they have any materials and training they need, and while it’s never too late to join up I’d encourage anyone who’d like to volunteer to get in touch as soon as possible.

Last year 62 town and parish councils helped clear snow and ice from pavements and footpaths along with 52 farmers and contractors.

Staff at 72 county schools also volunteered to clear snow and ice from outside their school gates to help make it safer for students to get inside school grounds.

Town and parish councils and other community groups can get more information about volunteering as snow wardens. To sign up to the scheme email: snow@derbyshire.gov.uk

For information about the farmers and contractors scheme.