On hand at time of need

Hello everyone, and welcome to 2025! I hope you managed to have a break over the Christmas period, and meet up with friends, family and loved ones.

I just want to say a huge thanks to those who, because of their jobs, were working over the festive period to keep us safe and well.

From social carer workers to waste collectors, they were hard at work ensuring that our vulnerable residents were fed and looked after, and our bins were emptied.

In particular, I’d like to mention our gritting teams, who have been out frequently over the last few days – and sometimes more than once – at all times of the day and night.

A few facts about gritting. Each gritting run involves spreading salt on almost 142 miles of roads - 35% of the total network – and it takes up to 5 hours for our 4 vehicles to complete the full grit run.

Forecasts are monitored 24/7 to pick the best times to send the gritters out, but despite the high level of service provided, ice and snow can still form even on treated roads.

Our small team work very hard in freezing conditions covering hundreds of miles of road overnight and during the daytime. If you haven’t seen a gritter go by, it doesn't mean the gritting routes haven’t been covered. We appreciate snow and ice can cause delays and frustrations, but we are doing all we can in difficult circumstances.

For more info about all matters gritting, see Gritting information.

It’s going to be another busy year for the council, as we meet the challenges of setting a sustainable budget and our many regeneration projects come to fruition. Stay tuned – we’ll have lots more news very soon!