A report informing the Committee of the outputs delivered by the Winter Service Plan 2020/2021, of the Winter Service Plan review carried out to ensure compliance with the Highway Act 1980 and ‘Well managed Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice and to inform and seek approval for the Winter Service Plan 2021/2022.

The Executive Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report informing the Committee of the outputs that had been delivered by the Winter Service Plan  2020/21, of the Winter Service Plan review that had been carried out to ensure compliance with the Highway Act 1980 and ‘Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice’ and sought approval for the Winter Service Plan 2021/2022.  A copy of the Winter Service Plan 2021/2022 was attached to the report at Appendix 1 and a Financial Implications Report was attached to the report at Appendix 2.

The report stated that the 2020/2021 winter season had been relatively mild overall although interspersed with colder spells.  However, there had been numerous occasions when the temperature had reached the trigger point for precautionary salting action, this had resulted in 85 primary runs and two secondary runs.  The cold spells were not severe or prolonged enough for activation of the Snow Plan.  In comparison during 2019/2020 the primary precautionary salting routes had only been treated on 46 occasions and on 57 occasions during the 2018/2019 winter season.  There had been no issues with salt supply/delivery which had enabled the contractor to maintain stock levels throughout the winter season and there had been not issues with the contractor replenishing the grit bins as and when had been required.  The winter decision making process to determine when to salt had worked well during the previous winter season and the Vaisala weather stations had provided the correct data for informed decisions to be made.  The joint arrangement/agreement with Wokingham Borough Council, through their consultants, Volker Highways, for providing the decision making service had worked well and had delivered against the set key performance indicators during the 2020/2021 winter season.  The Winter Service Plan for 2020/2021 had provided a robust service for the duration of the winter period with no disruption to the primary and secondary road network during the season.

A review of the Winter Service Plan 2020/2021 had been carried out and the main points, including updates for the Winter Service Plan 2021/2021 were summarized in the report.  Risks assessments and method statements had been updated and agreed with the Council’s gritting contractor J.H. Cresswell and Sons Ltd to take account of the Covid-19 pandemic and would be actively updated as Government advice was made available.  A review of the proposes Active Travel Plan schemes had shown that they were primarily situated on the existing primary/secondary precautionary salting routes and any future Active Travel Plan schemes brought forward would be evaluated to determine whether they should be added to the precautionary salting route.  A review of the National Covid-19 Temporary Testing Stations/Sites had been carried out, they were primarily situated on or adjacent to the existing primary/secondary precautionary salting routes.  The access to other new sites would be included within the primary precautionary salting route on a needs basis when any station/site was operational.

In answer to a question, officers reported that Vaisala Ltd had been appointed to provide the ‘winter forecasting’ service for the coming winter following a joint tender process by the Berkshire Winter Service Consortium.  Staff and the Council’s gritting contractor, J.H. Cresswell and Sons Ltd, were also thanked for their work over the previous winter season.

Resolved –

(1)      That outputs delivered by the Winter Service Plan 2020/2021 be noted;

(2)     That the outcome of the review carried out on the Winter Service Plan to ensure compliance with the Highways Act 1980 and the ‘Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice’ be noted;

(3)           That the Winter Service Plan 2021/2022 be noted and approved.