Content

10.1

Members of the committee considered a report of the
Executive Director Neighbourhood Services containing an operational
review of Winter Maintenance activities further to a contractual
requirement of the Streets Ahead Highways PFI Contract.

 

 

10.2

RESOLVED: That the
Environmental Services and Regulation Policy Committee approves the
following thirteen-point plan;

 

a)   
Officers to revise the Priority 1 Precautionary
Treatment Network inclusion criteria to support bus service
continuity in heavy snow and ice events. This will align with
recommendation A4.4 of the Well Managed Highway Infrastructure Code
of Practice to define Sheffield’s Minimum Winter Service
Network and improve current Network Resilience
procedures.

b)   
Agree to deliver a significant upgrade of all
weather forecasting stations in the city, allowing the Authority to
record and forecast based upon weather data from five climactic
domains instead of the existing two.

c)   
Agree to the recommended revised suite of Grit Bin
Provision Criteria.

d)   
Approve officers to conduct a review of all 2200
current grit bin placements on the highway network using these
revised provision criteria.

e)   
Agree to the relocation of up to 10% of current grit
bins under these new criteria to ensure fairer distribution of grit
bins around the city.

f)     
Agree to the delivery of a comprehensive winter
maintenance communications plan.

g)   
Empower appropriately qualified winter maintenance
forecaster and decision maker tier officers through the scheme of
delegation to act as and when required to implement the recommended
new Performance Requirements upon Amey and to enable suspension of
Street Cleansing Services in advance of forecasted winter weather
events to deliver pre-emptive pedestrian gritting.

h)   
Agree to the funding of 1no. Gritting Machines on a
trial basis for 2025/26 winter season from within the budget
generated from contractual cost savings achieved through the
December 2024 committee to deliver precautionary and reactive
gritting treatments on a defined hierarchical route network of
footway and pedestrian areas.

i)     
Agree for Officers to implement flexible working
arrangements for
appropriately
qualified decision makers ahead of forecasted adverse weather
events.

j)     
Empower Officers to negotiate a Contract Change with
Amey to create a
formal
process for Tactical / Strategic Command Authority for out of
contract requests during adverse weather events in emergency
scenarios.

k)   
Agree to the establishment of a dedicated channel
for submission and triage of Elected Member requests for service
during snow and adverse weather events.

l)     
Agree measures to empower Officers to work to
improve robustness of Emergency Planning cross-collaboration with
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and other agencies looking after
vulnerable citizens.

m) 
Agree measures to enable Officers to improve
cross-Council communications around winter messaging, especially
with education and schools to help reduce instances of unnecessary
school closures given the wider impact of these upon the economy of
the city

 

 

10.3

Reasons for Decision

 

 

10.3.1

The 14-point plan of service changes proposed above
are believed to be an effective way of improving the service in
terms of compliance with industry best practice, building on our
already nationally leading service provision and meeting the
reasonable practicability threshold outlined in
legislation.

 

 

10.3.2

These approaches when combined will maximising
efficiency and operational capability within the available budget
to improve Sheffield’s Winter Service offering, efficacy and
perception as well as improving upon environmental credentials of
the service through reduced carbon and reduced wastage.

 

 

10.3.2

The Committee is advised to agree to all 13 points
of the improvement plan.

 

 

10.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

 

 

10.4.1

Alternative Option 1 – Inversion of the
treatment hierarchy for pedestrian areas:

 

 

10.4.1.1

Many of the enquiries and feedback items
reviewed made strong representations about a feeling of inequality
that busier (Principal) shop sites such as Ecclesall Road received
pedestrian snow clearance prior to other less busy shop site areas
located out within communities.

 

 

10.4.1.2

It was alleged by many that this was a social
decision to favour affluent communities over more deprived
ones.

 

 

10.4.1.3

The concept of gritting based upon Indices of
Multiple deprivation was explored during the review process,
however, is contrary to national best practice and would leave the
Authority vulnerable to legal challenge in the eventuality of
accidents or incidents to not work in a formal hierarchical order
downwards from the busiest areas.

 

 

10.4.1.4

The recommendations around a new pedestrian
area gritter as well as suspension of services upon receipt of a
forecast of adverse weather and sustained snowfall will come some
way towards meeting these expectations in less busy areas through
more effective use of resources, meaning that clearance work is
expected to move more quickly in future snow events.

 

 

10.4.2

Alternative Option 2 – Gritting of Cycle
Lanes instead of carriageways:

 

 

10.4.2.1

A number of items
of feedback were highlighted around how the Council could support
active travel by gritting of cycle lanes instead of main
carriageways

 

 

10.4.2.2

Whilst this was explored during the review
process, it does not sit within the remit of either Officers of
Highways Maintenance Division, nor the Environmental Services and
Regulation Committee to advocate for or decide upon this, and so
this feedback will be passed to officers of Strategic Transport to
consider whether they wish to make representations to the
appropriate Committee.

 

 

10.4.3

Alternative Option 3 – Purchase of
multiple pedestrian gritters:

 

 

10.4.3.1

Whilst the advantaged of being able to treat
large swathes of pedestrian areas quickly was explored during the
review process, in the Council’s current financial position,
it is not practicable to commit to this level of expenditure, and
therefore one gritter will be trialled for the 2025/26 season
before recommendations are made on longer term approaches.

 

 

10.4.4

Alternative Option 4 – Implement
Precautionary Gritting of all footways on all shop sites as well as
200 metres of footways outside all schools in the City.

 

 

10.4.4.1

This concept was explored as part of the
Council’s budget setting process for 2025/26 financial
year.

 

 

10.4.4.2

This would require recruitment of an
additional 51 staff over the remainder of the PFI contract through
to 2037 as well as 47 items of vehicle and plant and around 120
tonnes of salt per treatment.

 

 

10.4.4.3

The total cost would be in the region of
£4.3 million per annum, or £61 million over the
remainder of the PFI contract, and was therefore deemed to be not
practicable within the Council’s current financial
position.