Purpose

To confirm the arrangements for precautionary
salting on roads and the arrangements for winter maintenance,
including the extent of the network to be treated.

Content

I approve the decision set out in the attached
report. This decision was published on 15 October 2025 and will
come into force on 23 October 2025.

Reasons for the decision

The Council’s precautionary salting
network and policy have been developed over many years and have
proved to be effective.  The objectives
of Wiltshire Council’s winter maintenance arrangements are to
ensure, as far as is “reasonably practicable” within
the appropriate resource level, the safe movement of traffic on the
highway network in a systematic and priority-based
manner.  The intention is to minimise
delay and incidents that could be attributable to adverse weather
conditions for road users throughout the winter period. The
recommendations of NWSRG National Guidance and the Well-Managed
Highway Infrastructure: A code of practice have been reviewed and
improvements, as described in the report, are being introduced to
the Council’s winter maintenance procedures.

Alternative options considered

Reducing the extent of winter precautionary
salting on the road network would reduce costs but could have
safety implications as the extent of the salted network has not
changed significantly for many years. 
Increasing the lengths of road treated would require additional
vehicles, operatives and salt, which is not considered realistic in
the current financial climate.  Meeting
the full recommendations set out in NWSRG National Guidance and the
Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure: A code of practice would have
limited benefits and would have significant cost and resource
implications.