The Environment Directorate of North Yorkshire Council is holding a private meeting to discuss proposed actions for future winter seasons, following a review of the winter weather event in January 2025. The Corporate Director of Environment, in consultation with the Executive Member for Highways and Transportation, will be asked to approve these proposals. The proposals include enhancements to operational service delivery, supplementary resources, additional equipment, and enhanced engagement and communications.

Winter Service Enhancements

The meeting will focus on a report from the Assistant Director of Highways & Infrastructure, regarding proposals to enhance the council's winter service following a review of the winter weather event in January 2025.

The review, and subsequent proposals, take into account feedback from the Transport, Economy, Environment and Enterprise Overview & Scrutiny Committee (TEEEOSC), and aim to improve operational service delivery within the existing winter service policy framework.

The report pack includes a summary of salt usage in recent years, highlighting the impact of the 'Beast from the East' in March 2018¹ on salt reserves.

• Salt usage 2017/18 (Beast from East year): 80,000 tonnes (t) of salt
• Average salt usage between 2018/19 and 2021/22: 40,000 60,000t
• Salt usage 2022/23: 32,163t
• Salt usage 2023/24: 23,563t
• Salt used 2024/25: 36,870t

The report pack also includes a breakdown of customer service cases received during the January 2025 weather event, with the Boroughbridge area office / Harrogate area receiving the highest number of requests.

A series of nine proposals to enhance the council's winter service will be discussed, including:

• Greater emphasis on footway clearance and treatment on Category 1 footway routes[^3] during snow events. [^3]: Category 1 footway routes are likely to be those in town centres and near important public buildings like hospitals.
• Reviewing provision for footway treatments near Category 1 footway routes and other key locations during prolonged winter weather.
• Greater use of mechanical equipment to clear and treat footways in urban centres.
• Promoting winter and community gritting partnerships, including with Parish and Town Councils, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), and other local groups.
• Reviewing resource availability within NY Highways and North Yorkshire Council to create a larger resource pool during extreme weather events.
• Formalising access arrangements to personnel from other North Yorkshire Council departments to assist, and setting triggers for enacting that assistance.
• Enhancing existing winter service communications and initiatives, including guidance on preparation for winter, snow clearance, myth busting, and winter partnerships.
• Reviewing the extent to which pre-treatments can be undertaken in advance of significant weather events.
• Reviewing criteria for grit bins and reinforcing their use on the public highway, including QR codes for refills.

The report pack notes that any potential costs associated with these proposals would need to be carefully considered against the backdrop of the overall financial challenges facing North Yorkshire Council.

Appendix C of the report pack outlines the proposals and estimated costs, noting that while some costs, such as the purchase of plant and equipment, are easily quantifiable, costs associated with resource would need to be multiplied by the number of winter weather events that occur.

The report pack mentions that consideration was given to existing equipment held by the council's Parks and Grounds (P&G) team, but some of this equipment may be unsuitable for deployment in certain locations due to its size and weight.

The report pack also notes that the existing winter service policy contains sufficient latitude and discretion for some pre-treatment of footways under certain extreme conditions.

Financial Implications

The report pack states that some of the proposed amendments to service provision will have financial implications for the council. A summary of the anticipated costs, split into recurring costs based on one week-long snow event and one-off costs, is included in the report.

For example, the estimated recurring costs for one 7-day extreme snow event include £6,160.56 for standby payments for Parks & Grounds Operatives, £30,880.00 for the hourly cost of labour for Parks & Grounds Operatives, and £21,000.00 for supplementary resources if Parks & Grounds are unable to assist.

One-off investment costs in plant and equipment include £10,200.00 for 12 pushed salt spreaders and £48,000.00 for 3 Kubota-type mini tractors with salt spreaders and mini ploughs.

The report pack proposes that all additional costs associated with this enhanced level of service would be managed within the existing winter service budget of £8,330,100.

Legal, Equalities and Climate Change Implications

The report pack states that the council, as highway authority, has a statutory duty under Section 41 1A of the Highways Act 1980 to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that safe passage along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice.

The report pack includes an initial equality impact assessment screening form, which concludes that the proposals do not have an adverse impact on any of the protected characteristics identified in the Equalities Act 2010.

The report pack also includes a climate change impact assessment, which notes that while the most recent Met Office Climate Projections (UKCP18) suggest an increased chance of warmer, wetter winters in coming years, the impact on the environment and climate change would be minimal if the officer recommendations are supported and an extreme winter event occurs.

TEEEOSC Feedback

The report pack includes the minutes from the 11 July 2025 TEEEOSC meeting relating to this agenda item, as well as a post-TEEEOSC officer response to member comments.

The minutes show that committee members raised concerns about the lack of gritting on footpaths, the absence of grit bins, and the disparity in service levels across different areas.

The officer response notes that enhancements to the existing service are proposed within the extent of the adopted highway network, and that QR code stickers will be introduced to facilitate replenishment requests for grit bins.

Recommendations

The Corporate Director of Environment, in consultation with the Executive Member for Highways and Transportation, will be asked to note the contents of the report, confirm which of the recommendations contained in the report are to be approved for inclusion in the council's operational winter service response in the coming 2025/26 and subsequent winter seasons, and confirm agreement that the interpretation of the existing winter service policy is such that the policy in its current form does facilitate pre-treatment of footways in main shopping streets where overnight conditions will give rise to black ice and / or continuous frost / ice conditions.