News / Long winter cost council dear
THIS year’s heavy winter did cost Shetland Islands Council an extra £700,000 in clearing around 1,000 kilometres of roads from snow and ice.
The council’s infrastructure committee will hear on Tuesday that their £1.2 million budget for winter services has been overspent by 58 per cent.
December, January and February were the coldest months in the UK for 31 years putting a huge strain on gritter and snow plough drivers.
The average temperature in Shetland during these three months was just 1.51 degrees, just a little bit milder that the winter of 1962/63 when the average was minus 0.18 degrees.
In his report before councillors, network engineer David Macnae, said: “The prolonged cold spell with almost daily snowfalls put a considerable strain on our salt supplies, not to mention gritting operatives.
“The over budget costs of vehicle maintenance largely as a result of increased use, the increased salt costs and the increased labour costs, compounded by the snowfalls over the Christmas shutdown has produced a considerable budget overspend in the region of £700k.”
Following a review the roads services intend to make only slight changes to the way roads are being treated during the next winter.
A consultation process with community councils, schools and road users produced mainly positive responses with many expressions of thanks to the snow plough drivers.
Mr Macnae said: “After an extended period of harsh winter weather, the winter maintenance service has proved its ability to cope with the conditions and deliver the service to an extremely high standard.
“This has only been achieved by stretching manpower and machinery to the limits including a bit of good fortune regarding salt supplies.”
Become a supporter of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.
Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.
Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has over 600 supporters who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.
Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -
- Bring you the headlines as they happen;
- Stay editorially independent;
- Give a voice to the community;
- Grow site traffic further;
- Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.
Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.
Already a supporter? Sign in to hide this message.
