As winter approaches, it’s time for local authorities to pull together a robust, well-resourced winter maintenance strategy. Recent coverage on LAPV underscores key lessons from across the UK — from grit-stockpiling and fleet readiness to real-time monitoring and community engagement. Here’s a practical roadmap for councils aiming to be winter-resilient.

1. Check and maintain your fleet, 24/7

Councils like Hertfordshire and Wirral are already placing their gritter fleets on round-the-clock standby. Hertfordshire’s crews are ready from 1 October, while Wirral’s fleet is primed to treat nearly 288 miles of priority roads.

Local authorities should logically follow suit by verifying that their spreaders, gritters, and support vehicles are fully operational, fuelled, and ready for rapid deployment. Winter vehicle checks must be rigorous: mechanical issues at the worst time are inexcusable.

2. Secure and review salt stockpiles

Salt remains the bedrock of winter road treatment. In Cambridgeshire, for example, the county has four salt barns that together hold around 12,000 tonnes of rock salt. Authorities should audit their current salt inventory, assess whether storage facilities are sufficient, and re-order supplies early. Having grit bins replenished across the network should also be a priority — Cheshire East confirmed restocking roughly 500 grit bins.

3. Invest in real-time weather monitoring

Effective winter treatment relies on timely, precise data. Cambridgeshire is using roadside sensors to monitor road-surface temperatures and frost risk, enabling a proactive response.

Councils should invest in or upgrade sensor networks, connect with nearby weather stations, and empower duty managers to make operational decisions based on the data. This helps ensure salt is spread before conditions worsen, not after.

4. Prioritise and communicate routes clearly

Not every road can be treated simultaneously, so a clear priority network is essential. In Aberdeen’s £1.57m winter plan, priority is given to primary and secondary roads, pavements, and cycleways.

Councils should review their winter service operational plans, ensuring they reflect current traffic patterns, high-risk pedestrian zones, and emergency routes. Transparent communication — via council websites or mapping tools — helps residents understand which roads and pavements will be treated first.

5. Train and trial staff before the cold hits

Effective winter maintenance isn’t just about grit and vehicles — it’s about people. East Lothian Council’s winter plan, for instance, includes pre-winter training for personnel, calibration of gritter controls, and a full-scale winter drill on key routes.

Councils elsewhere should follow suit: run trial gritting runs, refresh training on route priorities, and ensure every operator understands escalation procedures for extreme weather.

6. Budget smart, but plan for worst-case scenarios

Winter maintenance is costly — but the cost of being underprepared is higher. Aberdeen City Council’s budget of £1.57m for 2025/26 reflects a willingness to absorb unexpected spikes.

Local authorities should model different winter scenarios (mild frost, heavy snow, prolonged freeze), estimate costs, and build contingency funds into their budgets. This includes flexibility for ‘extra’ salt, overtime pay, and emergency call-outs.

7. Engage with the community

Residents aren’t just beneficiaries — they’re partners in resilience. Some councils enlist their communities to help with local gritting on footpaths, while others provide free salt bags or encourage reporting of empty grit bins.

Councils should ramp up communications now: remind people where grit bins are located, how they can contribute, and how to report issues. Being transparent about route priorities and limitations also builds public trust.

8. Follow legal requirements and best practice

Councils operate within a legal framework: under the Highways Act 1980 and the Traffic Management Act 2004, authorities are required to ‘do all that is reasonably practicable’ to keep the highway safe during wintry conditions.

Operational plans should be reviewed against legal and policy benchmarks — ensuring that procedures align with established guidelines (such as the UK Roads Liaison Group’s Code of Practice). Make sure the plan isn’t just practical, but defensible.

In summary

Preparing for winter isn’t a box-ticking exercise — it’s a strategic, multi-faceted operation. By checking their fleets, securing salt, using real-time data, prioritising treatments, training staff, budgeting prudently, and involving the community, local authorities can weather the cold months with confidence. The recent examples highlighted on LAPV show it’s both possible and essential — because when snow and ice strike, there’s no room for second-guessing.

This article was produced with the help of ChatGPT.

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