sweep your own leaves, clean your own ice and snow: saving the council money balancing the budget

[cate]

Agree, we need more grit bins. Shovels not enough when it is icy and snowy. Or just icy.

[Eileen]

v_the_gelfling Wrote:

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> A lot of people on my street already sweep leaves

> from outside their house, we do it from ours once

> a week. I don't recall the council shifting any of

> the snow from our pavements last year though, the

> roads, yes but pavements no. So not really sure

> what's being gained out of 'everybody' doing it..

It is perhaps more that if everyone, who can, will clear the snow before it gets trodden into ice, then it is easy to keep the paths clear to prevent people falling and hurting themselves on ice. It is so easy to do before it gets walked on. My neighbour slipped and smashed very badly the bone in his arm last winter just because of ice outside someone?s house. The Council cleared no snow or ice in our street - paths or road - throughout the weeks of snow fall last winter. So doing it here wouldn?t cost anyone a job and could save much pain and anguish. I grew up in the NE of England and it was standard practice to clear the snow outside our houses. It used to be here in Peckham too when I came here in the 70s. I still do it. It takes just a few minutes as well to clear some of the paths in front of the two adjacent houses. It wouldn?t take much for the whole street to be cleared with some doing a bit more for those who can't for whatever reasons. I am thrilled that this is now a topic for debate.

[James Barber]

Grit bins is an issue.

We rarely get terrible winters like last winter for grit bins to be regulalry used. So most often in Southwark grit bins get used as rubbish bins or as they're plastic set alight. Additionally they need to keep their lids else waterlogging makes the salt/grit comibnation gell and hard to shift. But the flaps on the grit bins are usually the first thing to go.

Last year we arranged for the council to buy 120 human powered salt spreaders for pavements to add to the three lorry salt spreaders. These 120 are enough to cover the whole boroughs network of 340km or 680km of pavements if the 600 street cleaners are well led and managed. Even using one of these spreaders at 1kph it should only take half a day.

I've checked and Southwarks Winter Service Plan doesn't appear to have been issued - which last year commenced on 16 Noveber - so I've asked the director accountable whats happened to it.

[Nero]

James, I reported to the environment line at Southwark that the grit bin near to the Plough at the very top of Barry Rd was full of water and had no lid. Nothing has been done some six weeks after I reported it. It's an important junction, so could you ask whether it will be either removed (cos it is now useless and waterlogged and full of rubbish) or replaced. Thanks.

[louisiana]

There may be no Winter Service Plan yet James, but late last night our road was gritted.

[EDmummy]

So, with well over 50% of my street containing residents 70yrs plus, the rest of the residents would need to clear their path? I have no problem doing it for my immediate neighbours, next door and across the road (all bar one over 60) but I am not sure I could do half of the rest of the street on a daily basis.

Not sure what I am complaining about really, no one from the Council cleared our street last winter (even though a request was placed because of the demographics) and the predominantly older residents of my street were housebound. I did shopping for the ones I knew and can only hope the rest had relatives or friends who could also help.

[Eileen]

EDmummy Wrote:

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> So, with well over 50% of my street containing

> residents 70yrs plus, the rest of the residents

> would need to clear their path? I have no problem

> doing it for my immediate neighbours, next door

> and across the road (all bar one over 60) but I am

> not sure I could do half of the rest of the street

> on a daily basis.

>

well while it is undoubtedly true that some people over 70 (and some under 70) can't clear their own paths, it is not safe to assume that in other or most streets none can! It doesn't have to be 100% to make a huge difference if those who can, do. It can be enjoyable to clear snow after it falls and see how the ice doesn't form. All we need is for the general default position to be that people clear their paths, accepting that some can't, rather than as it is now that it is an annual search for why people shouldn't or can't, rather than just doing it. Probably most can, if the default position shifts.

> Not sure what I am complaining about really, no

> one from the Council cleared our street last

> winter (even though a request was placed because

> of the demographics) and the predominantly older

> residents of my street were housebound. I did

> shopping for the ones I knew and can only hope the

> rest had relatives or friends who could also help.

[James Barber]

Hi Nero,

I've reported this and asked the accountable director whether all grit bins are inspected before the Winter Service Plan commences.

I've still had no reply to when the offical Winter Service Plan will be issued or whether its even been agreed. I'm sure officers aren't winging it with snow forecast.

[James Barber]

Hi Nero,

The grit bin will be removed by the councils contractor if unrepairable and replaced at a later date.

Attached is this years winter service plan just received hot of the press.

The plan clearly requires all grit bins to be checked before the winter starts - so unfortunately of to a bad start.

It states 64 manual grit spreaders which is perplexing as last winter more than 64 were purchased. So I've asked where the others have gone.

Please do take a look and highlight anything that you think is missing, or could be done better and I'll ask.

[James Barber]

Hi Nero,

Attached is photo of the grit bin beside The Plough pub at southern end of Barry Road. The is the condition the contractors found it to be in and full of grit.

Did you mean another grit bin?

[Tarot]

In Greenwich years ago, the council used to offer money ,per day for snow clearing.

[Tarot]

Sorry im in a hurry, I meant to add the unemployed were offered work. They werent rounded up and forced into wagons to do it, like maybe they will now.;-)