Gritters melt away winter budget

Fiona Evans

Calderdale Council has overspent its budget for keeping the roads clear after the recent bad weather.

Figures show that as a result of the prolonged winter weather the council has already spent more than 1.3m keeping roads and pathways clear and gritted.

But the budget allocated to carry out the work is 778,000.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

By the end of the winter the overall deficit could be between 769,000 and 1.1m, says the authority.

Councillor Amanda Byrne, portfolio holder for economy and environment, said: “The 2009/10 winter has been the worst for many years. The prolonged period of bad weather means that we have already had to spend more money than has been allocated for the winter service budget.

“Because the weather has been so bad we have already used more grit so far this year than we used for the whole of winter last year, which itself was considered an exceptional winter.

“The council has done its utmost to provide an adequate winter service to ensure the safety of residents and visitors.”

The council’s cabinet will discuss how to meet the budget shortfall on February 1.