Gritting: Councillors cross swords over gritting decision that caused fury across Calderdale

People power led to the Calderdale Council’s cabinet to rethink the axing of dozens of routes from the gritting priority list.

Liberal Democrat councillors tabled a motion at a full council meeting critical of processes in decision-making over the issue but a ruling Labour group amendment won the vote.

It resolved to request the council’s Governance and Business Committee include the council’s decision and forward planning framework to its ongoing review of the council’s constitution.

This was with a view to it making any necessary recommendations to council to ensure all policy-making is conducted in an open and transparent manner.

Cabinet member for Regeneration and Transport, Coun Sarah Courtney (Lab, Calder), said: “Being able to change our mind, to be able to change decisions like this, is a sign of good leadership.”

Coun Paul Bellenger’s (Lib Dem, Greetland and Stainland) motion was more critical, asserting “the manner in which this policy has been updated and implemented falls far short of the high standards of transparency expected of this council by elected members and members of the public.”

This element and others was removed by the amendment, said Coun Bellenger (Lib Dem, Greetland and Stainland) who said the process needed debating.

He said of the announcement of routes which were to be cut from the precautionary gritting list: “It was only made public a few days before we had the horrendous snow, which made it worse – people panicking.”

Coun Bellenger said councillors’ local knowledge was not called on regarding impact on some of the routes.

But Coun Silvia Dacre, cabinet member for Resources, said: “I simply do not accept that this council and this administration is not open and transparent.”

Coun Dacre (Lab, Todmorden) said the council worked by having an executive – which was the executive by virtue of having the most councillors – which then took decisions.

Coun Bellenger’s motion had said a report was due to be discussed by cabinet at its June meeting,but it had not been.

Coun Dacre said the decision was known about – it had been taken by the full council when setting the authority’s budget in February.