4 Winter Learning 2009/2010
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To provide recommendations
to Cabinet about the priorities for future improvement and
action.
Minutes:
The Committee gave consideration to a report
on ‘winter learning’, which was referred to the
Committee by Corporate Management Team. To enable the Committee to
make recommendations to Cabinet for improvement, the report brought
together and summarised the Council’s learning from events of
the longest and deepest winter in thirty years.
The Committee noted that, on 20 April 2010,
Cabinet approved a notice of motion regarding the adoption of a
Cheshire East Policy, by a review of priorities for future years
especially with regard to bus routes and roads within the vicinity
of primary schools.
Following detailed consideration of the
report, Members made the following observations and recommendations
to Cabinet:
- With regard to school closures, it
was agreed that the Director for Children and Families should be
requested to attend a future meeting of the Committee, to discuss
the reasons for the closures and what could be done to ensure that,
where possible, schools remain open in the future.
- That the weather update received on
a daily basis from the Meteorological Office be circulated to
schools to assist them in determining whether or not a school
should close.
- A list of farm contractors, who
would be willing to assist in clearing the roads be devised.
- With regard to the Waste and
Recycling Service, it was agreed that residual should take priority
over recycling and garden waste.
- That a six day resilience of salt
should be held in stock (6,000 tonnes) and accommodation to house
that stock be sought.
- Additional salt boxes should be
provided and refilled as and when required.
- That the public be made aware of the
legal position with regard to them clearing footpaths and shop
fronts.
- That the Central and Eastern
Cheshire Primary Care Trust Report on Severe Weather be circulated
to the Committee.
- With regard to Adult Services, the
Committee supported the Community Assistance Plan, which was
currently being developed.
- The Grounds Maintenance and Street
Cleaning Services be trained to assist
in gritting to further increase the resilience of the winter
service.
- Formal arrangements for the clearing
of certain key footpaths be included in
the policy.
RESOLVED
- That the Director for Children and
Families be requested to attend a future meeting of the Committee
to discuss the reasons for the school closures and what can be done
to ensure that, where possible, schools remain open in the
future.
- That the recommendations and
observations outlined above be taken into consideration by Cabinet
when developing a policy for Cheshire East.