Aberdeenshire councillors yesterday raised concerns that £1m of cuts to its winter roads maintenance budget would backfire on rural communities.
The local authority’s infrastructure services committee were asked to approve cuts to its 2015-16 winter service costs in light of current budget challenges.
Last year Aberdeenshire Council had a winter and emergencies budget of £5.21m – of which £5.01m was used despite a “benign winter”.
Councillors were asked to approve a budget of £4.268m for 2015-16 largely through a £800,000 cut to treatment on its non-primary roads network.
However, several members were wary of approving the suggestions, adding they were “baffled” by the suggestion there would be no impact for commuters.
The non-primary road network consists of largely C-class and unclassified roads and pathways outwith the major Aberdeenshire town centres.
Council officials argued too much time and resources were being wasted treating many of these routes even in mild winters and said they should only be cleared when conditions were severe enough to merit it.
Head of roads, Philip McKay, asked councillors to agree to a change in policy which would involve treatment to the non-primary network only being carried out if temperatures of below 1C were forecast to persist for 48 hours.
He said the proposals offered “the best way to reach the previous decision to get a £1m reduction from the cost of an average winter”.
He added: “It is a reactive service. What we are suggesting is not a change in the policy, but to add some criteria around about duration and severity.
“We do feel like we’ll be delivering a service that will be slightly more in line with policy.”
He added the service will continue to respond to severe weather across all its roads and pathways.
Under the plans, the council’s 32-strong primary roads network would not be affected.
Councillor Ian Mollison said: “What is being proposed is going to make a saving of £800,000. I am baffled as to how we can save £800,000 and have little impact.”
He added the report suggested the council had been “doing something we shouldn’t have been doing for a while” when it comes to its winter roads service.
However Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside councillor – Peter Argyle – said the decision would affect residents in his ward.
He added: “This is a difficult proposal. It is one that is very sensitive and which matters to our residents.
“I think one of the issues I have about this is that the paper is coming to us today in the middle of the winter gritting season. It would have been very helpful if we could have got this paper when there wasn’t the threat of snow tomorrow.
“I find it hard to think we can take that much out of the budget just by changing the way we control footpaths and so on. I have concerns.”
The plans were agreed, but will be brought back before the committee in January after consultation with the area committees and the wider public.
