Minutes:
KCC Response to Recent Severe Weather
(i) Before the commencement of formal business Mr Carter and Mr Chard briefed Cabinet on the County Council’s response to the recent severe weather. Whilst there were lessons to be learnt the Council’s plans to keep open the County’s strategic routes and services had worked well in the face of some severe and testing weather conditions. The Council was continuing to work in close collaboration with the Kent district council’s, the Police and the other emergency services, the NHS, the media, the voluntary and private sectors and more recently the army to ensure that as far as was possible the Councils response and the actions that needed to be taken were timely and proportionate.
(ii) Mr Chard said an action plan was already in place to deal with expected additional potholes and work had already commenced with an additional budget of some £1m being allocated for that purpose.
(iii) Mr Carter said he wanted any necessary repairs to be undertaken swiftly and effectively and, within the terms of existing contracts, wanted to see as much of this work as possible allocated to Kent based tarmac firms. Mr Carter said he also wanted to clarify the legal position of businesses and individuals who under took to clear snow from the front of their own premises where they joined the public highway.
(iv) During the course of discussion several members of Cabinet spoke about the work and effort of KCC’s gritting crews, staff from across its Directorates, including those in schools who, together with other bodies and agencies and individuals from across the wider Kent community had contributed in many different ways to keep the counties vital roads and services open and available. Mr Gibbens spoke in particular about the work and extra effort undertaken by staff in Kent Adult Social Services, carers working for domiciliary care agencies, apetito, (the contractor which delivers community meals), the 4x4 SE Response, (who are volunteers who use their vehicles to assist health and social care) staff in the emergency planning unit and the Contact Centre in ensuring services were maintained to elderly and vulnerable people.
(v) In noting the comments made during the course of the discussion Cabinet placed on record its thanks to all those members of staff who had worked so tirelessly to keep roads and other services open. Cabinet also placed on record its thanks and appreciation to all those from across the wider Kent community who had worked with the Council in order to mitigate the effects of the weather. In moving forward as well as allocating an additional fund of some £1m for repairing potholes on weather damaged roads for which KCC was responsible, it was agreed that a report would be submitted to a future meeting of Cabinet reviewing the Council’s response to the challenges the severe weather had presented. This review would also seek to clarify the legal position of businesses and individuals who under took to clear snow from the front of their own premises where they joined the public highway