District nurses have been unable to reach some patients since Cheshire East stopped gritting certain routes and there have been several accidents on icy roads, councillors said.
Cheshire East Council axed a number of roads from its gritting schedule this winter following the introduction of new scoring criteria which adheres to national guidelines.
The council said the previous policy had resulted in some inconsistencies across the network, but councillors say the new policy has had a detrimental impact in some areas.
Some stretches of Coole Lane – between Nantwich and Audlem – have seen several accidents during icy conditions this winter.
Conservative group leader Janet Clowes (Wybunbury) told the highways and transport committee: “This winter alone, I had desperate calls from people at end of life where district nurses simply couldn’t get to them.”
Visiting councillor Rachel Bailey (Audlem, Con) said: “In view of the number of accidents that have occurred on Coole Lane since with winter gritting has been cut – that is five on the seven icy mornings we have had – I would ask for exceptions to be taken into account for that.”
Cllr Mick Warren (Macclesfield East, Ind), also a visiting councillor, said he was concerned town and parish councils were offering to pay Cheshire East for additional roads to be gritted at full cost “yet somehow the report says this would be at variance to the needs of a consistent evidence-based gritting network”.
“Surely extra roads being gritted at no additional cost to Cheshire East highways, which are identified by town and parish councils as being locally important, is a positive for our residents,” said Cllr Warren.
He said a steep road in his ward was removed from the gritting route and about 100 people are affected, some of them elderly needing health visitors and one needs dialysis at a local hospital several times a week.
“A local community sister that works out of the town’s medical centre has stated she would not be able to access these residents who have regular visits for medical needs, as she wouldn’t be able to walk or drive if the road wasn’t gritted during very icy periods,” said Cllr Warren.
“Amending our policy to allow the town councils to pay for the gritting of their chosen roads would alleviate these locally identified problems.”
Cllr Mike Sewart (Poynton West, Con) said other factors should be taken into account when a road is “scored”.
“The engineering things are fine but members know their area, they know those extra factors,” he said.
He moved an amendment that ward councillors must be involved when roads are reviewed and this was accepted.
Committee chair Craig Browne (Alderley Edge, Ind) said if a potential top-up service [from parish councils] was introduced in the future he believed roads which fell just outside the criteria should be looked at first as part of any meaningful review.
The committee resolved to continue to monitor the implementation of the new winter gritting routes over the remainder of the winter season.
Members also agreed a report would be presented to a future meeting responding to points raised, providing detailed analysis of the impacts of the new routes and considering if any changes are required to the new policy.
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