Residents are being asked to consider becoming Community Winter Volunteers, offering their spare time to clear snow or spread salt along public footways and footpaths in their streets and housing estates.
Volunteers will not be asked to clear footways and footpaths included within the Council’s Winter Service Plan, which outlines the actions the Council will carry out in the coming months to deal with adverse weather conditions, including ice and snow, which can affect roads and footpaths.
The Environment, Transport and Net Zero Committee of Stirling Council has approved the Winter Service Plan for 2024/25, which prioritises treatment on those roads and footways that carry the most vehicles and have the heaviest pedestrian footfalls.
Obligations
Cllr Jen Preston, convener of the Environment, Transport and Net Zero Committee, said: “The current financial climate for local authorities, including Stirling Council, is extremely challenging, but a request for community volunteers is not a call to replace a Council service.
“Rather, this is about empowering resilient communities to deal with winter weather conditions in areas the Council do not or cannot reach when undertaking our statutory obligations during periods of exceptional weather.
“We value the many ways in which people reach out to help others in their community, not just during winter – and volunteers tell us they also feel a sense of wellbeing at helping promote an even greater spirit in the areas in which they live and work.
“Over the last two years, communities have welcomed the opportunity to give back and understand that we, as a Council, must prioritise our efforts during the winter months. We thank them for their support.
“Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to grit every road, footpath or footway when snow or ice occurs. We’ve got to focus our gritting on priority routes which pose the greatest risk to safety if they are not treated.”
Locations
Training and a full range of equipment, including high-vis waistcoats, gloves, hats, snow shovels and grit spreaders are offered to all who volunteer, with communities across the Stirling area invited to participate following a pilot scheme in 2022.
This winter, priority will be given by the Council to treating roads, footways and cycle paths on main routes to key locations including schools, hospitals, railway stations, shops and health clinics.
The new, risk based approach ensures maximum efficiency in the provision of the Winter Service Plan. The new Plan also includes a review of grit bin locations to ensure they are placed where most required.
The Roads team will also write to Community Councils across the Stirling area offering to attend meetings to discuss the Winter Service Plan and changes made to the routes for winter 2024/25.
The Winter Service Plan includes details of prioritisation details for gritting roads and footways across the Stirling area this summer, as well as the location of gritter bins.
An information pack on the Winter Volunteer Programme is also available. Residents can also find out more about the Winter Volunteer Programme by emailing wintervolunteer@stirling.gov.uk.
A recording of the Environment, Transport and Net Zero committee meeting from 12 September can be found on Stirling Council streaming.