NEWSLETTER - FEBRUARY 2011

At the Parish Council meeting, held on 12th January 2011, 10 Councillors were in attendance, together with the County Councillor, the District Councillor, the Clerk and five members of the public.

Winter Management Plan
Following the spell of snowy weather in December the Council has been able to assess its response to the conditions.  We have realised that our action plan was too ambitious in the areas it was proposed to clear of snow.  However, we believe that we made a better effort than most Parishes, as we employed four contractors, who between them put in nearly 50 hours, of very hard work, on footpath snow clearance.  We also received five hippo bags of salt/grit from the County Council which were placed at strategic spot in the Parish.  In some cases these were renewed as necessary.  It was, perhaps, not made clear to the public that this salt/grit could be used by them, to spread on pavements or roads in their vicinity, in order to help the difficult situation. 

There is no law stopping you from clearing snow and ice on the pavement outside your property.  The government has issued advice – “The Snow Code” which states that if an accident did happen it is unlikely you would be sued as long as you have been careful and have used common sense.  Just ensure you do not make the pavement more dangerous than before.

Some tips are:

Start early – it is much easier to clear fresh, loose snow compared to compacted ice.

Do not use hot water – this will melt the snow, but may replace it with black ice, increasing the risk of injury.

Be a good neighbour – some people may be unable to clear snow and ice on paths from their property.

If shovelling snow – think where you are going to put it so that it does not block people’s paths or drainage channels.

Spread some salt – on the area you have cleared to stop ice forming, table or dishwasher salt both work.  Salt will have little effect if spread on top of snow.

If there is no salt available – you could use sand or ash.

Every inch of snowfall in West Sussex creates 80,000 tonnes of snow to clear, so you can see how important community spirited people can be.

The next Parish Council meeting will be held on Wednesday 9th March 2011, at 7.30pm in the Refectory.  All are welcome to attend.

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