MORE snow; Today's Labour Press Release

HOUNSLOW LABOUR GROUP PRESS RELEASE
13TH JANUARY 2010- for IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COULD TORY ADMINISTRATION HAVE DONE BETTER AT GRITTING
ROADS AND PAVEMENTS IN HOUNSLOW?

Cllr. Ruth Cadbury, Deputy Leader of Hounslow Labour Group, is demanding a review of extreme weather responses in Hounslow. She slammed the lack of coherent effort by the Tory Administration in gritting the roads and pavements this week and last.

Speaking this Wednesday, Cllr. Cadbury said “the Met office gave plenty of warning of further snow yet the response has again been too slow, At 9am it appeared there had been no clearance on the main roads in Hounslow Town Centre and driving conditions were treacherous at what is the busiest time of day. Last week footways in areas with busy pedestrian areas were not cleared or salted until they had become ice-rinks. The footway in the busy part of Brentford High Street was only cleared of ice on Thursday mid-morning, two days after it had snowed.” “There is no point throwing rock salt around a bus stop or station if the pavement between there and where people are walking to are not cleared. Many painful injuries could have been avoided had there been a more coherent emergency plan for town and shopping areas.” She added.

Other London boroughs seem to have responded more rapidly and effectively according to Cllr Cadbury, with main roads – carriageways and footways being cleared early, and thoroughly.

Cllr Cadbury went on to raise concerns about the lack on information provided by the Council over the last two weeks. Speaking this Wednesday, when two inches of fresh snow arrived, she pointed out that the bulletin on the Council web-site has not been updated since Monday. “It is essential to know, on a daily basis, what has been gritted and what hasn’t, and also what services are operating as normal or not – such as schools, day centres or meals-on-wheels,. so that residents can take the proper precautions. Furthermore, Councillors have not been kept updated directly with regular information during this emergency so they can respond to residents’ questions. This contrasts markedly with the experience of colleagues in other boroughs who are getting daily bulletins” she said.

Cllr Cadbury is demanding a response from the Conservative administration. “The recent weather conditions warrant emergency action being taken, but we do not believe that the Council has responded to appalling weather conditions with sufficient urgency or coherence” she said.