Severe weather grant assistance scheme to be piloted by Council

THE EAST RIDING COUNCIL has introduced a new pilot scheme to support town and parish councils across the East Riding to undertake snow clearing, gritting and other works and activities on roads and in public places to help local communities cope with the current extreme weather conditions. 

This will be welcome news to those areas in South West Holderness that have been left almost completely isolated by frozen roads and compacted ice. Residents in Inmans Estate in Hedon have been without buses, milk and mail deliveries for over a week (see Packed snow and ice on the Hedon Blog).

The grant assistance scheme is funded by a grant of £175,000 provided by the council through the Local Strategic Partnership and is available to all town and parish councils in the East Riding. 

Funding can be approved quickly through a simple and straight forward application process administered by the council’s streetscene services team. 

Councillor Stephen Parnaby, leader of the Council, said in a press statement: “This council must prioritise its resources on the main road network and other key locations to keep the East Riding moving and enable people as far as possible to go about their normal daily lives. 

The workforce is at full stretch with the gritting service working around the clock and with every effort being made to protect vulnerable people who are a priority. 

The new scheme has been introduced to support town and parish councils to undertake work in their localities which we do not have the capacity to do ourselves at the present time. This fund will help ensure that more is done as soon as possible which is what everyone wants to see.” 

It is hoped that Hedon Town Council, Preston and Paull Parish Councils are able to take advantage of the new grant assistance - and quickly!