East Riding Council hails its Weather Grant Assistance Scheme

THE RECENT SEVERE WEATHER prompted East Riding Council to introduce an innovative Grants Scheme to help Town and Parish Councils clear snow and ice. The Council is now hailing the success of the scheme, although there has been some constructive criticism locally.

Over 80 town and parish councils, including Hedon Town Council and Preston Parish Council applied for the special funding to tackle the affects of the adverse weather. 

Hedon Town Council received £1,000 which was used to purchase 120 bags of rock salt/grit and a manual spreader. Holme on Spalding Moor Parish Council received £2,000, which was used to buy salt and sand, a small gritter and to hire a JCB to help clear the village of snow and ice. Preston Parish Council also received a grant.

Chris Worrall, chairman of Holme on Spalding Moor Parish Council, highlighted how well the scheme has worked. He said: “The application process was very quick, from completing the paperwork to receiving the funds. We purchased salt and grit and hired a JCB to help clear footpaths and keep the roads around the village clear. We also bought a small gritter for future use. Thanks to the funding, and with the help of volunteers from the community and local business who supplied free hot drinks and meals, we have cleared a footpath all the way around the village, connecting up the shops and the surgery and have also cleared the sheltered accommodation.”

However, in Hedon some residents have queried whether the town should have applied for and received a larger amount considering its size and the population numbers, compared to other places. Also in Hedon due to the lack of council staff being available at the time, it was left up to an individual town councillor who volunteered to take out the manual spreader as soon as possible!

Councillor Stephen Parnaby, OBE, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “This scheme was the first of its kind in the country and was introduced to support town and parish councils to undertake work in their localities and has helped ensure that more is done as soon as possible which is what everyone wants to see.”

£175,000 allocated to the scheme by the East Riding Council. This was funded through a 'performance reward grant' obtained by the Council and its Local Strategic Partnership partners earlier this year.