Tipperary Council's response to snow and ice weather emergency cost it an estimated €1m

The provision of salt bunkers and emergency weather action plans in communities and more resources for salting minor roads were improvements proposed by councillors in a post mortem debate this week on Tipperary County Council’s response to last week’s snow and ice emergency.

The measures were put forward by public representatives at the Council’s January meeting in Nenagh on Monday.

The meeting heard the Council’s response to the county’s worst weather emergency in seven years cost the authority an estimated €1m with outdoor staff working long hours last week to clear and grit roads and footpaths.

Tributes to Council workers, community volunteers, farmers and contractors

Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Declan Burgess thanked the Council’s 40 elected members for their work in liaising with their communities and Council officials during the snow and ice conditions and paid tribute to Council staff for their work to make roads safe in communities badly hit by the bad weather.

He paid tribute to volunteers from residents associations, Tidy Towns groups and GAA club, farmers and contractors and Civil Defence members for their work in supporting their communities, particularly vulnerable residents.

“Community spirit was very much alive,” he declared.

His appreciation to Council staff and community voluteers was echoed by many councillors at the meeting.

Cappawhite Cllr Mary Hanna Hourigan said the service Council outdoor staff gave in her community and in very badly affected areas like the Glen of Aherlow and Hollyford was phenomenal and noted how they worked extremely hard to clear the Hollyford to Milestown road so people could get to medical appointments.

“I know they finished one night at 9.30pm after being up at 7am,” she said.

TD taken to task over criticism

She said these staff were very disappointed to hear criticism voiced on radio by a local TD about the local authority not giving the service it should. One comment referred to the Council having “too many chiefs and not enough Indians”. “I think it’s absolutely disgraceful that one of our own could say that.”

Cllr Hourigan didn’t name the TD at the meeting. She said she really felt for the staff who were taking their lives in theirs hand and heard this criticism.

“I think shame on that person, and I think he should be called out for that,” she declared.

Call for salt boxes

Tipperary Town Cllr Annemarie Ryan, praised the superb response of Council staff to her requests to help people snowed into their homes.

She was the first of several councillors to propose that boxes of salt supplies be installed in housing estates across the county for spreading on their roads and footpaths during future bad weather.

“If there was a salt box in each housing estate it would have solved a lot of problems,” she said.

Clonmel FF Cllr Siobhán Ambrose pointed out that grit and salt bunkers were used in counties like Donegal and Laois and asked the Council to look into getting community councils in rural areas to look after such bunkers.

She sought clarity on whether there were insurance implications for members of the public in relation to spreading grit and salt on footpaths/roads in their vicinity.

In the town centres, she highlighted that people found it difficult to park due to compacted snow and ice on roads and car park.

Fellow Clonmel Cllr John Fitzgerald urged the Council to do more to grit footpaths in towns as a lot of people raised concerns with him about the safety of footpaths in Clonmel last week.

Community centred action plans sought

Independent Lattin Cllr John O’Heney said the Council needed community centred action plans in each rural parish to respond to future severe weather crises. Under these plans the Council would be able to call on people local farmers and contractors and community volunteers to support Council staff with their work.

Councillor seeks more resources for minor rural roads

Newcastle Independent Cllr Máirín McGrath acknowledged the Council stretched its resources as much as it could and thanked its emergency response team and staff for their effort.

But she said the Council’s response didn’t get far enough into rural areas, specifically local roads. People living on these roads weren’t able to get onto the priority salted roads that were wider and safer and she urged the Council to review its salting policy for such roads.

“The local roads need more attention because they are so rural and isolated.

“We would be totally lost without the farmers and contractors who came out.

“Some people did feel let down because they didn’t see council staff. I saw how hard they were working but it was just difficult for those in rural areas. They deserve equal service but don’t get it,” she added.

Council management response

The Council’s Director of Roads Liam Brett said this was the most impactful weather event in the county in seven years and caused the Council significant difficulties throughout the week though the response was hugely successful.

“We managed to keep the arterial roads open during the event, which is international best practice. If we don’t keep them open food can’t get to shops and people can’t get to hospital. That is our priority.”

Mr Brett said councillors’ requests for additional resources and measures to deal with future weather emergencies will be forwarded to the Council’s Roads & Transport Strategic Policy Committee for consideration.

He noted there were budget implications for introducing extra measures and pointed out the Council’s €1m budget for its winter maintenance programme was spent in the past week.

He assured councillors the authority will seek extra funding from central government to repair roads across the county damaged by the snow and ice.

Council CEO Sinead Carr said the Council “maxed out” its resources in dealing with the severe weather last week Its winter response programme had work though she acknowledged there were improvements that could be made for future emergencies.

She confirmed the Council paid extra contractors who satisfied its health & safety criteria to assist its outdoor staff in the emergency.

She was happy to give councillors a list of these contractors.

Ms Carr stressed the importance of building resilience within rural communities to handle such bad weather events when they happened.

“No matter how good a service is, it’s not going to get to every person or ever estate,” she pointed out.