Following yesterday’s (06/01/10) heavy snow falls and the current icy conditions I am writing to give you some headlines;

Current Situation:

1. Services for vulnerable and elderly at home, such as Meals on Wheels, Residential Care and homelessness are running, albeit with some delays in places. Community wardens have been out in 4 x 4 s to deliver meals in some places

2. Windsor and Maidenhead Leisure centre’s are open (and being used), but will close early with events on the evenings being rearranged.

3. Gritters were out overnight and continue to clear snow, etc. 3 roads could not be gritted by the large lorries because of parked cars and they were followed up by smaller lorries this morning, so have now been done.

4. Town centre footpaths and Car parks have been gritted

5. Additional gritting is taking place in areas reported by residents or members on a priority basis.

6. Offer to parish councils to deliver sand to them for local hotspot gritting has been repeated

7. Salt levels at present are adequate and being built up ready for the coming few days of cold weather 

8. Traffic levels (pedestrian and vehicle) are higher than yesterday but still not back to normal levels

9. Waste collection today has been cancelled and will be replaced by a double run same time next week. We are putting in place contingency arrangements for next week. We are making collections from the council’s ‘bring sites’, where they are accessible.

10. All schools remain closed, but are being asked to consider ways to make up the time / send out homework on line, etc.

11. Social care teams able to respond to emergency safeguarding situations

12. CSC has been open but receiving relatively few calls. Website traffic is 60% up on last year with school closure and winter services pages being well viewed and commented on via GovMetric.

13. Building Control, stand ready to deal with dangerous structures, although none reported

14. Thames Water report a 50% increase in burst water mains. No other issues with utilities reported.

Risks being managed

1. Salt stocks are now government controlled from the Salt Union depot in Warrington. We are supplementing our stocks with supplies from other sources and appear in better shape than most other councils in Berkshire.

2. We are continuing to provide as much information to residents as we can via the radio, web and Twitter (which enables residents to receive free text alerts on issues such as gritting, weather conditions and waste collection times.)

3. We are actively planning for weekend cover

Overall, we have received excellent support from our contractors and council staff are working hard to minimse the impact on residents. My key objective remains to keep people safe, and restore services as soon as possible. 

If you have particular problems in your Ward, please me know.

Thank you

Ian Trenholm

Chief Executive

Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

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