JEREMY MEETS WITH SURREY CHIEF EXECUTIVE TO DISCUSS RECENT HEAVY SNOW FALL

January 2010: Jeremy meets with Rowledge residents to discuss snow chaos in the village and accept their petition

On Friday Jeremy Hunt met with David McNulty, Chief Executive of Surrey County Council to discuss the way the Council had dealt with the recent heavy snow that caused problems in South West Surrey. Also in attendance at the meeting were Cllr Pat Frost and Cllr Steve Renshaw who gave their input on what had happened.  Jeremy was inundated with correspondence from constituents who had experienced difficulties during the snow.  At the meeting they discussed how the Council officers could engage more effectively with local Councillors, the possibility of a local leader in each area who could take responsibility in times of extreme events.  David McNulty liked the idea of an emergency coordinator and agreed that communication links needed to improve. Cllr Renshaw and Cllr Frost explained that frequent meetings were taking place to discuss improvements for the future and Jeremy explained that more needed to be done to improve communications.
 
Speaking afterwards Jeremy said: “We had a useful meeting. Everyone appreciates that it was an exceptional situation for Surrey County Council to deal with, but I want to make sure we are better prepared next time. In particular we need to make sure there is clearer local leadership and better information available about how the local community can help deal with the situation. I also want to make sure grits bins are replenished and no one gets cut off. It is clear that council employees worked incredibly hard with limited resources, and I am confident David McNulty will take whatever action is necessary to prepare for future emergencies."

David McNulty said: “This was the worst winter weather in 30 years and inevitably tested our services.  Overall I think our staff did a remarkable job, with many battling in to make sure services continued to run. This wasn’t just a county council effort. The support we got from other groups and organisations, such as the Army and local farmers, was fantastic.  I know there is always room for improvement and was very happy to meet with Jeremy to discuss how we could do an even better job in the future.”

Comments On This Article

We did, eventually, see the Gritters, but not before many days had passed and I had had to dig 10 inches of snow into giant heaps. (It was enjoyable, but my hands hurt.) The Spade-Carriers that eventually arrived from Waverley, dug out the pavements and only one of two paths on each property, spreading a little grit along the way. Grit was like gold dust. Local shops ran out of ordinary cooking salt and supermarkets couldn't be reached by any means, in our new, slippery Ice World. Please could Waverley ensure that at the start of any AUTUMN, each street has a big, yellow grit bin and those bins are kept FULL at all times? Someone in each street is usually willing to spread the grit, if necessary, until the official Grit-Diggers arrive.

wordwatch  |  28 February 2010