Sunday 5 February 2012
Published: 17/03/2010 09:07 - Updated: 18/03/2010 16:02

Essex County Council to host UK's first snow summit

By Web Reporter
ESSEX County Council will next week host the UK’s first snow summit.
 
Snow causes traffic chaosGritters will be out in force at Stansted Airport on Wednesday as delegates from across the country gather to assess the performance of local authorities during one of the harshest winters in recent years and discuss new and innovative ways.
 
The snow summit, which has a string of top speakers from industry, Government, service users and the Swiss highways division, will provide a forum for discussion and debate which will feed into new policy decisions.
 

Delegates will have the chance to question the Government’s policy of centralising salt supplies and rationing it to local authorities.

Schools, road users and businesses will alsol get the chance to argue their case, and the Automobile Association will challenge delegates with the results of a recent survey ot its members who used the roads this winter.
 
Councillor Norman Hume, Essex County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transportation, said, “This winter has been a challenge for us all and one that we have worked hard to meet.
 
“The snow summit provides the whole country with an opportunity to look at what practices have worked during the recent adverse weather and analyse what could have been improved upon, as well as encouraging us all to look towards future preparations.
 
“We’re trying to enable the development of future UK winter services based on best practice gleaned from operations across the UK and the rest of Europe. This will provide a better foundation to shape the way in which both local and national government can work together with their partners to keep the country moving.”
 

David Sparks, of the Local Government Association, said: “Councils have a crucial role to play when it comes to winter weather and keeping the country moving. The LGA will be conducting a review to learn lessons from this winter, looking at what was done well and what can be done better.”

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