The deplorable response of our Down Council and the Road Service to the fortnight’s snow in December 2010 was only one piece of a general failure of top civil servants and Ministers to create a “Weather Emergency Plan”. It is clear that at regional level NI senior civil servants and Ministers do not meet to coordinate a cross-agency response to bad weather.
Highly paid public sector managers in NI failed to deliver a coordinated effort in the face of severe disruption from the snow. Some lower level public servants did make an effort. For instance our local Roads service depot went out of their way to clear the route for a funeral, and our street sweepers showed great flexibility in their work while management dithered and fought with the Roads Service over potential liability – Cllr Cadogan Enright
Read more on our calls for a Severe Weather Emergency Plan – CLICK HERE
Follow our campaign efforts during the severe snow and our efforts to get this plan implemented by following our campaign updates below.
LATEST CAMPAIGN NEWS
December 20th 2010
Cllr Enright Protests at Inadequate Equipment to Deal with Snow
At the December Council meeting Cllr Enright protested at the inadequate tools being given out to staff to deal with the ice and snow. Cadogan Handed out a leaflet to all councillors and management of ‘pedestrian gritters” costing between £250 and £750 that would enable street sweepers to grit large expanses of pavement in a short amount of time.
Cadogan slammed council management for issuing the road sweeper on Market Street in Downpatrick with a four by eight inch shovel to grit the town centre.
“Staff are working hard, but are being hampered by poor management of this issue,” said Cllr Cadogan Enright
Click on the following link to see the leaflet – Pedestrian Gritters Leaflet
December 17th 2010
CADOGAN CALL FOR WEATHER EMERGENCY PLAN
The deplorable response of our Down Council and the Road Service to the fortnight’s snow was only one piece of a general failure of top civil servants and Ministers to create a “Weather Emergency Plan”. It is clear that at regional level NI senior civil servants and Ministers do not meet to coordinate a cross-agency response to bad weather.
December 12th 2010
Enright highlights ice and grit problems in Newcastle
Cllr Cadogan Enright and Newcastle Environmentalist John Hardy has been highlighting the same problems of snow and ice in Newcastle and the lack of co-ordination that is resulting in unnecessary falls and injuries to the public.
We are continuing to demand that our local authority brings forward a “Cold Weather Plan” and that in future all responsible authorities coordinate at regional and local government level in advance of, and during severe weather.
December 7th 2010
Glimmer of light emerges from shambolic response to snowCadogan Enright has welcomed news that Council has responded to pressure from their Cllr Cadogan Enright by arranging for street sweepers to clear snow from the main areas of Downpatrick, Newcastle and Ballynahinch. But Enright has slammed the Roads Service, the Council and other agencies for failing to meet and create a coordinated response to the severe weather.