Show Some Grit: Brighton Councillors Raise Cold Weather Motion

Friday, 24 January 2025 11:00

By Sarah Booker-Lewis LDR

More grit is needed in Brighton and Hove to cope when the weather turns cold, say councillors pushing for action on behalf of people living on the edges of Brighton and Hove.

In a motion due to go before the full council next Thursday (31 January), Green councillor Raphael Hill and Brighton and Hove Independent Mark Earthey call for a report to the cabinet to find more sites for grit bins and grit drops.

Grit bins across Brighton and Hove were reported to have been filled with litter when residents went to use them in the recent cold snap.

During the snow on Wednesday 8 January there were several complaints about a lack of gritting on the roads.

But Brighton and Hove City Council said that any grit would have been washed away by the rain before the snow came.

Councillors Hill and Earthey said that the council needed to do better.

They said that there was a need to change the phasing of traffic lights at key junctions to deal with changing traffic patterns during snow.

The motion said:

“Recent heavy snowfall this January led to outlying parts of the city becoming disconnected from outside due to issues with putting grit on roads.

“The current gritting priority list does not take account of gradient which is only a factor in considering where to put grit bins.”

When it comes to gritting the roads, priority is given to main roads and bus routes.

The pair also want councillors to note the difficulty experienced by people walking on ungritted pavements and the effect of the changing climate, resulting in more extreme weather events.

Their motion asks officers to seek resident feedback about how the council dealt with the heavy snowfall through a consultation.

Councillors are also asked to thank people in the community who came out to help others during the snow, particularly farmers who rescued cars in Woodingdean.

The meeting of the full council is due to start at 4.30pm next Thursday (30 January) at Hove Town Hall. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.