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Motoring news

Government 'Salt Cell' to direct grit supplies

08/01/2010

The prime minister has affirmed that the country has enough grit for the road network, as the Government takes over central management of salt supplies.

Speaking in Parliament, Gordon Brown said that lessons learned from last February's freezing conditions meant that salt stocks had been "built up". He added that there would also be a greater co-ordination in the distribution system to ensure that areas suffering the worst of the weather would have their needs met.

Representatives from the Department for Transport, the Local Government Association, the Highways Agency and the Cabinet Office have come together in a so-called 'Salt Cell', which will direct the salt-supplying companies to the areas most in need - regardless of existing contracts they may have with local authorities.

However, according to LocalGov.co.uk, the measure - which was activated as some councils were reported to be on the brink of running out of grit - has come under fire from a senior Government source, who questioned what pull the Salt Cell could have over private firms.

Concern over the level of salt stocks around the country was raised by the AA in mid-December. The motoring organisation criticised what it called councils' reliance on a 'last-minute delivery policy' - something which has become an issue in nationwide freezing weather, set to continue for some days yet.

Meanwhile, the UK Roads Board, which published recommendations for the Government in August, said that many local authorities had worked hard to implement these, but had not had enough time to source all the salt they needed.

Chairman Matthew Lugg told BBC Radio Four's Today programme that deciding a "reasonable" level to budget for salt supplies is set to be an ongoing problem for councils, which until last year had enjoyed a series of mild winters.

"The question is: 'what sort of severity of winter do we need to plan for?'", he added.

"I think we've got to reflect now in the light of what's happened this year and think about what's appropriate and what's going to be appropriate for the country in terms of the level of investment to make in relation to the level of disruption that may be caused by not having enough salt."