STONEHAVEN and District Community Council, SDCC, are urging residents to check whether they may be about to lose a grit bin from their street and to consider if they are happy or unhappy with the planned provision.
Last October Aberdeenshire Council agreed a new Roads Winter Maintenance Policy including new criteria for the provision of grit bins – the slope of the street and the proximity of other bins being considered.
And the removal of grit bins not meeting these criteria was just one in a series of savings announced in this year’s budget. This measure is expected to save Aberdeenshire Council some £380,000.
There are 2152 grit bins in the Shire, of which 327 are found in the Kincardine and Mearns area, though more than half are now scheduled for removal. An interactive map shows the status of each bin: green to stay, red to go – with an explanation box also appearing.
At Tuesday evening’s SDCC meeting, David Lawman posed the question: ”Are you happy or unhappy you are losing your grit bin?”
And he asked if there was scope for asking for bins to be left in place.
Cllr Sarah Dickinson said requests to retain grit bins could be made using the report a problem Fix Aberdeenshire service
And Mrs Dickinson noted the snow warden scheme about which there is information on the Council website. This scheme encourages and supports residents who wish to carry out snow clearing and gritting on footways. Snow warden groups are provided with training, guidance, equipment, protective equipment and grit. .
Mrs Dickinson has also provided a copy of a FAQ sheet giving full information about the removal of grit bins – which you can download using the link below.