Fife Labour leader Alex Rowley has praised all the efforts and hard work of all the workers that are working round the clock to help keep our roads open and make our streets more safe from the extreme winter conditions.
Mr Rowley has however questioned the capacity of councils and other authorities to cope and respond effectively to such extreme winter weather which he points out is becoming more commonplace. He said; “There is no doubt the weather has been severe and the council and other bodies have done a tremendous job to try and cope. It is the case however that most main roads have been hazardous for days while most side roads have been impassable and many people have therefore been marooned”.
“Given that this kind of weather is becoming more frequent it seems to me that we need to look at increasing the capacity to grit more and have more machinery that is able to respond quicker. This will cost more money but this is the reality of what is needed if we are to be in a position to respond more effectively”.
The Lochs councillor said he had been contacted by many people who were unable to get to work and would not be getting paid as well as those who were being put under pressure because some workers had got through. He said; “Fife Council put out a release on Wednesday saying that roads were clear to drive on so I went out on an errand for an elderly friend and discovered most roads were treacherous, even the motorway was a nightmare to drive on and parking the car was virtually impossible. So in truth, the roads were not safe for people to go out on and most people could not get out their streets anyway. This is the reality and if we are to deal with this kind of weather we will need to put in more resources”.
“Fife Council were absolutely correct to keep the schools closed this week, it was simply not safe for kids or teachers to get through”.
“We must appreciate the massive pressures from modern life and realise that people not getting to work for days on end will have such a negative impact on them and their families well being. So while I am totally supportive and grateful to all those out there working to improve the situation, I am equally determined that we examine how effective we have been and what we need to do to be able to cope better”.
