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Standing up for the Scottish Borders

The Borders Party calls for ‘Snow Review’

Lessons must be learnt from the harsh winter conditions, according to the Borders Party.

In a statement on Monday, Nicholas Watson, the Borders Party leader, called on the Council to conduct a review into its handling of the recent snowfall and its effect on the area.

“The bad weather caused major disruption to local business and public services, and overall the cost to the economy was significant”, said Watson. “In many ways people rallied splendidly and the Council adapted to circumstances too. That was great to see. But in other respects it is clear that Scottish Borders Council has important lessons to learn.”

“There was a clear upside to the way the Council adapted its ways of working. The Borders Party would like to see much more co-operation between the Council and Berwickshire businesses, farmers and other organisations like the Borders Machinery Ring. If we get our relationship with contractors right, we should be using them much more. That could reduce costs and boost the local economy. So we learnt things which can now be applied to the council’s operations elsewhere”

The Borders Party called for the ‘Snow Review’ to look at five areas in particular:

  • The cost of emergency operations. The Council worked well with independent organisations and individuals to clear snow and make the roads and pavement usable. The Council should examine its contractual arrangements in this respect. Did the local taxpayer get best value for money? Did contractors have the right incentives to keep costs down and prioritise the most important work?
  • What SBC can learn from working with private contractors. If Berwickshire farmers, construction companies and others can help at a time of crisis, why not work with them year round? The Council should look at ways of harnessing local skills, labour and plant, much of which is seasonally deployed and so free at other times of year. This has the potential to boost the local economy at a time of great difficultly, and also to reduce the burden on local taxpayers.
  • The emergency work was funded out of the Council’s financial reserves. Is this an efficient use of funds when the winter weather is intrinsically unpredictable? This year, SBC has overspent its roads maintenance reserve, while during mild winters there will be surplus cash. Are there insurance mechanisms available that would allow SBC to reduce the level of reserves required while ensuring higher resources at times of need?
  • School closures imposed a cost on small businesses throughout Berwicksire that either had to stop work or hire in child care. SBC should investigate the cost of this on the local economy and explore ways of offering a childcare service involving those teachers and children that can reach school, even if it falls short of full schooling. Alternatively, days off from bad weather might be exchanged for other free days in the school year so that schoolchildren and parents do not miss out overall.
  • Should SBC invest in extra salt storage capacity?

    • The Borders Party Councillor, Sandy Aitchison commented “I’ve no doubts about the dedication of our teachers, and it was clear after the worst snowfall that many of them could not reach work. Having said that, many private businesses, including nurseries, managed to open and provide at lest a partial service. We should look at ways of offering some kind of school activity even when the weather disrupts transport. We owe it to parents who rely on the schools to let them get to work.”

    Editor’s Note:
    A recent statement by John Wright, National Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Small businesses have been particularly hard hit during the recent bad weather, with staff unable to make it to work because of school closures and snow-bound roads. We need to be better prepared with more salt stocks for roads and better guidance for head teachers on when to close schools, to prevent staff from missing days of work and bringing the country – and the economy – to a standstill.”

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