We asked members of our Residents' Panel about their experiences during the spells of bad weather in December 2009 and January 2010.
We wanted to find out about the actions they took to help others and what, if anything, they would do differently in the future.
Who took part
Only Residents' Panel members could take part in this survey. Find out more about the panel, and how to join:
Panel members completed this survey either by post or online.
The consultation took place from 24 February to 26 March 2010. We received just over 1,250 responses, a good response rate of 67%.
What you told us
The findings from this latest survey have shown that:
- three quarters (75%) of respondents had helped others during the spells of bad weather – two fifths (43%) had offered to go shopping for a neighbour and just over a third (37%) had checked on elderly or vulnerable neighbours
- half (50%) had made journeys by car, but just over a quarter (28%) were unable to because of the road and weather conditions
- most of those who had made a journey by car had adjusted their driving because of the weather (92%), used main routes where possible (86%) and cleared their windows, mirrors and lights before they set off
- most respondents (84%) had prepared for the bad weather, this included stocking up on essential supplies of food and drink (59%), preparing for power cuts (43%) and getting their vehicle ready for winter (41%)
- of those who told us what they would do differently next time, nearly two fifths of them (39%) wouldn't do anything differently, nearly a fifth would organise supplies of salt or grit and a small number (6%) would complain more or expect the Council to do more
- nearly all respondents had accessed at least one source of County Council information.
There were a number of common themes in the results.
- There is a sense of community spirit among our respondents, although the age and health of some stopped them helping others. As you would expect, the amount of help needed increased with age.
- Fear of being ‘sued' stopped some people from clearing snow or ice or helping others to do this.
- The bad weather had an impact on everyone, but some were more affected than others.
- We already knew that less than half of respondents were satisfied with the way in which we grit roads and clear snow. These findings show that this view remains unchanged.
- Some respondents did not take precautions such as clearing their car of snow before driving off, adjusting their driving because of the road conditions or putting tools such as a screen scraper or spade in their car.
- Some people are willing to do more to help themselves, such as preparing their cars for winter, stocking up on essential supplies, ensuring they have adequate insulation and heating supplies.
- The information the County Council provides about the routes it salts is not as effective as it could be.
A number of recommendations were made as a result of these findings. We should:
- provide targeted information about how to prepare yourself and your home for the winter
- provide more road safety advice about changing driving styles to suit the winter road conditions and preparing your car for winter
- provide clearer information about litigation and what you can or can't be sued for
- review how, why and where salt and grit bins are provided and how communities can help with salting in the future
- provide clearer information in a variety of ways to explain our Winter Maintenance Policy
- continue to provide information on our website that is helpful to local residents and businesses during the next spell of bad weather
- ensure that staff in the Highways Contact Centre have access to the improved information that the Council's Communication Team and the Transport and Environment department will be working on
- work with the local media to see if there are ways to present a more timely, informative and localised picture of the actions that the County Council takes (bearing in mind the fast changing nature of road conditions and public transport services)
- review the ‘what could be done differently' ideas and how they can inform future Winter Maintenance Policies and information that is required to support the other recommendations that have been made in this report.
You can read the full results by downloading the report below.
What happened as a result of this consultation
The conclusions and recommendations were fed back to directors and senior managers of the relevant departments as well as the Transport and Environment Scrutiny Committee.
The scrutiny committee used this feedback as evidence for their Winter Maintenance review. Their report and recommendations was presented to the Cabinet and Full Council meeting in October 2010.
Actions taken
Our winter maintenance policy outlines the actions we took during the following winter of 2010/11. These actions included:
- better working with partners and more community self help
- active encouragement for householders and businesses to clear snow off public pavements outside their properties
- advertising the ‘farmers' snow plough scheme' and encourage wider participation
- contacting local councils to offer salt and grit bins
- improving planning, communication, advice and information.
To read our winter maintenance policy summary and for more information about winter maintenance, please see:
Enquiries
If you have any queries about this survey, please contact our Consultation and Engagement Manager.
| Acrobat (PDF) |
- Residents' Panel bad weather survey results (256k)
- Findings and recommendations from our survey of residents asking them about their experiences during the bad weather in December 2009 and January 2010 (63 pages).
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East Sussex County Council