Hertfordshire County Council considers gritting cuts during cold snap

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Hertfordshire County Council chiefs are looking at plans that could cut the number of roads being gritted during a cold snap – by concentrating only on areas of the county where temperatures are coldest.

Currently gritting goes ahead across the entire county whenever forecasts suggest that temperatures will drop below 0.5C at any single location.

But according to proposals outlined in the county council’s 2025/26 draft budget, officers are now looking at ‘domain-based gritting’.

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As a result of the proposed new approach gritting decisions could be made for smaller areas – based on localised forecasts. And officers suggest that could save the county council an estimated £300k a year.

The council is exploring ways to save money on its gritting serviceThe council is exploring ways to save money on its gritting service
The council is exploring ways to save money on its gritting service

According to proposals contained within the draft budget document, the county would be split into geographical areas based on local weather.

Only those ‘domains’ where temperatures were forecast to drop to the gritted threshold of 0.5C would be gritted – rather than the current approach of gritting across the county if any area is forecast to reach that threshold. And it is suggested that this could result in “a more efficient gritting approach”.

Nevertheless the document stresses that although the domain-based gritting option is being explored, it has not been finalised.

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And following the publication of the draft budget proposals, Hertfordshire County Council spokesperson also stressed that no decision had yet been made.

They said: “We aim to keep our county’s roads open and safe whatever the weather, and as part of that we’re looking at ways to make our highways gritting more efficient.

“At the moment we have a policy of treating our entire gritting network each time we meet the threshold for treatment.

“Our decisions are currently based on data from weather stations across the county, combined with a bespoke Hertfordshire forecast.

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“However, temperatures can vary across the county and we’re aware that many other local authorities will only send gritters out in part of their area if there are different temperatures in different areas.

“We will be looking in detail at whether a similar approach could work in Hertfordshire. While it has the potential to make our gritting operations more cost-effective and environmentally friendly, the safety of road users will remain our primary concern. There are a lot of factors to consider and we haven’t made any decisions yet.”

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