Kirklees 'winter warden' snow-clearing volunteers sought

Equipment, including grit and a shovel, would be provided to volunteers, the council said

More than 100 volunteers to help clear snow and ice in residential areas this winter are being sought by a West Yorkshire council.

A trial of the scheme began last year in nine Kirklees wards, with volunteers clearing snow-hit residential areas that would otherwise go ungritted.

Kirklees Council said participants would be able to choose how much time they gave to the scheme.

Equipment, including grit and a shovel, would be provided, it added.

Applications for this year's scheme open this month, with the authority looking to attract more volunteers than last year.

The council had set a target of 46 in 2022, but only 27 people applied, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

However, those who did take part in the scheme were said by the authority to have given "really positive" feedback.

At a meeting of the council's Environment and Climate Change Scrutiny Panel on Wednesday, Conservative councillor John Naylor said a consistent approach was needed to promote the scheme.

"I was a great supporter of this and I'm kind of disappointed really that we only got two in Kirkburton in the first year because I did my best to promote it, and I will do again this year."

Meanwhile, Garry Kitchin, a member of the scrutiny committee, said a number of people were already "inadvertently taking part in the scheme" as part of his neighbourhood's efforts to clear streets in times of snow.

Other councillors asked about the cost implications of the scheme, but no information was available, the meeting was told.

This would be looked at in a final review at the end of the trial, along with plans to extend the scheme being explored, the council said.