Snow wardens rejected on cost grounds by Rhondda Cynon Taf council

Training and equipping volunteers would add to the cost of dealing with snow, councillors were told

The idea of recruiting voluntary snow wardens in the south Wales valleys has been rejected amid cost concerns.

Plaid Cymru councillors in Rhondda Cynon Taf put forward the idea as a way of helping tackle winter weather conditions.

A working group said the idea was good but the cost of equipping and training volunteers would be a burden.

Instead, the council's Labour leaders agreed to launch a targeted campaign to encourage self-help in snow-hit areas.

They also agreed to use the members' hotline to keep councillors updated during periods of severe weather conditions and to share good practice with residents, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillors had raised the idea of snow wardens at a full council meeting in September, in case of any repeat of the chaos brought earlier this year by the so-called "Beast from the East".

The Old Town Hall in Pentre, Rhondda, was surrounded by snow in March

Councillor Steven Bradwick, who was on the working group set up to look into the idea, reported back to cabinet on Thursday, saying: "The main concern was the cost implications.

"If we had 1,000 people, we would need 1,000 shovels and two bags of grit each," he said.

He said the costs could be "phenomenal" and pointed out that the the council had recently bought new 4x4 vehicles to deal with snow in smaller streets.

• In pictures: March snowfalls across Wales

Council leader Andrew Morgan said one of his concerns was how to alert volunteers out clearing snow to red weather warnings which advise people to stay indoors.

He said the snow warden idea was "well intended", but encouraging self-help was "the right way forward".

Deputy leader Maureen Webber added: "I would be worried about individuals taking on a level of responsibility that may well put them at risk."