MPs pledge to ask questions (From Bucks Free Press)

MPs pledge to ask questions about Buckinghamshire snow chaos

11:38am Tuesday 22nd December 2009 in News By Simon Farr

WYCOMBE MP Paul Goodman said gritting bosses “cannot do everything” – but has written to council chiefs to ask if they did their best.

And a fellow Conservative MP says Buckinghamshire County Council’s efforts should be reviewed.

Mr Goodman said: “I have had a steady trickle of complaints, what some people clearly feel is that the hilly areas and residential streets in some cases have not been sufficiently gritted and it is inevitable they would question why they pay their council tax for services.

“My view is the council cannot do everything and never has been committed to gritting every single road and driveway.

“However, I do want to be satisfied that everything has been done and for that reason, I have taken the matter up with Buckinghamshire County Council and did so before the snow started.”

The council gets the lion’s share of the council tax bill, £1,056.61 from a band D property. It wants an extra £21.13 next year.

Dominic Grieve, Beaconsfield MP, said the weather conditions stopped him from getting to two constituency functions last night.

He said: “This is the problem of living in a country which doesn’t get very much snow. As a result people are not prepared and the infrastructure is not prepared.

“The fact is we don’ t get this very often and that’ s the reason.

“I’m sure there were people inconvenienced and if the cold weather continues there needs to be more thought given.

“I’m reluctant to express criticism, I think there needs to be a review of the highways department to see what they did but that’s not to say I’m critical of them.”” But Beaconsfield Mayor Ken Brown said: “It's been absolutely appalling here.

“Even when we had the first drop of snow there were major problems everywhere - people are extremely angry about this.

He said: “The gritters should have been out before the snow fell but to my knowledge they weren't.” The council has said all major and some minor roads were gritted.

And he said: “We have received several reports that 4x4s were charging £5 to tow cars up Holtspur Top Lane.”

Trader Andrey DeMarsac reported the A355 road to Amersham was blocked with traffic until the early hours of Tuesday morning.

He said: “I had to pick my son up from Amersham but the road was impossible.

“At Gore Hill there were around 50 abandoned cars which made it even more difficult. There was traffic backed up both ways and I turned around and got through the Gerrards Cross way.

“The first couple of days of snow there seemed to be very little action from the council and there's been nothing done at all done to any of the pavements in the town centre.”