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Salt bins purchased to assist our residents in Winter

We have recently purchased two new salt bins, and these are now located at Boyntons and Hillmeads in Nettlesworth, and we will be adding KPPC signs to these shortly.

When a resident requests a salt bin in their street or area, we pass this request on to Durham County Council (DCC) so they can carry out an assessment. This assessment includes a scoring system that looks at the gradient of the road, any bends, traffic and pedestrian volumes, proximity of amenities and closeness to treated routes and/or other salt bins.

For DCC to place a salt bin, the score must reach a high threshold because the County Council has high costs for salt countywide and the budget for new bins is limited. In 2019, Wheatleywell Lane, Plawsworth did meet the criteria for DCC to install a salt bin, following a request from the Parish Council, largely due to the gradient and curve of the hill. However, in 2020, two requests for the salt bins at Boyntons and Hillmeads have both been declined by DCC, due to not meeting their criteria. When a request is rejected, the Parish Council can then make a second request for an assessment against lower criteria, and (if this is met) we can purchase a bin and refill from DCC (although they still set the exact point of placement). It is possible for a salt bin to still be assessed as 'not required' (even if a Parish Council wants to purchase one) but both area assessments passed the lower criteria, and the Parish Council unanimously agreed the purchase from this year's budget, for both bins.

The bin at Boyntons will assist with cars getting stuck, and sliding on the brow during wintery conditions, and the bin at Hillmeads will not only assist with cars travelling on the long steady bend, but it is also placed at the steps through to The Crescent so will make the path safer for pedestrians too.

We ask our residents to ensure these salt bins are used appropriately and let us know of any concerns, to make sure the bins offer the best value for money for the parish. The Parish Council have also agreed to set aside a small budget in 2021-22 to allow for consideration of further requests to place salt bins in the parish area next year.


The below map shows all DCC bins sited in the parish area prior to 2019 (green markers) and the three red marks show the additional bins now at Wheatleywell Lane, Plawsworth, and Boyntons and Hillmeads, Nettlesworth.




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