Local authority to spend £750,000 on five new gritters

Nicholas Thomas, local democracy reporter

Negotiations to lease road gritters have hit an impasse, forcing a council to instead buy five vehicles for nearly £750,000.

Caerphilly County Borough Council Cabinet members agreed on Wednesday July 24 to use reserve funds to shore up its winter maintenance fleet.

The council hires five gritters from a private company, but a report shows that the provider “will not enter into negotiations to extend any lease arrangements as would have previously been undertaken”.

Cllr Nigel George, the cabinet member for highways, told colleagues the “refusal of the current lease provider to extend the terms of our lease requires us to take prompt action”.

‘At risk’

Failing to act now could leave the council’s gritting operation “at risk for 2026”, when the lease is due to expire, he added.

The cabinet agreed to back the “outright purchase” of five gritters at a price of £149,650 each, totalling £748,250, excluding maintenance costs.

Cllr George told the meeting this was “by far the cheapest long-term option”.

Steve Harris, the council’s head of financial services, agreed, telling the meeting a purchase was “the low-cost option” that will have “financial benefits for the council”.

Alternative proposals included new five-year leases for the gritters, costing £1.29 million, and five-year “seasonal hire”, at £609,700.

But the preferred option should give the council seven to ten years of service for each gritter it buys, and selling the used vehicles after that period could also generate income.

The five new gritters will form part of a new 12-strong fleet, down from 13. Three of the other vehicles are also leased, but those deals are not set to expire until 2029.

Caerphilly Council already owns the rest of the gritters in its fleet.