I’ve received dozens of emails, letters and phone calls from frustrated constituents who were unable to leave their homes during the winter of 2009/2010. They feared falling on the ice, not being able to get cars off their driveways and were left stranded because the buses stopped running due to the dangerous road conditions. This is absolutely unacceptable in the 21st Century. We need a national debate about how Councils make their roads safe in severe weather conditions. I've called on the Councils to review their policies on gritting in early 2009 and a year later it's clear they still haven't learned.

We need to assess how their performance is measured because Council tax payers are far from satisfied. I am seeking to have a Parliamentary debate to voice my constituents’ concerns that roads should be gritted - including ALL bus routes - and that there are substantial stockpiles of grit in every local authority. We need to secure some real measures to ensure this doesn't happen every time we have bad weather.