It’s perhaps not surprising that, when on Tuesday a Labour Councillor took the decision, not to fill many of York’s salt bins this winter; he remained safely “behind closed doors”.

When the Council’s new culture of secrecy was introduced in the spring, residents were told that matters of public interest would continue to be debated in public.

There is nothing of more interest to people than being able to get around safely in icy conditions, especially if we have a poor winter.

But no agenda was published for Tuesdays meeting and the officer report has only just being made public 2 days after the decision was taken (http://tinyurl.com/York-salt-bin-policy-2012)

The report reveals that Labour plan only to fill the 199 bins provided through the “highways budget” this winter. The remaining 170 were filled using funding provided by Ward Committees (following the annual ballot of resident’s priorities).

Residents, of course, make no distinction on the Councils internal budget arrangements. It is all taxpayer’s money either way.

Bizarrely, in one ward, Labour allocated the money, that could have been used to fill the bins, to a project to “purchase new pantomime costumes”.

Many of the salt bins – that are now being left out all year – are already in poor condition. Some have been vandalised, while the salt in some has congealed making them unusable.

Yet the new policy would see these bins retained (empty) on our streets -monuments to a more sensible policy

Time to think again on this one.