2025/2026 winter service plan approved for Badenoch and Strathspey
Members of the Badenoch and Strathspey Committee have this week approved the area’s Winter Service Plan which will help manage the condition of roads and footpaths during extreme cold weather.
Highland Council’s Winter Service Policy sets out a hierarchy of priorities, with primary routes treated first followed by secondary routes and then all other routes being treated as resources permit. Badenoch and Strathspey has 99km of primary routes, 76km of secondary routes and 215km classed as ‘other’ routes which are covered by five gritters and four footpath tractors. Each vehicle treats, on average, around 50km of primary and secondary routes followed by 50km of ‘other’ routes.
Chair of the committee, Councillor Russell Jones, said: “Although we are still enjoying the summer weather, it’s important that winter preparation begins now to ensure we are ready for inevitable cold snaps over the coming months. We do have a large roads network which requires our resources to be deployed strategically and means focusing on treating primary roads and pavements first, followed by secondary routes, to ensure the safety of as many drivers and pedestrians as possible.”
Daily forecasts are used to plan treatment for the evening and the following morning, and real-time data is obtained from weather stations across the Highland Council region. These sensors provide information on the road surface temperature, road condition and the presence of salt.
The average annual usage of salt for the Badenoch and Strathspey area is approx. 2500 tonnes and residents are encouraged to make use of grit/salt bins which are placed in areas that may not receive a regular road or footway gritting service.
Cllr Jones continued: “Our Winter Service Plan is in place to ensure a consistent level of service between areas, however, it’s important to note that the plan cannot ensure that every road and footpath will always be free of ice or snow. We encourage communities to self-help as much as possible to better bolster our preparedness and ask residents to please consider helping neighbours who may need some extra assistance in clearing snow and ice outside of their home.”
The Council will continue to provide communities with salt/grit, bins, scrapers and reflective waistcoats but this does not replace the service provided by the Council and aims to empower communities to enhance the winter service. Applications for the Winter Resilience scheme can be made on the Council’s website. There is also ongoing co-ordination between Council services and the NHS to close any local gaps in the winter service plan to ensure that action can be coordinated for schools, care homes and housing estates throughout the region.
Information about priority routes, winter maintenance and the Winter Resilience Scheme for communities can be found on the Council’s website.