Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, has ordered a full borough-wide review of the authority’s winter maintenance programme after public concern about icy conditions in early January 2026. The review will consider grit-bin locations, primary and secondary gritting routes, and refilling protocols, with particular attention to residential areas such as Kingswinford where Cllr Harley represents the ward.
The move follows Storm Goretti in early January 2026, when many residential side streets were left slippery. As part of a 2025 winter-maintenance review the council removed around 500 grit bins; that review had been intended to save roughly £60,000, a saving council papers and councillors said at the time.
Dudley Council’s announcement says it will re-evaluate where grit bins are needed and will revert from a once-a-season refill policy to refilling bins “as necessary” or on request. Residents will be able to ask for a refill online or by calling Dudley Council Plus, and the authority has pledged not to remove any further bins until the review is complete.
Local campaigners and councillors — including those who organised a petition covered by local media — have pushed for a rethink on grit-bin removals, citing the risk that untreated pavements and side streets pose to older residents. The council has said it will review requests to refill bins and that empty grit bins will be refilled as necessary, but reporting does not yet confirm a widespread programme of crews having already completed refills across the borough.
Local reporting also links the winter-maintenance failings to an increase in people attending Russells Hall Hospital after slipping on ice in early January 2026. The council says it will use risk and usage assessments to decide which, if any, of the removed bins should be reinstated in specific streets.
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