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Suffolk welcomes new gritting fleet featuring Spread Sheeran and Kieran McSpreader

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Oliver Rouane-Williams

Suffolk's roads will be kept safe this winter by a new fleet of 38 gritters, with names chosen by local young people, including Spread Sheeran and Kieran McSpreader.

Why it matters: The new fleet replaces the existing gritters and features state-of-the-art technology, including digital operating systems and the latest route map planning software.

The big picture: Despite last winter being relatively mild, Suffolk Highways still gritted over 3,200 miles of road—equivalent to the distance from London to Dubai—on 62 separate occasions when temperatures were forecast to drop below 1C.

Cllr Paul West and some of the Suffolk Highways Gritter Naming Competition winners
Cllr Paul West and some of the Suffolk Highways Gritter Naming Competition winnersSuffolk County Council

Among the creative names chosen by Suffolk's young people were:

  • Kieran McSpreader

  • Spread Sheeran

  • Lizzie Gritzzini

  • Grit Rhys Jones

  • Gritney Houston

  • Spready Mercury

  • Keanu Freeze

  • Gritty McGrit Face

  • Albert Brinestein

  • Morgan Freezeman

What they're saying: "I am delighted that Suffolk Highways has welcomed 38 state-of-the-art gritters to its fleet, with the names chosen by our county's young people likely to raise a smile when they are spotted out and about this winter," said Councillor Paul West, Suffolk County Council's cabinet member for Ipswich, operational highways and flooding.

What's next: While recent weather has been warm, residents may spot the new gritters conducting test runs in the coming days.

Portrait photo of Oliver Rouane-Williams
Oliver Rouane-Williams
Mentioned in this article:
Suffolk County Council
Suffolk Highways
Posted in:
Roads & Car Parking
Councils
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Suffolk library dispute: Charity says council misrepresenting management costs

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Oliver Rouane-Williams

Suffolk Libraries claims its back office costs are 21.4% of the total budget—not 33% as claimed by Suffolk County Council, whose CEO urges councillors not to "make a big decision based on flawed figures."

Why it matters: Suffolk County Council has proposed taking the library service back in-house after 12 and a half years of being run by Suffolk Libraries, a move the charity says is based on misrepresented figures. The decision has been met with widespread public criticism:

  • A survey by this publication revealed that 76% were not in favour of the decision, with just 14% in favour of it

  • A petition against the takeover is approaching 21,000 signatures

Bruce Leeke and Sylvia Knights of Suffolk Libraries
Bruce Leeke and Sylvia Knights of Suffolk Libraries

By the numbers: Suffolk Libraries has an annual charitable turnover of nearly £10m, of which:

  • £6.8m comes from the council contract

  • Nearly £3m is generated by Suffolk Libraries itself

  • The charity says this extra income "pays for nearly all back office and management costs"

What they're saying: "We stand by our figures which prove 21.4% of our total annual salary budget is spent on back office/management, including functions like the stock team, HR and IT," said Bruce Leeke, CEO of Suffolk Libraries.

"The figure is only around 7% for senior management, a ratio that seems perfectly reasonable for a charity responsible for running 45 libraries, three mobile libraries and 13 prison libraries in addition to many other value adding contracts."

The other side: The county council has claimed that 33% of Suffolk Libraries staffing costs are spent on back office and management, a figure the charity disputes as being calculated incorrectly.

What's next: Suffolk Libraries met with the council this week to present a new proposal that would potentially allow the council to access additional funding to maintain the current service for the next two years.

For context: The charity says it has "successfully run" the county's 45 libraries for over 12 years and is "heralded within the industry as an example of best practice."

The bottom line: Sylvia Knights, Chair of Suffolk Libraries, has recorded a video appealing to Suffolk County Council decision makers to reconsider and "get back round the negotiating table."

The Suffolk Libraries Contract: A Message from Sylvia Knights, Chair of the Board
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Oliver Rouane-Williams
Oliver Rouane-Williams speaking with an elderly couple in the town centre

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