A COUNCILLOR has slammed Great Sankey Parish Council for still ‘dithering’ over the best spots for grit bins after a weekend of snow and ice.

The council revealed new winter gritting plans in October last year which involved £1,000 worth of free grit bins to be placed around wards in the town.

But in January’s meeting of Great Sankey Parish Council prospective locations were still being discussed and the bins have still not been installed.

Clr Hitesh Patel said: “The Labour-run borough council wrote to all parish councils to offer them £1,000 of extra equipment and grit bins to cope with bad freezes.

“While other parish councils like Penketh and Stockton Heath jumped at the offer, our Lib Dems who run Great Sankey Parish Council stubbornly rejected it back in October 2011.

“The parish council met in January and it is clearly minuted that they were still dithering about getting a list together of prospective sites to place the extra grit bins.”

Delays in getting the bins included councillors organising a vote for their preferred locations in December but in January Clr Roy Smith reported he had not had ‘much response yet’.

Cheryl Wakefield, clerk at Great Sankey Parish Council, said they did not refuse the offer and had been ‘carefully considering the best placement’.

She added: “Having decided on locations, in consultation with the council, it has now placed the order for the bins and an initial supply of grit.

“In addition, parish councillor Judith Wheeler has negotiated a further grit bin by the bridge path across Sankey Valley Park.”