Council staff have passed the test when it comes to dealing with the freezing weather.
Now 15 council employees have an NVQ in ‘winter service’, which qualifies them to drive gritters, allowing them to back up 60 gritting staff from contractor BAM Nuttall.
Candidates had to prove they can use salt safely, check the vehicles, understand spreading patterns and recognise the dangers in the ice.
They had to drive a gritter 20 miles in rural and urban areas, negotiating steep gradients, roundabouts, major junctions and dual carriageways.
The big freeze at the beginning of 2010 prompted Cheshire East to review how it keeps people safe and moving in ice and snow.
Councillors at the most recent cabinet meeting said lessons have been learned from the last big freeze and approved actions to be included in CEC’s winter maintenance plan.
They said it was important to keep schools open in cold weather and want residents to be aware of the national ‘snow code’, which says residents clearing snow and ice outside their homes are not legally liable if people injure themselves by slipping or falling.
Council leader Wesley Fitzgerald said Cheshire East will probably overspend on its winter maintenance budget, but said the priority was keeping people safe in the cold.
Coun David Neilson said: "I want to congratulate highways on the differences from last year. Lessons have been learned."
All schools are now on a list for daily updates from the Meteorological Office and a list of farm contractors to help clear the roads in exceptional weather has been devised.
Residual household waste will take priority over recycling and garden waste.
There should be a six-day stock – 6,000 tonnes – of salt and more than half of the gritters are stationed and load directly from suppliers, Salt Union – reducing the risk of delivery disruptions.
The harsh winter led to requests for 145 extra salt bins, which will cost £25,000 and £7,500 each time to fill.
Five hundred bags filled with salt mixture will be available for schools and parish councils.
