Council approves investment to make improvements at nursery

Stafford Borough Council’s cabinet gave the go-ahead on Thursday for up to £101,000 to be earmarked for improvements at the Riverway base.

A report to the cabinet said that there was currently no welfare shower unit for staff at Riverway Nursery in the event of a health and safety issue such as chemical spillage or exposure to pests. It added that the surface of the internal road at the rear and the right-hand side of the nursery was not fit for purpose due to the weight and frequency of vehicles travelling over it

Councillor Mark Winnington, cabinet member for environment, said: “This is a proposal for resurfacing of the site at Riverway Nursery and also to install a welfare unit. The site has become less well looked after over the last few years, it is mostly stone which has become quite holey.

“There are a lot of heavy vehicles, a lot of frequent journeys made across that site and it’s become almost unworkable in the winter. We need to resurface those internal roads and need to put in a welfare unit.

“The staff, particularly the Streetscene guys, are sometimes in situations where they’re using chemicals and doing pest control. It’s only right we make sure they have the ability to have showers and look after themselves.

“Almost our most important asset are our workforce – they’re the guys and girls who go out on a regular basis and this proposal will ensure that they are put at less risk. It reduces the risk of damage to machinery that travels over these quite horrendous roads.”

The council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for community Jeremy Pert, who chaired Thursday’s meeting, said: “It’s important to continue to invest in our assets and to ensure that they’re fit for purpose.”

Councillor Mike Smith, cabinet member for resources, said: “There’s £101,000 in the capital programme so it’s going to underspend, even using the contingency, by £610.75.”