Rural Powys villages could become “inaccessible”, a councillor has warned after the county council said roads will be gritted less in the winter in a bid to save £71,000.

Powys County Council Cabinet members passed phase 1 of the Winter Service Review at its meeting on Tuesday, 8 October, which will see a “recalculation” of when and where roads are salted during the winter months.

Glantwymyn councillor Elwyn Vaughan said the move was “a huge risk for safety” and that rural communities which rely on minor roads “deserve better”.

The report before Cabinet said that Powys council highways staff will adopt their own method of evaluating how much salt to use depending on temperature and weather conditions – moving away from guidelines set down by the Welsh Government.

The report adds that re-treatment of trunk roads that the council does on behalf of the Welsh Government’s North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency will continue, but county roads will not get the second salt treatment.

The move would save the council £43,000, with more savings to be made through “increased vehicle technology”.

Cllr Vaughan said: “I’m very concerned about the possible reduction in the level of winter maintenance especially given the difficulties faced by those in rural areas in recent years, such as lack of salt supplied and inability to access properties.

“Thousands of homes and villages throughout the county are along minor roads and further cuts to salting will not only make them inaccessible but also dangerous and be a huge risk to safety."

See this week’s Machynlleth & Llanidloes paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now