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Adverse Weather Policy

Download our Adverse Weather Policy here

Policy Owner: Chief Property Officer

Accountable Lead: Estates Services Director

Policy Level - Operational

Policy Reference (Policies must be referenced by business areas, with associated policy number and year of approval) -

ES/005/2025

Link to Strategy (what strategy is the policy intended to support?) - Quality Homes

Version Control

V1 first draft - Effective from April 2025

V2 changes following review by colleagues - to March 2028

Approved by - Chief Property Officer at the Property Services Leadership Team meeting 10 February 2025

Consultation -

January 2025

Estates Partnership Board

Colleague Voice (LGBTQIA+)

Customer Engagement Consult

HR team

Equality analysis - December 2024

Next review date - Mar 2028

Contents                                                                                

  1. Policy Statement and Aims                      
  2. Scope, Roles and Responsibilities             
  3. Principles                                               
  4. Application                                             
  5. Associated documents                             
  6. Measurement of Success                          
  7. Equality and Diversity Implications            

  1. Policy Statement and Aims

  • This policy outlines the procedures and responsibilities of Curo Places in response to adverse weather conditions that may impact our properties, customers, and colleagues.

Definition of Adverse Weather

Adverse weather includes, but is not limited to:

  • Heavy snow and ice
  • Severe storms (wind, rain, hail)
  • Flooding
  • Extreme temperatures (heat or cold)

Other significant weather events, and/or official weather warnings issued by the met office.

  1. Scope, roles and responsibilities

Responsibilities

In the event of severe weather:

  • The Board and Executive, through the Policy Owner, will ensure that the policy delivers our strategic objectives and reflects corporate values. The Accountable Lead (Estate Services Director) is accountable to the Executive for the effective implementation of the policy, so that it delivers Curo’s strategic objectives and reflects corporate values.
  • Property Services Leadership Team: Monitor weather conditions and make decisions regarding service adjustments, property inspections, and safety protocols that should be followed.
  • Colleagues: Follow directives from management regarding service provision and safety measures. Ensure communication with customers regarding any changes.
  • Customers: Informa of adverse weather alerts and impact to service delivery

The principles are achieved through appropriate team plans and objectives, and

Procedures – with appropriate RACIs – translate the policy objectives into practice”.

Communication

  • We will advise Customers about adverse weather conditions and any related service changes using as many channels as possible. These include all social media platforms & notifications in communal areas.

Communications will include an emergency contact number for customers to report any issues related to adverse weather.

Service Adjustments

  • During adverse weather events, Directors may modify or suspend certain services, including:
    • Routine maintenance/and or services
    • Non-essential repairs
    • Community events
  • We will continue to deliver emergency services as necessary, with prioritisation given to safety and critical repairs.

Reasonable Adjustments

Colleagues are empowered to make reasonable adjustments based on individual customer needs ensuring equal access to services.

Colleagues are encouraged to assess each situation thoughtfully and adjust where appropriate, considering factors such as accessibility, medical or specific requirements.

These adjustments should be made in a way that meets statutory and regulatory requirements, maintains a high level of services and supports customers in a fair and respectful manner.

Safety Measures

  • Customers are encouraged to take proactive measures, such as:
  • Clearing walkways and driveways of snow and ice
  • Ensuring heating systems are functioning during extreme cold
  • Reporting any hazardous conditions to Curo

Colleagues will conduct property inspections following significant weather events to assess damage and ensure safety.

Colleague Responsibilities:

While we appreciate your effort to attend work, your safety is our priority. If you are unable to come to work or may be late due to severe weather or transport issues you should follow the steps below.

Please note, this Policy does not cover routine traffic delays or disruptions that are normal or expected.

  • You should never put your personal safety at risk. Only travel if you feel it is safe to do so.
  • You should, however, make every effort to attend for work during adverse weather conditions, even if this results in you attend for work later than normal and/or adapting your means of travel. Unfortunately, we cannot reimburse the cost of any additional expenses incurred because you have used a different mode of travel to attend for work.
  • You should advise your line manager as early as reasonably practicable if you are having difficulty getting into work. You should keep them up-dated on your expected arrival time.
  • If you have made all reasonable efforts to try to attend your normal place of work but, due to the adverse weather conditions or disruptions to public transport, are unable to attend you should agree with your line manager an alternative approach. This may vary from department to department due to the nature of the work and operational requirements but could include the following:
  • Working from home (if practicable).
  • Making up the time/hours lost (usually within one month).
  • Taking a day/half day annual leave.
  • Taking unpaid leave.
  • A combination of the above options, where adverse weather is prolonged.

Failure to comply with reporting arrangements may amount to unauthorised absence and could result in disciplinary action and/or the time being treated as unpaid.

  • In certain situations, such as short notice school/nurseries closures, where you are unexpectedly required to provide/arrange care for your dependants, or have other caring responsibilities, you may agree to take a carers day.
  • If the Company decides to close any of our offices and send you home, everyone will be informed of the closure, and you will be paid for the time lost and will not be expected to make up the time.

Managers Responsibilities:

Managers should:

  • Ensure that all colleagues are aware of our Adverse Weather Policy and what to do if they are unable to attend for work due to adverse weather.
  • Ensure that all colleagues are treated fairly in applying this policy, considering individual circumstances and business requirements.
  • Consider the following factors in considering the appropriate action to take:
  • The colleague’s safety.
  • The operational requirements of your team/area of business.
  • Distance the colleague is travelling to work.
  • Prevailing weather conditions and their expected duration.
  • Information and guidance from the Met Office, AA, Police and/or local radio, e.g. about safe travelling.
  • Transport modes available to colleagues.
  • The use of existing on-call arrangements to establish contingency arrangements where adverse weather conditions are foreseeable
  • The caring or childcare responsibilities of the colleague
  • The health of the colleague; for example, where it is known that they have a mobility or other health/medical condition special care should be taken in reaching a decision relating to attendance.
  • Any other relevant factors
  • Where a colleague cannot attend for work, managers should agree an alternative approach, taking into account business requirements.

Options that can be considered are:

  • Allowing the colleague to work from home (if practicable).
  • Making up the time/hours lost (usually within one month).
  • Taking a day/half day annual leave.
  • Taking unpaid leave.

In extreme circumstances it may be appropriate to allow colleagues to leave work early. In taking the decision, managers should consider the factors set out above.

  • Where a colleague cannot attend for work, managers should agree an alternative approach, taking into account business requirements.

Options that can be considered are:

  • Allowing the colleague to work from home (if practicable).
  • Making up the time/hours lost (usually within one month).
  • Taking a day/half day annual leave.
  • Taking unpaid leave.
  • In extreme circumstances it may be appropriate to allow colleagues to leave work early. In taking the decision, managers should consider the factors set out above.

  1. Principles

  • We recognise that global warming is here, and we are seeing more frequent adverse weather which impacts customers and colleagues and our service delivery
  • This policy seeks to deliver the commitments to keep our colleagues and customers safe
  • All our policies must demonstrate their relevance to our principles, which are:

a) Our CROFT values

b) Commitment to transparency

c) Commitment to value for money and efficiency 

d) Commitment to consultation and customer involvement 

  1. Application

This Policy and Estates Management Procedures are triggered by warnings by the MET Office of adverse weather conditions.

Adverse weather includes, but is not limited to:

  • Heavy snow and ice
  • Severe storms (wind, rain, hail)
  • Flooding
  • Extreme temperatures (heat or cold)
  • Other significant weather events as deemed necessary (like leaf fall)

Where Government Issue a text alert

A Red Weather Warning means that extreme weather is expected. Red means action should be taken immediately to keep yourself and others safe from the impact of the weather. Widespread damage, travel and power disruption and risk to life is likely. You must avoid dangerous areas and follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities.

These warnings mean that we suspend all services and refer customers to statutory body to resolve issues such as:

Accidents - Emergency Services

Gas – Wales and West

Electricity – National Grid

Water & Waste – Wessex & Bristol

Leaf fall

During the autumn, many of our estates suffer from the continual fall of leaves. We have a duty to clear leaves, but priority is given to:

  • Sheltered Estates
  • Pathways on hills
  • Densely populated tree areas

Whilst we only undertake full leaf clearance once the leaves have fallen; our cleaning & facilities teams will ensure we try and keep safe passages to our offices and blocks throughout Autumn.

We will get round to all estates throughout winter, but unfortunately it is not practical to have all roads at the same priority level. Please do not add to workloads by blowing leaves from your property onto Curo land. Fallen leaves belong to whoever owns the land they fall on. The landowner is required to dispose of leaves responsibly.

Blowing leaves on to Curo land is unlawful and adds to the risk of accident or injury to pedestrians and vehicles.

You can compost garden leaves, put them in your garden waste bin, or take them to your local recycling centre.

  • October - November – leaves are monitored and cleared if presenting H&S concerns by in house teams (Estates & Facilities).
  • December – February – leaves will be removed from all sites under normal hard standing maintenance.

We do not remove leaves from all areas and focus on paths only.

Gritting

When the temperature falls or is predicted to fall below freezing for 24 hours or more estates should arrange to attend agreed site(s) before midday spreading grit salt, to create safe access/exit point.

Estates will alert relevant departments at the time of forecasted or actual snowfall and/or freezing temperatures.

Gritting involves spreading rock salts to prevent ice forming. Salting is done when it is not raining to avoid the grit being washed away. If rainwater freezes quickly, ice can form before our estates teams have completed their routes.

We provide salt bins across the estate for our sheltered sites and our offices and monitor the MET office forecast daily to look for drops in temperature that trigger our gritting procedure.

Colleagues at satellite offices are free to use the grit bins as they feel necessary if the temperature hasn’t dropped low enough to invoke our gritting arrangements.

Curo do not grit general needs sites and customers should make their own arrangements to make access routes safe.

How can I access Met Office weather warnings

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/

Met Office weather warnings are available in several ways, which make it easy to get the very latest information wherever you are. These include the:

Estates & Facilities will be responsible for keeping agreed access routes clear, so far as reasonably practicable, from snow and/or ice by following our guidelines.

It is also the responsibility of estates to ensure sufficient stocks of salt and grit are transferred from stores to bins provided around the required properties.

  1. Associated documents

  • Business continuity plans
  • Reporting absence
  • Decant Policy
  • Risk Assessment
  • Repairs Policy
  • Customer Commitment
  • Tree Management Procedure
  • Tree Contracts
  • ESG Report
  • Shared Spaces Standard
  • Shared Spaces Policy
  1. Measurement of Success

A) Colleagues always remain safe

B) Customers are clear on what we can and cannot do

C) Incidents and accidents are kept to a minimum

D) Damage to Curo property is made safe

  1. Equality Impact Assessment

There is a people impact:

  • Special care should be taken when applying this policy where it is known that a colleague has mobility problems or a medical/health condition which may be exacerbated by adverse weather conditions.
  • Departments which offer a service or operate essential services may have more detailed local arrangements in place to maintain these services during adverse weather and this policy should be read in conjunction with those arrangements.
  • Colleagues who are already on leave (annual, maternity, sickness etc.) will not be entitled to a day off in lieu if their department is closed.

Further advice is available from our HR team