BORIS Johnson is getting to grips with London’s icy road conditions with a new strategic voice on the national body responsible for stocks of salt grit. The Mayor has intervened to get a strategic voice’ on the Government’s Salt Cell’ which alloacates supplies

By Mike Brooke

BORIS Johnson is getting to grips with London’s icy road conditions with a new strategic voice on the national body responsible for stocks of salt grit.

The Mayor has intervened to get a strategic voice’ on the Government’s Salt Cell’ which alloacates supplies to areas in most need.

“We are now at a point where the supply system is faltering,” said Boris. “This is not a dress rehearsal, but the real thing.

“Everything must be done to get our fair share to avoid London running out of grit.”

This follows warnings from his Transport commissioner Peter Hendy that there aren’t enough stocks left to distribute between City Hall which looks after the main red’ routes and the 32 local authorities that see to the side streets.

Local town halls are “increasingly unwilling to share their supplies” with City Hall because they are no longer confident of getting them from the Government, according to the commissioner.

The Salt Cell’ body has representatives from the Welsh Assembly, Scottish Parliament and others.

But until today it lacked a London voice. The town halls have had to make their cases indirectly to the body.

So Boris Johnson has sorted’ it out. He has gone straight to London Minister Tessa Jowell and Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis, who have now accepted his nomination of City Hall’s surface transport boss David Brown to join tomorrow’s Salt Cell meeting.