It’s not a legal requirement, of course, but the revelation that nearly every county council carries out no safety checks on its grey fleet is both worrying and negligent.

The issue is not a new one, of course. Fleet News has been reporting on public sector failings in this area for some time.

Speak to private sector firms and it’s clear that many are taking action to control their grey fleets – checking licences, MoTs and insurance, and asking them to sign declarations that their vehicles are kept in a roadworthy condition.

Some even carry out spot checks.

Others are attempting to encourage drivers into their company car scheme.

But the private sector is a relatively small part of the grey problem.

Local authorities have massive grey fleets with hundreds of thousands of staff using their own cars on business. It accounts for around 57% of all public sector fleet mileage – as much as 1.4 billion miles a year.

In dealing with grey fleet drivers, councils should consider the three ‘C’s – care, carbon and cost.

They have a duty of care to protect their own staff and other road users. If managers don’t have a process to carry out checks and keep records, they could face Corporate Manslaughter charges if a grey fleet driver kills someone while driving at work when their car was faulty.

Sadly, it might take a high-profile case to force them to take action.

The Office of Government Commerce, an independent office of the Treasury, says: “Managing the duty of care to employees driving for work is a legal requirement, and this includes employees driving their own vehicles for work.

"Employers should take ‘reasonably practicable’ steps to manage their duty of care, taking into account key risks relating to the driver, the vehicle and the journey.”

However, the Department for Transport, while agreeing with the OGC’s views, says it’s up to each council to interpret and implement grey fleet policy.

It effectively washes its hands of the issue.

If the duty of care argument continues to fall on deaf ears (God forbid), then there are environmental and cost angles.

Managing the grey fleet by ensuring cars are maintained properly will reduce carbon emissions (which will help them to meet Government targets). It will also improve fuel efficiency – thereby lowering bills for the council.

At a time when budgets are coming under intense scrutiny, this might give councils the necessary push to take action.