Grass cutting policy challenged
THE grass cutting policy of Gloucester City Council is being questioned.
Back in July The Citizen reported how the council's contractor Enterprise was struggling to deal with accelerated grass growth due to a spell of warm weather and heavy rainfall.
The ground was too wet for their heavy ride-on mowers to be effective, so the grass was left to grow beyond its normal height.
Now, a lot of overgrown verges and open spaces have been cut back, but Labour councillors are questioning the logistics of the policy.
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At the Gloucester city full council meeting tonight councillor Mary Smith (L. Matson and Robinswood) and councillor Mark Hobbs (L. Moreland) will be proposing a motion to the council to revamp its grass cutting strategy.
Mrs Smith said: "In all my years on the council, I have received more complaints about the grass cuttings blowing around the city than almost any other issue.
"We need to make people feel better about their communities."
Councillor Debbie Llewellyn (C. Quedgeley Fieldcourt), deputy leader of Gloucester City Council, said: "We are looking into the current contract.
"It has been an exceptionally wet summer, but what's to say all the summers in the future won't be the same. So we're looking into that."
A motion will be put forward at the meeting calling for the Tory led administration to accept its failure in dealing with the grass growth, and its decision not to remove grass cuttings from pavements, gutters, drains and gulleys.
The motion will propose a review of grass cutting, and to find a way through existing budgets to remove grass cuttings, and to report back in three months.
Comments
by ghiabelinda
Monday, September 24 2012, 11:59AM
“charity 55, i can assure you as a dog walker the long grass is not a haven, us responsible dog owners pick up whatever the length of the grass. the ones who dont never do, dont tar us all with the same brush.”
by bdbear
Monday, September 24 2012, 11:45AM
“If the grass was to wet for the ride on mowers then hand held mowers should have been used to keep to the agreed dates . If they agreed dates have not been met I would have thought the contract should have fines built in for not doing the work on time”
by fiforinfo
Monday, September 24 2012, 10:59AM
“I understand that after the contract was granted the Contractor amended the length of time between cuts with the agreement of the council, is this correct? If so how can you blame the contractor.”
by Douglasknows
Monday, September 24 2012, 10:41AM
“Not sure what I'm missing here but when I cut the grass my machine also sucks up the cuttings which I dispose of. The answer surely would be to only use machines that suck! I know they use large diggers with cutting attachments for the sides of roads but surely there must be an alternative machine that could be used that wouldn't hold up the traffic any more than the digger type?”
by charity55
Monday, September 24 2012, 8:01AM
“Its awful the mess that is left by grass cuttings this clogs up the drains etc which the council rarely cleans out also cuttings are left on footpaths. The length the grass that has been left to grow is a disgrace it is a haven for dog walkers dogs poo cannot be seen and stepped in by children and taken into schools. Garden lovers also like to control weeds in lawns but is not helped by seeds of weeds being blown around by grass verges.”