Please give us your views on grass cutting

The options we are considering:

  • Cut some areas less frequently, including steep, sloping ground
  • Change the look and feel of areas, while maintaining access and amenity, but allowing grass to grow longer
  • Work with communities and other land owners to hand over or hand back responsibility of certain areas
  • Planting areas of wild flowers

What is not being considered is changes to grass cutting of sports pitches, war memorials, high amenity areas, or parks where they are understood to be used for formal recreation.

Why the contribution is important

Our neighbourhood grass cutting service is estimated to cost in the region of £1.3m a year to provide. This is not a statutory service and we are seeking to find ways to reduce the cost, while retaining an acceptable level of service.

by kirstychristie on November 16, 2017 at 10:11AM

Current Rating

3.66666666667
Average score : 3.6
Based on : 3 votes

Comments

  • Posted by Borderer November 20, 2017 at 21:51

    It is a good idea, but it would be good to see areas like the cemeteries being better kept.
    Currently they are a disgrace and the managers who oversee the service should be ashamed at the standards they are setting.

  • Posted by Atkinson November 24, 2017 at 11:13

    Employing full time SBC staff to carry out these works is a hefty overhead. Would it not be more cost effective to set this type of work to outside contractors who could be monitored by existing SBC supervisors.
    Suitably qualified Outside contractors would be less constrained by contracted hours of work . Ie where necessary they can work out with the normal SBC working day to get the job done. No SBC pension liabilities or obligation. Responsible for their own training , liability insurance ,health and safety ,equipment costs etc.

  • Posted by Grandwazooo November 25, 2017 at 08:45

    If grass and landscaped areas are left unmanaged, these areas will revert to nature's ways relatively rapidly. They will become overgrown and unsightly in most cases. Rubbish may start to find a home amongst it and then people complain. Better to maintain these areas on a regular basis.

  • Posted by Wolfehopelee November 28, 2017 at 15:38

    Much grass cutting is completely pointless. Concentrate cutting on paths and areas where people walk or to preserve sight lines on the inside of bends.
    Uncut areas will need some management, a minimum of cutting once a year in late summer or autumn, otherwise they will become rank and unsightly. Woody species would eventually establish but this would take many years.
    Please do not attempt to establish annual wildflower meadows, these are very difficult to get right and require regular maintenance. However perennial, native, wildflower species planted in to existing grass should cope and will withstand an annual cut provided the cuttings rare removed and, of course, composted.

  • Posted by ChrisJ December 11, 2017 at 21:40

    I agree with Wolfehopelee's comments. Leaving areas to grow and to be cut once a year, and shaping them to create areas of flowing grass, can look very attractive. Long grass is great for increasing biodiversity and improving the habitat for invertebrates. The addition of perennial native wildflowers would increase the biodiversity value. Areas to be left long could include sculpted areas along riverbanks; edges of playing fields; areas left long within other amenity grassland. Consulting local communities on their views for the areas to be left long, via community councils, would be a good approach.

  • Posted by CloudMan December 14, 2017 at 09:42

    There are opportunities here not just to save money but also to improve habitats for wildife and visual apprearances. There are substantial areas of grass that are cut regularly but not used for recreation or as walking routes. These areas should be left uncut until the end of the summer and will then provide a wonderful habitat for insects and birds. The idea of enhancing these areas with native wild plants is a good one but is not easy as the grass usually out cometes the other plants initially. Edinburgh City Council has done some excellent work on this and created areas of wildflowers successfully in several of their patks - it might be worth liaising with them for advice. Some areas might also be suitable for tree planting that ultimately will eliminate the need to cut the grass beneach them.
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