Spring and summer is when the Parish sees and hears most about grass cutting.
There is confusion as to land ownership, grass cutting and who does what an when. Added to this we have wet and warm weather that makes the vegetation grow faster and ‘no mow May’ which seems to extend into the summer more and more each year.
The first layer of confusion is who owns what land and who cuts it. Our parish, until 1 Jun 2024, owned no land but rented land from the county council and district council. It cut that grass on the land that it rents. However, within the village the roads and verges are the responsibility of the county council highways and, also there is district council land. The district council cuts their own land and, as ‘public realm’ cuts the highways responsibility. Neither the county council nor district council can give ties for grass cuts.
What would be useful is a discussion about:
- the average price per m3 or acre, of grass cutting, and
- model contracts or SLAs.
It seems to make sense that the parish council is responsible, and funded, to cut all grass within the parish. One point of contact with one responsibility. However, the funding is required.