A top council boss has said there will be a “noticeable difference in grass cutting” in Derby this year after hundreds of complaints were made last summer. Derby City Council’s Labour administration is proposing a £200,000 cash injection into its grass-cutting department as part of its budget proposals, which could see half a dozen new gardeners employed and the use of new machinery.
But it comes after a 2024 summer grass-cutting “fiasco” in Derby when the state and length of grass on verges, parks and cemeteries attracted public criticism, complaints and headlines.
The saga in May and June saw a row break out between councillors and Derby City Council leaders about how long it was taking for grass to be cut across the city. There were concerns that long grass in some areas was “dangerous” for motorists and unhappy councillors claimed Derby taxpayers “deserved better”.
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But new details of a proposed staff boost in the council’s grass-cutting team came to light at an executive scrutiny board meeting on Monday night (January 13) when the Labour-led council’s budget proposals came under questioning.
Chair of the executive scrutiny and Conservative councillor Chris Poulter told the meeting that he had spoken to workers from the council’s grass-cutting team who described the current workforce as the “absolute bare minimum”.
Councillor Poulter said: “If you have ambition to improve grass cutting for this coming year then that is one department that certainly needs looking at. If there is a plan to do grass cutting better than we did last year then the staffing levels need to be appropriate.”
Since Cllr Poulter’s comments at the meeting, Derby City Council says it currently has 25 gardeners on its books.
Verna Bayliss, director of city sustainability at Derby City Council, then said a £200,000 investment would help fund a bigger team and hoped the changes made would make a “big difference” moving forward.
Read more – Council received hundreds of complaints about state of grass in Derby
She said: “I agree that it has been a very difficult year for grass cutting, in particular.
“You will see in the budget there is an additional £200k for the service. It is to put some of that capacity back in, so that should give us approximately six (more) gardeners which will make a big difference.
“The additional resource should see a noticeable difference in the turnaround for grass cutting. We know the grass is growing longer because the climate is getting wetter and warmer, so we know from clear and national evidence that there are some big spikes when the grass grows.”
Derby City Council leader Nadine Peatfield added: “Obviously, £200,000 is a significant investment from this cabinet to increase the grass-cutting service.
“I should really remind the (executive scrutiny) board that the service was cut in your own (Conservative) 2023 budget. Two posts were reduced in the grass-cutting in that budget before you left the administration. I believe the investment includes buying a new machine that will cut wet grass. This investment means the team can cut all year round.”
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