Highway Verge Grass Cutting
Exempt Report of Director of Community and Environment
Additional documents:
Decision:
Resolved
(1) That the action taken to address in part the 2015 highway verge difficulties in Cherwell’s three urban parishes be noted and supported.
(2) That Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) be requested to reinstate a highway verge grass cutting agency agreement for 2016 with this Council for Bicester and Kidlington/Gosford & Water Eaton for five years.
(3) That Cherwell District Council supports Banbury Town Council to achieve the same for Banbury.
(4) That Cherwell District Council offers to share the additional costs net of any OCC funding on a 50:50 basis with the urban parishes to achieve a reinstatement of the 2014 highway verge grass cutting standards.
(5) That the additional cost to Cherwell District Council of the 2015 action be included in the mid-year budget review process and the longer term proposal be considered as a growth item in the 2016/17 draft Revenue Budget process.
Minutes:
The Head of Environmental Services submitted an exempt report to consider the highway verge grass cutting difficulties in 2015 and alternative service delivery options for 2016.
Resolved
(1) That the action taken to address in part the 2015 highway verge difficulties in Cherwell’s three urban parishes be noted and supported.
(2) That Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) be requested to reinstate a highway verge grass cutting agency agreement for 2016 with this Council for Bicester and Kidlington/Gosford & Water Eaton for five years.
(3) That Cherwell District Council supports Banbury Town Council to achieve the same for Banbury.
(4) That Cherwell District Council offers to share the additional costs net of any OCC funding on a 50:50 basis with the urban parishes to achieve a reinstatement of the 2014 highway verge grass cutting standards.
(5) That the additional cost to Cherwell District Council of the 2015 action be included in the mid-year budget review process and the longer term proposal be considered as a growth item in the 2016/17 draft Revenue Budget process.
Reasons
The inadequacy of the highway verge grass cutting standards in 2015 in Cherwell’s three urban parishes and the widespread adverse public response prompted the need for immediate action given OCC’s stance of only undertaking one grass cut. The town councils of Banbury and Bicester agreed a 2015 response through the use of Cherwell’s landscape management contractor for additional two cuts which mitigated in part the difficulties caused.
However, there is a need to consider putting in place alternative longer term, cost efficient arrangements which avoid a repetition of the 2015 difficulties. The options considered are to repeat the approach in 2015 with supplementary grass cuts funded jointly with the urban parishes or to reinstate the OCC agency agreement in the most cost efficient and best value way.
The recommended approach for the future is to reinstate the agency agreement for grass cutting on the highway verges of the three urban areas (albeit there will be two agreements to accommodate a more cost efficient Banbury solution) and through this plus the reduced funding from OCC, to reinstate the grass cutting standard of 2014 with the additional cost shared on a 50:50 basis between this Council and the urban parishes.
Alternative options
Option 1: to repeat
the supplementary cuts arrangement in 2015. This approach has not
been well received due to the late start by OCC, the grass height
between cuts and the subsequent significant arisings remaining and has been confusing for the
public because of no clarity regarding about who is responsible. It
also carries the risk that OCC can unilaterally change its cutting
schedule with little time for this Council to respond through its
own contractor.
Option 2: to do nothing and allow OCC to continue with two cuts of urban area highway verges. This will result in a repeat of the significant adverse public reaction experienced in 2015.