I've received a considerable number of complaints and comments recently about the poor quality of grass-cutting operations in our area - many more than I've ever received in the past. All correspondence and complaints received were passed to the relevant department at DCC for their attention and comment.
The head of service has issued an update today, setting out the reasons for the problems encountered by the clean and green teams this springtime across the whole county.
I've reproduced the full update below for information. If you have any additional comments or queries about this issue please let me know as soon as possible and I'll take your issue up with the appropriate department at the council. As ever, the best way to contact me is by email at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk
This is just a short note to thank you for bearing with us through a challenging time for the clean and green services.
This is the most vigorous growing season that the team can recall – I go back in this field for 20 years, and some of the team nearly 40. The combination of an early Spring with warm and wet conditions has meant that growth started early (mid-February) and has grown heavily.
We started cutting a few weeks early (early March in many areas), and are now completing our third and onto our fourth cut across many areas. In the main season we aim to cut on a cycle of every 10 days which is for normal growing conditions. This gap of time would typically mean the grass had grown a few inches, less in the peak of summer, but this year, as you know it has grown several inches.
The good news is that less rain is forecast and the team will have got on top of the current flush I would estimate within a week. The drier conditions will help with the clippings which are longer than usual, and I do acknowledge can be unsightly for a short while after first cut.
Whilst the environmental conditions have been the main reason for the length of grass I would also suggest the following have contributed:
- Equipment issues. Our mowers are of varying ages and we have a
yearly replacement programme for batches. This traditionally is in the
Autumn time and the replacement mowers arrive in February. This situation
has now dramatically changed and the lead in time for the equipment is 60
weeks! We have therefore had to rely on our retained older tractors and
mowers which are prone to breakdowns, and our fleet service are doing
their best for rapid turn-around. We are pushing for early delivery, but worst
case our replacements may not arrive until early 2024. I have sanctioned
purchase of the next years mowers too (ie for 2024) bearing in mind these
huge lead in times. I will shortly sanction the 2025 ie two years ahead.
- Wet, wet, wet. You may recall that we had several weeks where it
rained most days. The grass loved it. Residents didn’t love it when we
took our mowers onto those areas, as they looked like a battlefield
afterwards, with ruts everywhere. We took a decision to keep off those
sodden areas, and that will have interrupted our usual maintenance
frequencies.
- Bank holidays and Springtime commitments. There is an increase in activity as Members approach us for spend for their projects at the end of the year – and we endeavour to meet their expectations, but it does stretch the team. Added to this is the bank holidays where the crews don’t work, and from a grounds perspective there is activity on floral beds etc.
Many other areas around the region are in a similar position, as well as private contractors or in-house teams working for social housing providers. With drier weather forecast, I do hope that with the teams continued work that we will shortly be over the worst for this year. We will then attend to shrub and flower beds as we do every June.
There may always be the area that for whatever reason is missed and the best way of reporting this is through the on-line system https://doitonline.durham.gov.uk/MyServices (there is a grass cutting page for this).
Please know that the service is working hard to ensure our open spaces are as attractive as possible.
