Council verges towards increasing roadside grass cutting
Road verges in built-up areas will be cut more often if a new deal is approved.
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is poised to take on the cutting of road verges in urban areas within its boundaries.
The proposal comes because residents want the verges cut more often than at present by Staffordshire County Council.
David Hutchison, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council's Cabinet member for Sustainable Environment, said:
The Borough Council already maintains the roundabouts and highways on the ring road as part of its commitment to keeping Newcastle town centre neat and tidy – and to support our very successful Britain in Bloom campaigns.
Residents have made it very clear to us that they want to see the verges cut more often in other parts of the borough too and we’re stepping in to make that happen.”
If approved by Cabinet next week, the borough council will take over the contract this spring, although the county council will retain responsibility for weeding.
Presently grass in areas with 30mph speed limits is cut at least six times a year, with an emphasis on road safety rather than tidiness.
In future the borough council would coordinate verge maintenance with existing mowing work and would receive a contribution from the county council for doing so, enabling eight cuts to take place this year.
Cllr David Hutchison said:
Residents in Newcastle and Kidsgrove are proud of their communities and want to see the streets looking neat and tidy.
Overgrown verges take away from that and while we’re tackling those we can coordinate litter picking, remove fallen branches and strim around benches, lamp posts and so on to make it a better job.”