Town council takes on grass cutting axed by SGC

Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC) has agreed to take on the cost of frequent grass cutting on highway verges in the town after South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) announced plans to reduce the number of cuts to just two a year.

The move is a consequence of SGC’s review of ‘highway and street scene’ services, through which it hopes to save £328,000 annually, as part of its medium term financial plan to achieve overall budget savings of £43 million by 2014/15.

The town council was given the options of accepting the reduced service, buying back the current level of service from SGC’s StreetCare at a cost of £16,036 (including some additional services relating to shrub beds), taking on the service itself, or finding a contractor to do the work.

Officers were tasked with obtaining quotes from a number of local contractors and councillors have now approved the appointment of Ambience Landscapes to provide an equivalent service at a cost of £11,980 p.a. fixed for three years. Under the contract, verges will be maintained to an “amenity” standard with eight cuts a year.

Fewer dog waste bins

Councillors were also asked to consider the future provision of dog waste bins in the town after SGC said it planned to end the free emptying service that applies to some of them. The town council currently pays to have 36 dog bins emptied and SGC covers the cost of emptying a further 21.

It was agreed that SGC be paid to empty a maximum of 33 dog waste bins in Bradley Stoke (the locations of the bins to remain will to be decided in due course), with all of the litter and dog bins at the three BSTC Activity Centres remaining, so as to protect the sports grounds and open spaces.

Reducing the number of dog bins in the town from 57 to 33 was justified by the fact that dog waste may now be placed in general litter bins.

This article originally appeared in the October edition of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine, delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to all homes in Bradley Stoke.