By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter
There is frustration over Tewkesbury “looking so shabby” due to a reduction in how often the grass is cut, with the “road into town from the motorway” being branded a “disgrace”.
Wildfire fears, road safety hazards and health risk concerns over the tall grass during the summer prompted more than 240 people to call on Tewkesbury Borough Council to reinstate the level of service they used to get.
Residents say grass cutting had been provided by the borough council for decades but how often the grass is cut has been reduced to twice a year after a contract Gloucestershire County Council had with the borough council came to an end last year.
Since the previous contract was terminated, the borough council says it has worked to support parish and town councils to make grass cutting arrangements directly with the county council.
It says reinstating the service would cost £84,000 and would require a new contract as the land is not owned by the borough council.
Andrew Turner presented a petition at a meeting on Tuesday night (September 29) calling for the service to be reinstated.
He said there has been significant concern in Tewkesbury over the last two years because of the lack of grass cutting on public land.
He said the main concern is the potential fire risk when grass is “so long and dry” and said it is fortunate there had not been a fire during the hot summer months.
“The fire could have been disastrous with fences and property being most likely engulfed in flames,” he said.
He also said the long grass poses a danger to drivers by blocking their field of view and people with an allergy to pollen suffer more due to the reduce mowing.
The long grass also poses a difficulty for dog walkers and a danger for their pets, he added.
Mr Turner went on to highlight the impact the issue could have on tourism in the town.
“We are a tourist borough, and have thousands of visitors each year, encouraging them to come off the motorway to visit our historic towns,” he said.
“What a welcome we give them: unkempt, untidy verges, paths which cannot be safely walked along because of the weeds and a general scene of neglect.
“The road into town from the motorway is a disgrace. And it was only the initiative of local residents who started to cut the grass to improve the appearance.”
He also told the meeting the county border is “clearly illustrated” on the road from Breedon “because the verges in Worcestershire are cut, Gloucestershire’s are not”.
Mr Turner went on to criticise the borough council as he believes it “obviously has no pride in the appearance of the town and the borough”.
“It is not only Tewkesbury that is affected. The whole borough needs to be tidied up.
“The welcome to visitors is obviously not important.
“I have lived in the town for 55 years and I cannot remember it looking so shabby.”
He said there was an underspend of £3.8m last year while the cost for grass cutting now would be £84,000.
“There is still money that could be allocated to grass cutting,” he added. “It is a small price to pay to reinstate something that has been done every year for the past 50 years.
“Perhaps saving money is more important to the council than the welcome shown to visitors and residents and to illustrate there is a pride in the appearance of the town.”
Independent councillor Philip Workman (Tewkesbury North and Twyning), who was among those who voted for the reintroduction of more grass cutting, said his ward includes Mitton which has been used to a more frequent service for decades.
“To save £50,000 we have walked away from this commitment,” he said.
“We now just have two cuts a year. One being a safety cut, which is very limited.”
He went on to say it would have been a disaster this year if a fire had taken hold.
“The people of Mitton have a great pride in the look of their community and have been seriously let down by this council,” he said.
Liberal Democrat council leader Richard Stanley (Cleeve West) said he completely understands why the petition was brought forward and residents want it resolved.
He said the council cares about the whole borough but the issue was around who is responsible for providing the cutting.
“People notice grass cutting, particularly when they’ve had a standard that they have become used to and that standard changes,” he said.
He explained there is a way forward as some parishes have increased their parish precept to increase the grass cutting.
“There are a number of parishes that have already tackled this constructively,” he said.
“They’ve worked with us and the county council and they have taken responsibility for the areas they want to see cut within their parishes.”
He said the borough council needs to be “fair and consistent” and could not reasonably cut more frequently in one town then they do elsewhere.
“In actual fact, what we would be talking about is a specific special treatment for Tewkesbury because their town council and county council haven’t worked out what arrangements they want to see yet,” he said.
Cllr Mike Sztymiak (I, Tewkesbury North and Twyning) proposed reinstating the grass cutting which the borough council had been doing for 50 years.
“We have the money to pay for this grass cutting, it’s what the public want,” he said.
However, this was rejected. The council instead voted not to reinstate the grass cutting.
Cllr Stanley said he would write to the town council and county council and is open to working with both to facilitate a solution.