Grounds maintenance

Our grounds maintenance team is responsible for a wide range of works in green spaces including:

• grass cutting and conservation area cuts
• weeding shrubs and other planted areas 
• pruning and hedge cutting
• other horticultural operations
• cutting and marking sports pitches
• parks cleansing (litter and bin clearance, park fly-tips, dog waste)

A lot of this work is seasonal and subject to surge demand. Our team will deliver the service to the schedule outlined below as far as possible, although sometimes we might have to prioritise some works for health and safety reasons. Grounds maintenance work can also be impacted by factors outside our control, such as the weather.  

Grounds maintenance programme

As part of council’s savings programme, we have made some changes to our ground maintenance service, including reducing the frequency of grass cutting. 

Grass cutting

Grass cutting frequency

We now cut grass over an 4 to 6 week cycle. This is part of our savings programme, and also has benefits for our local environment.  Sites which require more frequent cuts for safety reasons, such as certain highway verges, will still be cut appropriately. Other sites within the borough will receive a less regular ‘conservation cut’ which, as well as reducing costs, benefits local habitats for native pollinators such as bees, butterflies and insects. Overall, you will see more natural areas and meadows across all our green spaces.  

Horticultural works, hedges, flower beds and basal growth maintenance works are scheduled for autumn. Winter works consist of fence line clearance and any outstanding works required.

Download our grounds maintenance schedule (Excel, 13KB)

Bedding and planting

We have reduced the number and size of bedding and planting areas within our parks. We will continue to work with our Friends of Park groups who may like to adopt responsibility for some of these areas.

Pruning and hedges

We have reduced our hedge cutting regime from twice per year to once per year.