Express & Star

Grass cutting is back in Walsall after mass complaints

A fortnightly grass-cutting service which was axed to help Walsall Council save £43,000 a year is to be reinstated after a barrage of complaints.

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Council chiefs say residents' health and wellbeing was more important than meeting budget cuts.

The grass-cutting service in Walsall had been drastically reduced under the previous Labour administration from every two weeks to just once a year.

Leading calls to bring back a full service, Councillor Louise Harrison said: "In my 11 years as a councillor, I have never had so many complaints about one issue.

"For three weeks my phone has not stopped ringing.

"It's not just about saving money, it's also about the wellbeing of our residents and their children.

"Obesity is a problem and yet here we have children who can't play football because they keep losing the ball in the long grass. They're told off if they play on car parks.

"It's a problem for disabled people, too. They have been getting their wheelchairs caught in the grass."

All 26 sites due to be left to pasture will now be mown every two weeks initially. A review will then take place into whether to continue the service to all or just some of the sites in the next financial year.

The £43,000 cost includes a grass-cutter's salary, as well as vehicles and equipment. Re-introducing the service to 26 sites until the end of the growing season on September 30 using an agency will cost around £28,000.

Opposing views were voiced by some residents who felt that a more natural appearance, featuring wild flowers and associated wildlife, was preferable but the majority opinion was clearly in favour of keeping the grass short.

The council's change of heart comes after a town hall vote earlier this month which saw the Conservatives take control, promising to makes changes in budget spending.

Under Labour, at the beginning of the year, the authority agreed more than £135,000 savings from grass cutting, parks and ground maintenance. The council in this financial year needs to save up to £29 million while 200 jobs are being axed.

It is estimated it will take between four and six weeks to reinstall the fortnightly service as the grass has been allowed to grow so long that it will need to be flailed first to bring it back to a manageable length.

The new fortnightly service was agreed by the decision-making cabinet on Wednesday night.

Councillor Adrian Andrew said: "It's the right way forward. Savings have got to be made but we need to build flexibility into future services."

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