The height of Preston’s grass verges and unkept public realm areas become a hot topic during the spring and summer of 2017 and previous years.
AdvertisementNow control of keeping the grass cut and the hedges tamed is going back to Preston City Council.
Lancashire County Council had taken on the work and contracted it out for 2017, but has now handed it back into local control.
The city council has agreed to take back the work from County Hall.
A report to the city council’s cabinet detailed: “The Director of Environment presented a report on Lancashire County Council’s (LCC) request to Preston City Council (PCC) to consider carrying out the public realm work on their behalf.
“This work would include the grass cutting of highway verges (excluding rural roads) and the maintenance of highway shrub beds. The Council already carry out leaf fall clearance and weed spraying on behalf of LCC.”
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This means the city council will receive £92,435 with a contribution from the county council for undertaking the work.
Cabinet member for finance and resources councillor Martyn Rawlinson said: “They offered us back the work after doing it themselves for one year.
“We have agreed to take the work back, initially for one year to see how it goes.
“We have the experience and machinery to do this work so it makes sense. We just need to be sure the funding covers the actual cost of the work.”
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Blog Preston approached the county council for a comment about why the decision had been taken, but received no response.
What do you think about the decision? Let us know in the comments below