Council Update: care of streets & open spaces

Update on the council's grounds maintenance and street cleansing operations

The current situation regarding Cheshire West & Chester council operations following some unprecedented impacts.

Background – Weather impacts

This year's grounds maintenance programme was delayed due to the prolonged wet weather in spring, which has continued into the summer. According to the Met Office it is the wettest since 1981. The grass cutting programme started in April but for the first three weeks the teams were only able to cut where ground conditions allowed.

Despite the eventual appearance of some sunnier weather, the ground saturation made conditions incredibly soft, which increased the chance of surface damage by the ride-on grass cutting machines which are much heavier than household lawnmowers. The rise in temperature and extreme wet weather also resulted in an increased growth in vegetation, such as grass, hedges and weeds.

Background – Additional pressures

In addition to our normal operations of street cleansing and grounds maintenance of highways, parks, and cemeteries, StreetCare is often called upon to assist the Council delivering logistics and preparations for major events.

So far in 2024, StreetCare has been involved with delivering two elections, the PCC and a General Election, as well as the Duke of Westminster's high-profile wedding, which required additional resources in Chester city centre in early June. This is on top of other regular city-based events they are involved with, such as Chester Races, Chester Pride and numerous other events both in the city and across the borough.

Updates on service schedules

Grass – Our teams are progressing well across the borough and, in most areas, are completing the third cut and starting the fourth.

We are aware that backup working is required, and our teams are working their way around as soon as possible.

Our schedules are published online, and we will endeavour to meet these schedules where possible.

So far this year, we have experienced some delay in these schedules due to unforeseen circumstances including weather, machine breakdowns, staff absence. As the summer continues and wet weather (hopefully) disappears, we should see grass growth slow down, to allow our teams to adhere to these schedules more easily.

Further information about grass and grounds maintenance can be found here.

Weeds – To date, we have sprayed the high-speed roads, main roads and entrances to towns and cities.

Schedules for other areas are published online and can be viewed here.

Like grass cutting our weed spraying operations have also been impacted this year by weather, rain, wind, etc. We try to anticipate the weather and conduct spraying when we potentially have a 24-hour period of dry weather to allow for the chemical to work. Weeds are treated twice annually in late spring and autumn. Once treatment has been applied, weeds can take up to two to three weeks to have a visible impact. The chemical used is approved and regularly checked and controlled. A recent visit by the HSE confirmed the Council is conforming to regulations around the safe use of weedkiller.

Hedges – Hedges owned and maintained by the Council are cut during the winter months in line with the Wildlife and Countryside Act to allow for nesting birds during the summer months. Our programme for this year will be published on-line in the autumn. In the meantime, enquiries received will be reviewed, and if urgent action is required this will be prioritised. Please note if a hedge is on private property overhanging a public road or footpath, it is the landowner's responsibility to maintain it.

You can find out more information about the service on the council's website here.