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Grass Cutting - Update


Glenda Powell

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All councillors for the Hereford City wards were invited to a meeting with Balfour Beatty between Monday & Wednesday this week. I attended yesterday afternoon to be told I was the only councillor that had turned up all day. The south of Herefordshire areas are being cut first two weeks in July. In regard to the Belmont ward I gave them a list of priorities as well as other areas in Newton Farm, Hunderton and Belmont to be cut i.e. Football pitches, play areas, grass verges and GWW. The following areas that has been brought to my attention are:

 

Newton Farm: the Oval, Treago Grove, Marcle Walk, Waterfield Rd, Ball Court, Pixley Walk, Shaw Walkway fields from the GWW to Belmont Pools.

 

Hunderton: Haylease Crescent play area and Football Pitch, play area and football pitch in Luard Walk and the Riverside walk between Hunderton bridge and New bridge.

 

Belmont: Grass verges, Sydwall Road, Glastonbury Close open space & Northolme Road football Pitch. 

 

These have all been entered on the map for these areas to be cut. BB have bought new flailing machines for this work to be done.

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Let's not be fooled by a false win. 

If they cut the grass, people are going to be calling it a victory - but they are going to cut the grass anyway. Just not as frequently. So after the first false victory, it's just a waiting game as it over grows again before the next scheduled cut.

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I've had a look at the spreadsheet and not every street is listed (like Penn Grove Road) but I'm assuming it's lumped in with something like Moreland Ave. My area around there (which includes the College and roads off Venns Lane etc) is pencilled in to be 'cut' in the last week of August. A little bit ridiculous because everyone has probably seen the length of the grass in College Road and around there. So another 10 weeks of living in a jungle!

 

Anyone without Microsoft Office who wants to view their area on the spreadsheet can download the Excel Viewer for free:

 

Excel Viewer Download

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I live in Burghill. There is amenity land infront and alongside Leasown, which I believe belongs to Herefordshire Housing.

On Monday 22nd June a man with a ride on mower came to cut the grass, first time this year. The grass was so long it made a terrible mess and the cuttings were left. It Took him half of the day

Yesterday, 16th June, another man arrived on a full sized tractor and cut around then outside of the green, again leaving the cuttings. This took 3 hours.

Today, a 'team' of men arrived, armed with 2 x ride on mowers, 2 x petrol strimmers, a large pick up truck, and forks. They started on the grass at about 0845hrs, and didn't finish until around 1630 hours, this time, collecting the grass cuttings (well, most of them)

All this equates to 7 men, for 14 hours, to do what used to be done by two men in 4 hours when the grass was cut regularly.

Is this progress?

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Chris Chappell and myself attended at noon Monday the Balfour Beatty briefing regarding grass cutting, so where Glenda gets her info from I don't know.

As this was a face to face meeting we brought up matters that had been reported previously but as is normal we receive no response. Our grass areas will be cut at the end of this month we were told and the next and last cut will be the end of September, we were also informed that the new mower that they have to allow them to cut long grass will not collect the cut grass, so yet more mess. We asked that the trees that are just down stream from the Victoria Bridge be trimmed I suggested a log merchant might be approached to cut and collect the wood, common sense I thought. Children are taken there in the good weather to see the ducks and perhaps enjoy a paddle, I was there this morning and there were two individuals drinking their lager, this obviously would put a mum with kids off the idea of going on to the beach there. Was this briefing worth while?

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Bob, Glenda, if the long grass is cut and not collected, in this spell of weather, the cuttings will soon be tinder dry and will pose a very real fire hazard. Perhaps you could involve the Fire Prevention Officer, then go back to Balfour Beattie, and raise the concerns regarding this Health and safety matter.

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Chris Chappell and myself attended at noon Monday the Balfour Beatty briefing regarding grass cutting, so where Glenda gets her info from I don't know.

 

 

Is it just me or is it that every time you decide to pipe up the first thing you do is bash other councillors? I'm pretty sure every post of your's I read starts with "I don't know where XX got that info", "XX is wrong", "XX is lying".

 

As this was a face to face meeting we brought up matters that had been reported previously but as is normal we receive no response.

 

 

And you think that's acceptable? They work for YOU, YOU are the ones in contract with them, YOU are essentially their boss and it's YOUR job to get answers.

 

Jesus Christ, Imagine being in a job where you didn't have to answer to your boss or clients.

 

Get a ******* grip. If you can't do the job for which you've been elected and paid for, leave and let someone who can do the job take over.

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Is it just me or is it that every time you decide to pipe up the first thing you do is bash other councillors? I'm pretty sure every post of your's I read starts with "I don't know where XX got that info", "XX is wrong", "XX is lying".

 

 

 

And you think that's acceptable? They work for YOU, YOU are the ones in contract with them, YOU are essentially their boss and it's YOUR job to get answers.

 

Jesus Christ, Imagine being in a job where you didn't have to answer to your boss or clients.

 

Get a ******* grip. If you can't do the job for which you've been elected and paid for, leave and let someone who can do the job take over.

 

Yes indeed.  We are paying these people to do a job and we have elected you to represent us.  Was the officer responsible for the contact present at this interview? 

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Is it just me or is it that every time you decide to pipe up the first thing you do is bash other councillors? I'm pretty sure every post of your's I read starts with "I don't know where XX got that info", "XX is wrong", "XX is lying".

 

 

 

 

And you think that's acceptable? They work for YOU, YOU are the ones in contract with them, YOU are essentially their boss and it's YOUR job to get answers.

Jesus Christ, Imagine being in a job where you didn't have to answer to your boss or clients.

Get a ******* grip. If you can't do the job for which you've been elected and paid for, leave and let someone who can do the job take over.

 

 

I totally agree! It's also entirely possibly that none of the information you've been given is true! Time will tell...

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I'm going to try this approach at work tomorrow...

 
Boss:  Can I have the Friday WENUS report please?
Me:  No reply
 
Boss:  Can I have the Friday WENUS report please?
Me: Still no reply.
 
Boss:  When can I have the Friday WENUS report please?
Me:  No reply.
 
 
--
Time passes...
--
 
Me:  I'll tell you what boss...  You can have the Friday WENUS report in about nine weeks.  Okay?
Boss:  That's great thanks...
 
Boss goes running off happy that he thinks he's got a result...
I go off and buy a new computer, monitor, printer and ride-on mower and charge the boss for it.
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Nice one Clarkester!

 

Our councillors need to be shouting "Jump!"

 

And Balfour Beatty need to be replying, "How high, and which foot would you like us to land on?"

 

At the moment, the opposite seems to be happening!

 

And how much have these flailing machines cost by the way.......I sincerely hope they aren't going to be an expensive add on to the millions we are already paying them.

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% mark up on supplied services is redacted - there's a surprise - under Amey it was 20% for the Greenway bridge - yes 20% markup to manage themselves as contractors to build the bridge, which in itself would have a 20-25% profit. Councils must be the easiest of cons for these people. This is where all the money goes to. Best value? Is this REALLY cheaper than doing it in-house?

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