Additional Grass Cut in Hailsham Appreciated by Residents

Positive feedback has been received by Hailsham residents concerning the latest grass verge cutting exercise, the first of two additional cuts funded by the Town Council and carried out by the Town Council’s chosen contractors.

Town councillors agreed at their latest meeting of Full Council held in July to fund an additional two cuts of roadside grass verges to be carried out by East Sussex County Council, totalling four cuts (two standard and two extra) over the course of the year. The first of these additional cuts was carried out last weekend and the second will take place in the early autumn.

According to the Chair of the Assets Management Committee, Cllr Mary Laxton, several residents have stated that the grass cutting which took place over the weekend was of high quality and the contractor covered most of the allocated areas across the town, additionally carrying out extensive trimming of boundary hedges that still had up to 4ft of long grass that had not been cut in recent months.

Cllr Laxton said: “Some verges in the town are cut regularly but others, due to a reduction in the number of scheduled cuts, grow so long that they could pose a danger to the public – as well as being an eyesore. I’m pleased that town councillors agreed to fund an additional two cuts this year and equally as pleased to hear the positive feedback from residents concerning the most recent cut, which was thorough and of considerably higher quality.”

“The Town Council recognises the importance of maintaining a reasonable standard of grass cutting throughout the town and works with contractors in order to continually improve services and ensure value for money.”

The Town Council arranges grass cutting in areas of land owned by the Town Council including Hailsham Country Park, Western Road Recreation Ground, Maurice Thornton Playing Field, Hailsham Cemetery and the Common Pond.

It does not make arrangements for grass to be cut on privately owned estates such as Harmers Hay, on developments that have not been adopted by the District, County or Town Council, or on local authority housing estates such as Town Farm, which is the responsibility of Wealden District Council.

Deputy Town Clerk & Business Enterprise Manager, Mickey Caira said: “The Town Council will be sharing payment costs for grass cutting services on public highways and footpaths with the County Council. Although environmental issues are of principal concern, the majority of urban grass cutting is actually carried out for highway safety reasons rather than aesthetic purposes.”

Residents in Hailsham who have any enquiries regarding the responsibility or standard of grass cutting on roadside verges, parks and public open spaces should contact Hailsham Town Council on 01323 841702 or by email to enquiries@hailsham-tc.gov.uk.