Antrim and Newtownabbey Council approves £45k grass cutting programme

A £45,000 grass cutting schedule has been approved by Antrim and Newtownabbey Council.
Mossley Mill. NT43-006FPMossley Mill. NT43-006FP
Mossley Mill. NT43-006FP

Preparations are taking place to carry out “an urgent full first cut” of the season across the borough.

Councillors have been advised the next few weeks are “critical to achieving a minimum standard of service, otherwise grass cutting will not return to an acceptable standard”.

“This provides time to prepare a way forward for the remainder of the season and to explore the use of furloughed staff,” according to a report by head of Parks, Ivor McMullan.

It is expected to be carried out through “a combination of overtime and the use of contractors”.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council is furloughing 375 employee and casual staff jobs.

Mr McMullan’s report to council stated: “Grass cutting is an issue which residents are extremely sensitive about and which is very visible as well as being an important part of the presentation of the borough as well as for sight lines.

“Complaints have already been received in relation to the lack of grass cutting, despite awareness of the restrictions due to the virus.”

However, his report indicated during the pandemic only essential council services have been delivered. For the Parks team, the priority during lockdown has been  “burials and where possible, grass cutting in cemeteries”.

It was also noted due to “financial uncertainties”, seasonal staff were not recruited and combined with staff absence and greater staff numbers involved in burials, “normal grass cutting has been severely limited”.

As a result, the staffing level in the Parks department has been more than halved from 95 to 45.

The grass cutting schedule for the borough includes parks, cemeteries, play parks, small areas in towns and villages, leisure centres, riverside paths, car parks, bowling greens, 27 grass pitches, roundabouts, as well as council facilities including community centres, pavilions, Mossley Mill and Antrim Civic Centre.

The budget for the department during the current year is £4.2m.

Ulster Unionist Glengormley Alderman Mark Cosgrove said: “It is the type of issue that when ratepayers get their bills this week, they will expect this as a minimal service that council provides.”

He acknowledged it is “probably not going to be as good as normal but it is good that we are trying to maintain what is quite an important service from a ratepayer’s perspective”.

Plants and hanging baskets, ordered and paid for will be delivered this month.

“As there will not be the staff to plant, water and weed flower beds across the borough, it is proposed that plants are given to community groups for planting in towns, villages, etc. Watering and weeding will also be required by the groups,” the report stated.

Flower beds which are not planted are expected to be weeded and covered in fabric and bark at a cost of £5,000 to ensure they do not become overgrown.

Sinn Fein Glengormley Councillor Michael Goodman said he supported the grass cutting recommendation and pointed out the local authority is asking community organisations to work with the council to “water and weed flower beds across the borough”.

“We need the co-operation of the community and voluntary sector across the borough. We should bear that in mind when asking them to work with us, to consider the level of support given to them in the future.”

Antrim DUP Cllr Paul Dunlop suggested businesses could be encouraged to help with watering of planters.

This view was shared by Deputy Mayor, Cllr Anne Marie Logue who said it would be “awful to see trees and plants go to loss”.

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter