Andy Munns
Wiltshire Council is beginning its annual grass-cutting schedule in urban areas this month.
It will begin its monthly cuts scheduled from March until October in most amenity areas the council maintains.
The cutting programme, managed by the council’s contractor, idverde, focuses on maintaining amenity areas around the county by cutting them every month.
However, in some areas, which have been selected in consultation with local communities, the council looks to promote biodiversity and encourage pollinators by leaving these areas uncut as wildflower meadows. These initiatives allow plants to flower and seed, providing a food source for insects and other wildlife.
The areas that are left uncut are reviewed on an annual basis.
Wiltshire Council does not cut grass in Trowbridge, Chippenham, Pewsey, Devizes, Bradford on Avon or Salisbury, where it is the responsibility of the parish, town or city council.
While amenity grass cutting begins this month, on rural highways the council starts cutting visibility splays on junctions and some bends, plus along some particularly narrow lanes, from May and then throughout the summer. The remaining verges are left uncut until September, which enables wildflowers to set seed and spread more widely in the verge.
On some highway verges in the county, the council uses a ‘cut and collect’ method, as collecting the grass means fewer nutrients go back into the soil, which (possibly counter intuitively) creates conditions that encourage the growth of wildflowers.
Cllr Caroline Thomas, Cabinet Member for Transport and Street Scene, said: “Grass cutting is an emotive issue that generates many queries and it’s not possible to please everyone, as some people like grass to be cut neatly, while others prefer to let it grow to encourage wildlife.
“We try our best to manage these differing views by cutting some amenity areas, while leaving others as wildflower areas to help bees and other pollinators, to meet our business plan commitment to take responsibility for the environment. We choose these wildflower areas in consultation with local communities and review them regularly.
“On our highways, safety is paramount, so we cut visibility splays to keep all road users safe although, as we manage more than 2,800 miles of roads in Wiltshire, it is not possible to cut the grass at every junction. However, if people do see a problem during the summer months, we’d encourage them to report it to us using MyWilts.
“Our cutting schedule during these next few months will be challenging because of the extremely wet weather we have experienced, but teams will be working hard to balance safety and the need to support biodiversity in Wiltshire.”
To report areas that need grass-cutting, people should go to www.wiltshire.gov.uk/mywilts
