One of the minor cuts out of the many cuts being made this year by East Sussex County Council (ESCC) was to cut the number of annual urban grass cuts (mainly roadside verges) from six to two.
Instead ESCC asked Rye Town Council either to pay for the four cuts being cut, or to accept money from ESCC for two cuts to “Do it Yourself”.
Rye took the DIY option, and there has been praise for the change, and the work of Town Steward Nicky Ledger organising the cutting, from the Mayor, Councillors and residents.
When the council took this decision a muddy picture emerged of the current situation.
- ESCC contractors were not cutting some verges they should cut, and cutting others they did not need to cut
- Quite a few residents looked after their own verges
- The Town Steward often cut verges anyway because ESCC did not do it often enough or when it was most needed
- He also cuts verges which are the responsibility of Highways England (on major roads) because they often do not get cut until, and only when, drivers’ sightlines are affected by the growing jungle
And ESCC’s money could be used to buy a second, larger mower which would mean more verges getting cut more often.
Some verges are hard to cut because they get rutted by cars parking so the town council has also bought highway posts to protect verges until they can be repaired.
Some open spaces (such as Mason’s Field at Tilling Green) are however the responsibility of Rother District Council (RDC), and some riverside pathway verges may be the responsibility of the Environment Agency or maybe Rother Drainage Board.
In the meantime Rye’s Town Steward will get on with making his own cuts !
Photo : Rye News Library
Good to see Nicky doing Stirling work around town, hope he has not forgotten, new Winchelsea road and the old East Sussex depot adjacent to the harbour road,which has become an eyesore, for local residents and visitors alike.
But what about the verges in rural areas? Compared to some other counties the verges of our main roads look a real mess and I feel ashamed that this is now considered an acceptable standard to present to both our residents and visitors. Not to mention a hazard to all users. Other counties (and countries, come to that) can manage to keep their estate tidy, so why not us? Despite protestations to the contrary, we do pay significant sums in council tax and sometimes the value for money that we receive in return is very poor.