Agenda item

Review of Policy’s progress one year post-implementation, together with highway verge maintenance.

Context:

To provide the Strong Communities Select Committee with a performance overview of the pollinator policy 22 months post implementation. In particular the perceived implications of the highway verge maintenance policy amendment (Budget Mandate proposal number B4) in relation to MCC’s commitment to support WG Pollinator Action Plan.

          Key Issues:

1.  The pollinator policy was adopted in 2014 and fully supports the Welsh

Governments’ Action Plan for Pollinators and the Natural Environment and Rural

Communities act 2006. The Action Plan recommended new management systems in terms of planting regimes and resulted in reducing the first cut on A & B routes to

safety cuts only and reducing the number of unnecessary cuts to large verged areas and elected public open spaces. The change in the management system resulted in a benefit saving of £43,555, whilst actively making the county more desirable to visit, live and work in.

2. Consultation with Town and Community Councils (T&CC’s) was a requirement of the policy and as such, there are now regular and much improved discussions with T&CC’s on how to replicate the flowering displays within their areas. Support for the policy has been given by numerous T&CC’s, with one council requesting an extension to the safety cuts and reduced cuts in more rural areas.

3. On April 16th 2014 the Select Committee were presented with a report of petitions received, a petition with 163 signatures – opposed to the verge safety cuts on A&B roads and a 2nd petition with 766 electronic signatures, 74 emails and 6 individual letters fully supporting the whole policy. This support has since grown with many residents and groups actively asking for reduced cuts to hedges and verges.

4. The Wales Environment Bill will place an enhanced biodiversity duties on Local

Authorities when it receives royal ascent in the spring. This means that rather than

just having regard for biodiversity, we will need to maintain and enhance biodiversity in exercising our functions, which dovetails the Council’s commitment outlined in the Single Integrated plan to promote, protect and enhance Monmouthshire under the theme “Our County Thrives”.

5. Within the first 6 months of implementing the policy, the Council received over 80 emails and 25 telephone calls in praise and support of the displays. Individual

T&CC’s and various environmental groups also took time to congratulate us on the

work.

6. In the wider arena, the Council received applause from DEFRA, BBC’s Country File, Spring Watch and Horticultural Weekly. Advice was sought from neighbouring

Councils including Chard, Somerset and Crickhowell Town Council in addition

Council officers have given presentations to a large proportion of Welsh LA’s on the subject.

7. Since the implementation of the policy, officers received only one concern on issues of visibility/ safety from 1 Community Council and one resident and these concerns were addressed immediately.

8. Currently, highway verges are cut twice, with field hedges and verges receiving a safety cut in the summer, if there isn’t a verge, for example within a large proportion of our narrower R and C routes, the hedge is cut to a metre high. It is worth noting that all field hedges are the responsibility of the land owner and are in their ownership as identified within section 154 of the Highways Act.

9. Mandate proposal Number B14 discussed the introduction of a change to the

number of cuts when the new contract is issued, reducing them to one cut per year, with the exception of scheduled Urbanised areas of which will continue to receive two cuts. This will fully support the Pollinator policy and the groups/individuals wishes, which form the majority when commenting on the policy. It is proposed that local Community Councils will have the opportunity to fund additional cuts as required within their individual boundaries. The priority as always will be safety and confidence in this statement can be assured through the immediacy of grounds maintenance response to concerns by highly mobile compact tractor and flail units this quick reaction will fully support the reduced cuts, in addition the section

Member Scrutiny:

A Member asked if they would be able to request a verge area to be cut if it was felt to be dangerous. We were advised that after receiving a request, local accessors would be sent out to inspect and if the area was considered to be a health and safety issue, a small tractor would be sent out to cut back the area.

A Member observed that the flowers are viewed locally as a failure, with another Member adding that the beds now looked to contain a brown mess. We were advised that the flowers had been left to seed and ongoing a new perennial mix had been sourced.

Concerns for the ongoing management of the beds were raised and we were advised the maintenance regime would entail the bed being prepared during March, seeded in April and then left throughout the year (with selective weeding) and cut down during the Winter period.

Mandate B14 was discussed with the number of cuts in urbanised area being questioned. We were answered that Urbanised areas would be townships; verges that fall within the 30mph zones, Usk, Monmouth, Raglan, Abergavenny, Chepstow and Caldicot. We were told that concerns had been raised about the amount of verge mowing carried out in the countryside with several complaints being received. One of the complaints asked why do we do cut private hedges. The R and C routes that we cut, very few of them have grassed verges and the mandate proposes that we only carry out 1 cut during June/July period and then leave it to private owners to do it.

Officers were asked if pressures had been put upon the Council to ensure that entrances to towns were kept tidy and did urbanised areas take priority over rural communities. In answer we were told no, the intention is to carry out the double urban cut. A Member stressed that communities should all be treated the same.

We were told that Community Councils would be given the opportunity to pay this authority for an enhanced cut. A Member commented that this would mean smaller, rural communities would spend more money than their urban counterparts.

A Member commented on the strength of working on cluster basis.

A Member asked if changes had been made to Mandate 14 in respect to urbanised cuts. We were advised that the proposal to reduce from 2 cuts to 1 cut had been picked up after working closely with town and community councils mandate rather than B14. Concerns were raised that the mandate, which had been scrutinised had been changed.