Bridgend Council’s Cabinet is set to consider taking back the management of the county’s urban and rural grass-cutting services (pdf).
In response to budget cuts and savings in 2015, grass-cutting services have been outsourced to a contractor.
Since 2015, the council has reduced the number of times and locations where grass is cut. They are now considering doing it themselves rather than appointing an external contractor, as it may be cheaper and would enable BCBC to react more quickly to changing costs.
Also, grass-cutting is mainly done for what is described in the report as “aesthetic considerations” – except for improving vision along certain roads and at junctions.
The current contract is due to end on 31st March 2024. If approved, an in-house service could be up and running by Spring/Summer 2024.
No job losses are expected due to the policy change and talks will start with trade unions over job transfers.
No costings were provided in the report. Though it’s expected that an in-house service would be funded from existing budgets, with enough money left over to buy the necessary equipment.
