GRASS CUTTING across the borough has been “below standard” the borough council said.
The borough council has called on contractor Tivoli to improve its performance, asking for an action plan to improve work.
Cllr Parry Batth, executive member for environment and leisure, said: “The service that Tivoli has provided has been below the standards we and our residents would expect.
“We have been working with Tivoli to improve this, however this has been unsuccessful.
“The issue has been escalated and we have specified that they need to provide a fast and permanent solution to fulfil the obligations of the contract.”
He said the council will be regularly monitoring the service to ensure swift progress.
Spencer Rock, Tivoli’s chief operating officer, said he is proud of their partnership with the council, and is committed to delivering a quality service.
“We acknowledge our grass cutting performance isn’t where we’d expect it to be at this stage,” he said. “Unfortunately, this season has proven undeniably difficult so far.
“Firstly, we’ve seen an unprecedented grass growth rate — around 60% more aggressive than last year.
“The flush experienced in late May and early June is the most extensive we’ve seen in 20 years.”
“There is also a nationally recognised shortage of labour for many sectors including grounds maintenance, which has impacted the contract heavily,” the chief operating officer said.
Mr Rock apologised on behalf of the company, and said they are rectifying the situation as quickly as possible.
Cllr Shirley Boyt, Labour councillor for Bulmershe and Whitegates said residents deserve better.
She questioned why close monitoring of progress was not happening before, but said the borough council could not blame the contractor for problems caused by the Governement.
“We know why the strategy has failed,” she said.
“It is because the contractors, like many businesses, have been doubly hit by the incompetence of the Conservative Government. First, allowing the Delta variant into the country, and allowing it to spread by unlocking too quickly.
“Tivoli workers who have been self-isolating have been doing the right thing to try and stop the spread and this has obviously made it harder for the contractor.
“And second, the Conservatives have caused a national labour shortage by inflicting a hard Brexit on this country.”
She said numerous residents had complained to her about the length of grass across the area.
“The problem is not just the cutting not keeping up with growth, it is that until the announcement last Friday, residents were not kept informed of what was going on,” she said. “They don’t know whether their area is behind schedule, missed by mistake or designated for re-wilding.
“This is not a new problem which is why I have been pushing for the provision of up to date information to residents, including at the last council meeting.”
Cllr Boyt said she was told by Cllr Batth there would be an “all-singing, all-dancing” webpage for residents to find this information.
“I am not holding my breath,” she said. “This has been promised every year since 2014. Residents really deserve better than this.”
She said in November last year, the borough council planned to tackle challenges of weather, staffing and machinery in the pandemic.
She said the same review promised to ensure Tivoli had a clear recruitment timeline, also using the Government Kickstart scheme and agency connections to provide cover during the pandemic.
“Clearly this strategy has failed,” Cllr Boyt said.
Cllr Clive Jones, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for the environment, said his party raised the issue with the council months ago.
He said Tivoli’s apology was too late, and the company should have expected changeable weather in Britain.
He suggested the firm was too focused on its profit margin and questioned whether there were enough staff and machinery for the job.
“I have no confidence it will change in August,” he said.
The councillor said he would also like to see plaques placed in front of wildflower spots, to ensure residents and those with mowers in hand, know whether to keep or cut them.
