Reaction to Skegness Town Council vote to stop cutting grass verges
Following a controversial Special Motion for a recission of a previous decision to hand responsibility back to Lincolnshire County Council, Skegness Town Council will no longer cut grass verges in the town. SUDS councillors said they wanted to save residents money but nine councillors (Con, Labour and Ind) said it was unacceptable for a job to be lost and the grass be left to grow and look untidy for the cost to a ratepayer of less that £1 a year. The grass will now be cut three times a year compared with 12.
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00:00 Stedness Town Council is to cease cutting the grass verges in the town.
00:05 Following a controversial second vote, the grass will now be cut by Lincolnshire County Council three times a year instead of 12.
00:13 It's outrageous that Councillors in this chamber wish Stedness to look unkempt with two foot high verges full of the glitz and the mess.
00:24 We have to support our residents who do not want our verges to stop being cut.
00:30 This will result in redundancy. I can't and will not support a redundancy within this council.
00:39 Redundancy is always a last resort, not a first.
00:44 Redundancy is bad at any time of the year, but just before Christmas is unforgivable by those who voted for a person to lose their livelihood.
00:54 I ask this council please to reconsider your actions and choices.
01:00 Thank you Mr Mayor. I was pretty sad to see this motion on the record on the town council.
01:09 Respect for democracy, democracy is on respecting the choice made by the council.
01:15 Reversing a democratically taken vote undermines the essence of the very democracy that we seek.
01:23 Eroding the trust of our citizens and residents.
01:27 So I think you're a little out of touch with the residents.
01:31 I was speaking to a resident last week and I said to this resident about the grass cutting and she said, grass cutting?
01:39 She said, I work and I've already signed, so do I shame myself by asking my family for help or going to the food banks?
01:48 And you're worried about grass cutting? I'm worried about feeding my kids.
01:53 We're talking about less than two pence per week per annum, less than four pence, to take the statutory legal obligation that LCC will provide of three cuts per year to between ten and thirteen.
02:14 A quick year. That wouldn't even strike up a lawn mower.
02:19 I mean, that sounds to me, we're in a situation where it's now at the scale where it costs this little.
02:27 And that is really the value of the money to make the town look good.
02:32 Now, a few points I'd just like to comment on in this chamber.
02:37 Councillor Dee Brooks said that this isn't democratic.
02:41 This is in the standing orders which have been approved and haven't changed, well, far beyond what I've been here.
02:49 With respect to being out of touch, I mean, a quid, a year for grass verges.
02:59 And we also have to remember that it's not just the cutting of the grass that we're getting for that.
03:04 It's the litter pick that happens beforehand. It's the pride by local residents, local employees that are doing that.
03:14 And in a management meeting not so long ago, less than a month ago, Councillor Dee Brooks said, and I quote, "Why cut their grass to make them look good?"
03:29 The answer is to make the state nest look good.
03:35 We're in a position now where our abandoned property is 97p a year between what we, what you want to charge for access and what we want to put it up to.
03:50 That's 97p a year.
03:54 So we need to make a matter of governance and not to cut the grass.
03:59 I've been a councillor for about 13 years. I am ashamed of you. I am ashamed to stand here today. Absolutely ashamed.
04:11 In spite of the debate, said councillors who had the casting vote previously maintained they were thinking of the community and wanted to save residents money.
04:23 Are you disappointed?
04:25 Yeah, I'm quite disappointed, but it was kind of inevitable to be perfectly honest.
04:29 We won't see the fluitions of the problem until obviously the springtime when the grass starts getting ridiculously out of control.
04:37 Very frustrating that this is clearly a political decision all for the sake of £8,000, just over £8,000.
04:46 But yeah, it's a very sad state of affairs that we're talking about less than a pound per year to cut the grass verges to a better standard than health and safety cuts.
04:59 Now one of the councillors has started a petition regarding this. Are you going to be pressing on with that?
05:06 Absolutely. We're all about ensuring that the residents get the best service, not a reduction and a cut in service.
05:14 The precept is always going to be a controversial topic for any councillor, no matter which chamber that you're sat in.
05:21 But ultimately, we've got to deliver the best value for our residents.
05:26 And £8,500 to cut the grass 10 to 13 times, to me, is outstanding value for money. And it's just a shame that the leading political party of this chamber didn't agree with it.
05:38 Mr. Mayor, you took the casting vote last time. Are you pleased with how it went tonight?
05:43 Yes, I am, because it was democratic views on it. And actually, it turned out quite well for us tonight.
05:52 And I was really pleased because I'm only thinking of the community, where we can save money, and that's what it's all about.
05:59 I mean, there's a lot of council members that are actually suffering financially.
06:05 I've just heard today that Leicester is having very difficult troubles with finance and it could possibly go bankrupt.
06:14 I don't wish Skegness down to go bankrupt, and that's what I'm trying to hold on and look at it in a sensible manner.
06:21 Do you think it's acceptable for the grass to be allowed to grow?
06:26 Yes. It's not all the grass that's going to get cut. The playing fields, the playing areas are going to be cut.
06:34 The tower gardens are going to look nice still. It's just the verges that we're worried about.
06:39 I feel that the verges were getting cut more times than is necessary, and it was costing more money.
06:46 So really, I just feel that where we can save money, we can survive.
06:53 And certainly, there's a lot of people really on the breadline in the town, and I feel that they can't afford all these extra things at the moment.
07:02 When things turn around, when the economy changes, which I'm hoping it will do, I'm trying to help in doing things.
07:09 I've got things in the pipeline, which I'm hoping to fulfil by next year, and everybody will get to know about that as well.
07:16 So I just say, let's carry on what we're doing at the moment, and it's the right thing.