Agenda item

To review the County roadside maintenance arrangements.

(i)         To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.

(ii)        To ask the Department to present the results of the trials and the new grass-cutting policy to the Committee when timely.

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for Highways and Municipal and Gwynedd Consultancy and the Head of Highways and Municipal Services.  Attention was drawn briefly to the following principal points: 

-      It was explained that the report was an update to the proposed grass cutting arrangements submitted to the Committee in January 2022.

-      It was reported that grass cutting and collecting trials were in the process of being held in order to promote the needs of wildlife and biodiversity. It was elaborated that the work of seeding the areas in the trials had been completed in October and that it would be possible to see whether they had been successful or not from April 2023 onwards.

-      It was stated that the trials had been funded through grant receipts. The Council had managed to purchase grass cutting and collecting machines with this money and they could be used in the future.

-      It was confirmed that the trials would be promoted at the Council's stall at the Llŷn ac Eifionydd National Eisteddfod 2023 in Boduan. It was shared that visitors to the eisteddfod were likely to pass by the trial areas and it was hoped that the wild-flowers would have grown by then so that they could notice the difference. It was hoped to share a positive message about the trials to the public and that the new system would save money.

-      It was emphasised that health and safety was a very important consideration within the trial and it would not consider adding any area to the trials if it would have a negative impact on health and safety.

-      The Environment Department was thanked for working so closely with the Highways and Municipal Department on these trials.

-      It was expressed that a new contract with the grass cutting service was currently being developed for the next growing season. It was confirmed that it could be amended after the outcome of the trials was known, when the new policy would have been developed.

Members were given an opportunity to ask questions and offer observations. During the discussion, the following matters were raised:

It was asked whether problems were likely to derive from the fact that the policy would not be ready before the contract was in place.

-      In response to the enquiry, the Head of Highways and Municipal Department noted that this would not be a problem since the provision was included within the contracts in order to allow for such changes.

It was noted that the Committee had considered a report on this matter at the meeting on 13 January 2022. There was a query regarding the timetable in terms of adopting a new policy.  In response to the query, the Head of Highways and Municipal Department noted that the policy had not been developed to date since full seasons were required for the trials. He explained that preparations for the trials had been carried out at the end of the last growing season. He confirmed that it was important for the department to assess how the trials were progressing before a policy was created. He noted, as a result, that it was possible to develop the policy by the end of September/October 2023.

Following the response, it was considered to invite the Department back to a meeting of the Communities Scrutiny Committee around December 2023.

It was asked whether there would be difficulties for the work in the future should further grant funding not be available.

-      In response to the enquiry, the Head of Highways and Municipal Department noted that the grant was only one payment and the Council had managed to purchase machines to cut and collect grass with that money. He explained that the work could continue in the future because the machines continued to be in the Council's possession.

Members gave thanks for the report.

RESOLVED

(i)         To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.

(ii)        To ask the Department to present the results of the trials and the new grass-cutting policy to the Committee when timely.