From the start of next month, the responsibility of cutting verges and grass owned by Surrey County Council (SCC) across the Borough, will return to the SCC.
For the past few years, this has been undertaken by Surrey Heath Borough Council (SHBC) as part of an agency agreement, however, SCC have now decided to take back responsibility for these areas in all the Borough and Districts in the county from 1st April 2023.
The frequency of cuts will also change, with SCC carrying out up to four grass cuts a year in urban areas and up to two cuts a year in more rural areas. This is a decrease from the 12 cuts per year previously carried out by SHBC for many of the SCC owned verges in the Borough. This difference in frequency is therefore going to be noticeable for residents.
Information and timings of when these cuts are scheduled for is available on the SCC website.
Grassed areas in parks and green spaces owned by SHBC, will continue to be maintained and managed by the Council.
Commenting, Cllr Rebecca Jennings Evans, SHBC Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Community, said:
“During the past few years SHBC has worked hard to properly maintain grass verges including establishing wildflower verges in key locations to create havens for wildlife. We're pleased that Surrey County Council is hoping to build on the start we've made.
"It is important that our residents are aware of the change to the service as the reduction in cuts may be of concern. All the grass cutting information on our website has been updated so that residents can easily find out who manages which verges in the Borough and can contact the relevant authority with any questions or concerns.”
