Irritation as grass not being cut in Lower Ormond estates
‘the grass cutting contract is a massive contract. We don't have the staff to do it’
THERE is irritation and anger as grass is not being cut in many housing estates throughout North Tipperary, a recent meeting was told.
Cllr Seamus Morris told the October monthly meeting of Nenagh Municipal District that "the grass cutting has got worse not better during the last several months. People out there are very irritated about this. The grass cutters are sometimes driving around like Formula 1 drivers. On one occasion I had to prevent an irritated resident running after the grass cutter and expressing his annoyance.
"We shouldn't be tendering this work out. We should be doing this inhouse. People are irate throughout the whole of North Tipperary about it."
He added that the Birr Road in Nenagh looks unsightly due to a plethora of bollards, signs and sandbags scattered along the road. “It looks terrible.”
Barry Murphy, Roads Engineer, told Cllr Morris that the grass cutting contract is “a massive contract. We don't have the staff to do it. As a result, we had to go through the tender process and contract it out. I can see that aspects of it are not working. They haven't succeeded at times this year, that is for sure. We will review the contract.
“The cost of the contract is heavily fuel dependent, so it will go up. The costs cover collection and mulching.”
“They are not doing their job,” said Cllr Morris. “This has failed completely. He is absolutely failing. Sometimes we are opting for the lowest tender and it is not the best. Years ago we did stuff and it worked, because it was the local authorities which did it. Now we seem to be locked into this sort of capitalism ethos which is not working as well. I think we have to look again at funding for local government and raising funds for things like this. Grass cutting should be inhouse."
Cllr Fiona Bonfield said she also had received phone calls from irate residents about this problem. “It is a very big job and we need to look at the tender again, perhaps dividing it into two and contracting it out to two contractors. It is a very difficult job for just one contractor.”
Cllr John Carroll agreed that opting for the lowest tender was causing a problem. “The works are not being fully completed.”
Cllr Michael O'Meara pointed out that a lot of the housing estates used to have residents' associations which looked after grass cutting but sadly no more. “I see it partly as being a symptom of the decline of volunteerism in our communities. I think we should use a bit of imagination and turn parts of these grass areas into biodiversity areas. Sometimes we are talking about two or three acres of grass in an estate. Not all of it needs to be cut. The Council should work with the communities, encourage biodiversity areas, perhaps give the residents wildflower seeds, perhaps encourage the planting of trees. It would make the areas more attractive, rather than the current sterile situation where the grass is being cut to within an inch of its life.”
The other Councillors agreed with Cllr O'Meara. Cllr Bonfield said they should section off the areas, cutting the grass in some areas and allowing the growing of wildflowers in others. Cllr O'Meara said they should start out with a small number of estates “as pilot projects and see how we go.”
Cllr Phyll Bugler pointed out that in the housing estates taken in charge by the County Council after 2014 the residents are expected to look after their own grass cutting.