“Unnecessary” grass cutting should be reviewed, councillor argues

Caerphilly County Borough Council should review its grass cutting policy to boost biodiversity, a Plaid Cymru councillor has argued.

Llanbradach councillor Colin Mann has written to the council’s Economy and Environment Director, Mark Williams, to raise concerns over “unnecessary” grass cutting.

When lockdown restrictions were imposed in March 2020, grass cutting services in Caerphilly County Borough were paused. As a result, new wildlife habitats were created and nature blossomed.

When grass cutting resumed in the summer of 2020, it was limited to dual carriageways – with the council only cutting the grass up to one metre from the kerb, leaving the rest untouched.

Last December, senior councillors approved plans for this regime to be implemented as the norm.

However, in his letter, Cllr Mann said: “In some areas, there seems to have been an attempt to allow grass to grow and thus create more diverse vegetation which, of course, encourages pollinators and other wildlife. In other areas there has been wide road verges regularly mowed which does not seem to have a justification or connection with road safety.

“This severe cutting back appeared to have continued unabated during ‘No Mow May’ when public authorities and others were urged to leave grass uncut to encourage biodiversity. A specific example is work done on the Llanbradach bypass which, I believe, costs in the region of £17,000 a year.”

He argued the money spent on this could be “put to better use,” such as going towards the cleaning of road signs and clearing vegetation affecting the visibility of road signs.

Cllr Mann, who used to lead the council’s Plaid Cymru group, also pointed to research which he said showed less frequent mowing could provide enough pollen and nectar for ten times the amount of bees, butterflies and other pollinators and insects.

He added: “Action would make a substantial contribution to the Climate Action Plan and help to address the slogan of making the borough greener.”

In 2019, the council passed a Climate Emergency motion.

A council spokesperson told Caerphilly Observer the authority was working hard to “strike a balance” between keeping the borough tidy and promoting biodiversity.

The spokesperson said: “Whilst we understand the importance of maintaining the county borough’s green spaces, protecting our environment is also a key priority. There will be differing views within local communities, but our aim is to balance aesthetics and safety with ecology.”