Caerphilly Council to review 'No Mow May' policy to "strike right balance"

The ‘No Mow May’ campaign aimed to promote more biodiversity

A policy of not cutting grass during May, with the aim of boosting biodiversity, is to be reviewed, the leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council has said.

Councillor Sean Morgan said the right balance needed to be struck and that lessons had been learned during the taking part of the UK-wide ‘No Mow May’ campaign.

Cllr Morgan said: “After reviewing complaints and compliments and through looking at social media posts, it is very clear that there is an appetite amongst residents to support biodiversity and the clear environmental benefits.

“But it is also clear that we haven’t struck the right balance and we will need ensure that certain areas remain maintained, even through ‘No Mow May’. If we are to make a success of this, we need to bring residents with us.”

The formal decision to take part in the campaign was taken in March and outlined proposals to pause grass cutting during the month of May – with some exceptions including sightlines on highways, footpaths and cycle paths, and other areas.

Caerphilly Council’s cabinet have committed to reviewing the proposals to consider the areas that are required to be maintained, with a particular focus on the areas of high community use.

What is Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet?

A council’s cabinet is made up of councillors in charge of different policy areas – such as education, environment, local economy, etc – and a leader.

It is separate to the council’s corporate management structure, which is headed up by its chief executive and various directors. Cabinet is made up of councillors, who are elected and have the ultimate say.

Typically, cabinet members are councillors from the party with the most elected council members.

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet is made up of:

Cllr Sean Morgan (Nelson) – Leader
Cllr Jamie Pritchard (Morgan Jones) – Deputy Leader; Prosperity, Regeneration and Climate Change
Cllr Nigel George (Risca East) – Corporate Services and Property
Cllr Eluned Stenner (New Tredegar) – Finance and Performance
Cllr Carol Andrews (Gilfach) – Education and Communities
Cllr Shayne Cook (Morgan Jones) – Housing
Cllr Elaine Forehead (Van) – Social Care
Cllr Philippa Leonard (Risca East) – Planning and Public Protection
Cllr Chris Morgan (Machen and Rudry) – Waste, Leisure and Green Spaces

Corporate management is made up of unelected employees of the council and has responsibility for day-to-day management of services, such as making sure the bins are collected. Corporate directors work with cabinet members to come up with policy which is then agreed upon by the cabinet.

_{Last updated October 13, 2023}

Cllr Chris Morgan, cabinet member with responsibility for green spaces, added that the council had suffered problems when it came to cutting grass once May had ended.

He said: “We have, unfortunately, suffered a number of mechanical issues recently due to the cutting regime changes, and we now understand that we need the correct machinery in place to deal with extra-long grass. It is a learning curve.”

CCBC

Caerphilly Council to review ‘No Mow May’ policy to “strike right balance”

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