COUNCIL BOSSES BLASTED OVER GRASS CUTTING CRISIS IN TOWNS
TORIES BLAST COUNCIL BOSSES FOR MAINTENANCE PLAN
COUNCIL bosses have been shamed as ‘contemptible’ for trying to camouflage the grass cutting crisis and asking residents to carry out the work for them.
That is according to councillor Kris Wilson, leader of the Conservatives at the Town Hall.
He hit out at Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council’s idea to ask residents to help them maintain flower beds and open spaces.
He said that tax payers already pay for that service, which is provided by contractor Glendale, and that the council should ensure the firm does its job properly, not ask folk to pick up the slack.
It follows a deluge of complaints about the state of grass cutting across the borough, particularly in cemeteries, and then the council’s ‘innovative’ ‘Borough in Bloom’ plan to ask residents to take ownership of flower beds and maintain them - with training from Glendale.
In asking councillors to back the motion, he said: “This simply is not good enough, we have not experienced what we are paying for, we are paying for a service and we have not been getting. During the recent crisis we have been experiencing with Glendale, no rectification notices or penalty clauses have actually been issued. “I think, quite frankly, it is contemptible that the party opposite (Labour) are trying to camouflage the crisis we are currently experiencing by sending Glendale to teach the residents how to maintain the borders and open spaces within the borough - that is Glendale’s job – not the residents of this borough, if residents want to do it as kind and community-minded activities, that’s all well and good but trying to deflect the issue is not good enough.” Cllr Ian Lloyd, cabinet member for arts and leisure, said when the contract for the grounds maintenance contract goes out to tender later this year, there will be changes. “The rectification notices are served on Glendale, they then have about ten days to comply with that notice before it becomes a default notice,” he said. “Unfortunately, what you end up with, in this contact, you get a lot of rectification notices in, so Glendale will then run around doing all of the rectification notices and leave the rest of the contract. “On the new contract, we have changed that, instead of having the default stage, you get charged straight from the start. “The Borough in Bloom, of course they (The Tories) don’t want any good ideas, they want to poo-poo everything, I went to a business sector meeting, their MP was there, yes he did look a bit red-faced.
“I suppose he thought he knew what would happen, that people would say ‘no, we aren’t going for that’ but I had five businesses come up to me straight after the meeting, saying ‘we would love to be a part of it, we want to take part in it, we want to talk this borough not talk it down.’
“We want to help put more flowers into the town centre, it is accepted by the people out there, you need to listen to the public because that is what they have asked for.”
Cllr Keith Kondakor said that he hopes when the new contract is drawn up, residents get to see what the council is asking of the company.
“I think the specification should be totally public, the actual commercial amount, how much you may should be confidential, but let’s make a public document so that everyone can see what is there.
“There is not a lot of money around so we are not going to have a Rolls-Royce contract but at least people will know and know what they are getting.”
And Cllr Wilson added: “The portfolio holder (Cllr Ian Lloyd) says that he wants to talk the borough up, it is the Labour party that has run the borough down.
“Residents want the grass cutting and trimming not teaching them to plant bulbs, the residents want the service they pay for.”
A vote was taken on the motion and it was 17 for and 17 against, so the Mayor, Cllr Chris Watkins, used his casting vote to reject the motion.
Residents want the grass cutting and trimming not teaching them to plant bulbs. They want the service they pay for. Cllr Kris Wilson