Hedge cutting grants
A motion to provide a Community Hedge Cutting grant sparked lively debate at last Monday’s meeting of Sligo County Council.
Proposed by Cllr Keith Henry, the later amended motion proposed that the council consider introducing a grant to help farmers, groups of farmers or local residents to cut hedges not cut by Sligo County Council.
The fee would be in the region of €50 per kilometre with a minimum distance of €3.5km.
A similar scheme is currently available in Leitrim, where uptake is “modest” according to Cllr Henry. He stated: “The two major concerns that I hear from people at this time of the year is hedges and potholes.”
Cllr Henry said the issue needs to be addressed, as some people’s hedges are cut by the council but others are not, and this creates confusion locally.
Cllr Joe Queenan said that as a farmer himself he paid a contractor to cut hedges and argued that was the way most people went about it. He suggested that if people don’t cut their hedge that they are written to by the council.
Cllr Paul Taylor commented that a lot of land on second class and third class roads is not being farmed and therefore hedges are not being cut.
Cllr Taylor said the best way forward may be to see how the Leitrim scheme developed and then make a decision.
Chief Executive Ciarán Hayes said the council would look at the success or otherwise of the Leitrim scheme before considering whether to introduce it in Sligo.