Highway verges are owned by and are the responsibility of Bucks County Council (BCC). Until 2016, BCC cut the grass on the verges but were providing a decreasing level of service year on year. They were starting in late May and only providing four cuts per annum. Their minimum standard is that traffic signs should be legible to road users. Our concern was that the service they provided was already not good enough and might get a lot worse if it fell to the minimum standard.
FRPC took up the opportunity to accept devolved responsibility to cut the verges in 2016 on a three year contract in order to guarantee a high level of service for our residents within a remit of what is reasonable for tax payers to pay.
The following is our commitment to grass cutting:-
• We will ensure that at least 6 cuts take place each year and up to ten cuts will take place if grass growth requires it.
• Cuts are scheduled to take place approximately every 3 weeks between April and October depending on growth and the weather. That is the ground must be sufficiently dry to allow work to take place.
• It takes 3 or 4 days for the cut of all parish verges to be completed – starting with the A355 and then working around village roads.
• If a complaint is received we will investigate promptly and arrange remedial work as necessary. This has proved to be quite rarely needed although sometimes parking on verges can make cutting impossible or risky.
If you have any comments, concerns or issues please contact the Clerk on 01753 648497 or clerk@farnhamroyal-pc.gov.uk.