PARKS and grass verges are growing out of control because the council isn’t mowing them, Coventry residents and councillors have claimed.
Conservative councillors representing the Woodlands ward say they have taken the ‘unusual step’ of revealing some of the complaints they’ve received having become frustrated with the council’s inadequate response.
They’re worried the untidy appearance is making the area look messy and less attractive.
Areas of public green space like the Brookstray in Mount Nod are regularly used by dog walkers.
However, with grass in excess of two feet the area has become impassable in places, they claim.
The council says it is mowing green areas on a rotating 20 working day cycle but many residents believe this isn’t happening, the ward councillors claim.
The Conservatives are now demanding an improvement before the situation gets completely out of hand.
Woodlands ward councillor Peter Male said: “Woodlands ward residents are rightly proud of our part of the city.
“However, the untidy appearance of the area is making our neighbourhood look messy and neglected and residents from across the ward have been in touch to complain.
“We’ve demanded action from the council on a number of occasions and each time they’ve literally kicked us into the long grass.
“Things have got to change fast because it’s beginning to affect the pride residents take in the area.”
Fellow Woodlands ward councillor and leader of the Conservative Group, Gary Ridley, said: “As the City of Culture we’re going to be welcoming a lot of visitors to Coventry so it’s vitally important that we get this right.
“However, is it any surprise the service is so poor when Labour voted to give the unions a £1 million public subsidy every year at the expense of parks and green spaces?
“The Labour group should have protected this service but frankly the only thing they haven’t cut is the grass.”
Coun Julia Lepoidevin said: “Last week we had reports of fly-tipping building next to uncollected dustbins and this week it’s grass cutting. Residents in woodlands pay high levels of council tax and expect to receive some sort of service in response.
“At the moment Labour is failing the people of Coventry.”
A Coventry City Council spokesperson said: “Our grounds maintenance team work across the city, and some of this work was affected by wet weather earlier in the spring.
“We are aware that some areas have become overgrown and we will be catching up on maintenance work in the Woodlands Ward and other areas in the coming weeks.
“In recent years as part of national public spending cuts, council’s up and down the country have had to adjust the regularity of grass cutting.”
