Issue - meetings

The Housing Strategy and Development Officer explained, as part of the Tenant Engagement Strategy, one of the ways in which tenants could engage with the Council was via the Bolsover Tenants Challenge and Change Group.  This Group delivered the tenant scrutiny function of the tenant engagement and governance structure (attached at Appendix 1).

The Review of Grounds Maintenance had taken place between June 2024 and March 2025,

Tenants had been supported by the Tenant Engagement Officer, the Housing Strategy and Development Officer, and the Grounds Maintenance and Street Cleansing Manager.

The Housing Strategy and Development Officer invited Mr. Tony McRae, a tenant and representative of the Challenge and Change Group, to present the report

Mr. Tony McRae informed tenants had chosen to review the Grounds Maintenance on Council Estates (provided by Streetscene) as they had shared concerns on the quality of the service, on whether voids gardens were being maintained to the required standard, and the negative impact this could have on neighbourhoods.

The tenants had agreed recommendations across four areas:

·       Clarification of responsibilities for both tenants and the Council;

·       Clarification of the current maintenance programme and potential factors which could impact planned works;

·       Evaluation of the quality of maintenance works and how this was assessed by the service; and,

·       Analysis of complaints related to grounds maintenance and the actions taken.

As part of the review, tenants had spoken to a number of Council officers and  completed site visits to three new build schemes, two existing estates with communal open space, and to two void properties to assess the standard of the grounds maintenance.  Six meetings and one day of site visits had taken place.

Tenants had looked at the different areas of ground maintenance (grass cutting, hedge cutting, weed spraying, assisted gardens service, and tree management and maintenance).

Tenants had also reviewed works schedules and sought clarification on how the service adjusted when impacted by incremental weather.

It was noted that the planning of new trees had not been well maintained.  For existing Council properties, hedges and grass areas had been found untidy.  Staff resources were stretched.  It was found that church / burial grounds were often prioritised over higher-use areas.

12 recommendations were listed in the final report of the review (attached at Appendix 2).

To a question on the parking of vehicles on kerbsides and grass verges / areas, the Housing Strategy and Development Officer informed tenants had shared similar concerns but could not prioritise investigation due to it not being proportional to other concerns and not being able to successfully resolve with any recommendations.

Moved by Councillor Jeanne Raspin and seconded by Councillor Emma Stevenson

RESOLVED that the Customer Services Scrutiny Committee note the recommendations of the Bolsover Tenants Challenge and Change Group in relation to the Grounds Maintenance on Council Estates.

The Housing Strategy and Development Officer, Tenant Engagement Officer, and Mr. Tony McRae left the meeting at 10:40 hours.