FOI Disclosure Log
Customer Request Details
17 February 2020
Please provide:
"The total spent on upkeep and maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council, in 2016
The total spent on upkeep and maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council, in 2017
The total spent on upkeep and maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council, in 2018
The total spent on upkeep and maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council, in 2019"
"The frequency of maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council in 2016
The frequency of maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council in 2017
The frequency of maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council in 2018
The frequency of maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council in 2019"
East Herts Council Response
17 February 2020
I am writing to acknowledge your written request for information.
Your request is being considered and you will receive the information requested within the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Freedom of Information Act 2000, subject to the information not being exempt or containing reference to a third party.
The Act defines a number of exemptions, which may prevent release of the information you have requested. There will be an assessment of your request and if any of the exemption categories apply then the information will not be released. You will be informed if this is the case, including your rights of appeal.
If the information you request contains reference to a third party then they may be consulted prior to a decision being taken on whether or not to release the information to you. You will be informed if this is the case.
There may be a fee payable for this information, this will be considered and you will be informed if any fees are payable. In this event the fee must be paid before the information is processed and released. The 20 working day time limit for the response is suspended until receipt of payment.
If you have any queries about the processing of your request then please do not hesitate to contact me.
It is important that you include the above FOI reference number on all correspondence related to this request.
Your personal details will be held within out Information Request case management system, and only used for the purposes of evaluating and processing your request.
While details of your information request may be published on the council website, your personal details will never be published or released to anyone outside the council unless it is required by the Information Commissioners Office.
Thank you for your request.
East Herts Council Response
03 March 2020
Thank you for your request for information, this has now been processed and the information that we hold is enclosed.
"The total spent on upkeep and maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council, in 2016
2016/17 1,606,097 Actual
The total spent on upkeep and maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council, in 2017
2017/18 1,635,402 Actual
The total spent on upkeep and maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council, in 2018
2018/19 1,607,161 Actual
The total spent on upkeep and maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council, in 2019
2019/20 1,606,510 Budget
"The frequency of maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council in 2016
The frequency of maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council in 2017
The frequency of maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council in 2018
The frequency of maintenance of green spaces/areas which are maintained by the council in 2019"
The Council’s contract for maintaining green spaces/areas is not based on frequencies but on performance standards. The number of visits to each individual green space is therefore not recorded. The contractor adjusts their frequency of visits to perform a range of operations to meet these performance standards. These are the relevant standards for the years 2016 to 2019.
CLASSIFICATION
DESCRIPTION
PERIOD
STANDARD
Park Grassland
Large open spaces. Usually cut with gang mowers in the main. Includes football pitches.
1st Apr - 31st Oct
Minimum height - 25mm Maximum height - 75mm
1st Nov – 31st Mar
Minimum height - 50mm Maximum height - 75mm
General Amenity Grass
Amenity land, open spaces, and small parks, mainly in urban areas. Usually cut with ride on rotary or cylinder mowers.
All Year
Minimum height - 25mm
Maximum height - 80mm
Box Mowing High Amenity Grass
High Amenity Parks. Usually cut with a rotary or cylinder mower with collection box
1st Apr - 31st Oct
Minimum height 12mm Maximum height - 25mm
1st Nov – 31st Mar
Minimum height - 20mm Maximum height - 35mm
Conservation Cut (Meadow Grass)
Cut and collect and dispose of arisings on certain park areas with aim of keeping nutrient levels low and help disperse seeds to encourage wild flowers
Twice per year March and August or July and September as instructed
Height after cutting - 75mm
Rough Grass
Cut only on certain park areas to maintain a ‘naturalised’ appearance
Twice per year March and August
Height after cutting – 75mm
Rural Grass Cut
Council owned roadside verges in rural areas (not County). Mainly cut with ride-on cylinder or rotary mowers or tractor and side arm or strimming in some locations.
All Year
Min – 50mm Max – 150mm
Hedges
Combination of side only, top and side, top and both sides. All litter and arisings are removed from the hedge base on the same day as pruning
cut twice a year
Shrub beds - High Care / Standard Care
Growth that obstructs car parks, footpaths, roads, road nameplates, signs, windows, gutters shall be carefully trimmed back to a regular line and shape by cutting during the early summer. Site lines, signs and nameplates kept clear of vegetation at all times.
All shrub beds are pruned at least once per year. Beds must be 95% weed free
(High Care hand weeded only and mulched)
If you have any queries or complaint about the processing of your request please do not hesitate to contact me.
Alternatively for more information on the Freedom of Information Act contact the Information Commissioner at:
Information Commissioners Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone 0303 123 1113
https://ico.org.uk/
It is important that you include the above FOI reference number on all correspondence related to this request.
Thank you for your request.