Improving the District
Progress is being made in attempts to improve the upkeep of verges beside roads in the St Albans District, a report has revealed.
St Albans City and District Council (SADC) has been working on the issue with Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) which has responsibility for highways.
New coordinated working arrangements between the two local authorities started earlier this year to improve essential maintenance work.
This includes HCC’s grass cutting, kerbside weed treatment and gully drain cleaning as well as SADC’s street sweeping.
Quarterly meetings between officers from the two councils are now taking place while information about work schedules is being shared.
As a result, HCC’s work is being coordinated with SADC’s to maximise enhancements to the look of residential areas.
A pilot programme concentrated on a dozen streets is now taking place to see if further improvements can be made to working practices.
The report on the joint working scheme was made to a meeting of SADC’s Community, Environment and Sport Scrutiny Committee on Thursday 9 November.
Several Councillors raised concerns about the work undertaken by HCC either to protect roadside trees or to remove dead ones.
An HCC representative told the meeting that there were around 12,000 roadside trees in the District and some 150,000 across the County.
He said HCC’s budget was limited and tree work was focused on safety issues.
The Committee agreed to note the report and will return to the issue of working with HCC again next year.
Councillor Anthony Rowlands, the Committee’s Chair, said: “A year ago the Committee was very concerned that District and County were not working effectively together on behalf of residents.
“There are signs that improvements have been made to achieve better coordination to keep our roads and pavements looking good, but there are also signs that there is still some way to go.
“The Committee had particularly strong concerns about the maintenance of roadside trees.
“One thing we would like to see are protective guards being properly fixed around the base of trees to protect them from damage when the grass is being strimmed.
“The main message that we have sent to the County Council is that further improvements like this must be made and that our own officers will work with them to achieve that objective.
“We will as a Committee be monitoring these issues very closely and will expect to see substantial progress next year.”
Councillor contact:
Anthony Rowlands, Chair of the Community, Environment and Sport Scrutiny Committee of St Albans City and District Council.
Tel: 07761 232064
Email: anthonyrowlands@hotmail.com
Contact for the media:
John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer
St Albans City and District Council
Tel: 01727 296130
Email: john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk