2025

GM1083 - Removal of grass cuttings from wildflower, meadows, verges and species rich grasslands - 210525

APSE has been asked by one of its members as to how other local authorities are dealing with the removal and composting of grass cuttings from areas such as wildflower meadows, wildflower verges and species rich grasslands where there is a need to prevent grass cuttings decomposing and allowing the soils under these areas becoming too fertile and thereby unsuitable for future wildflowers and less vigorous grasses..

They would be particularly interested in the types of machinery being used to cut grass and remove it.

Clearly this will cost more than the traditional cut and drop mowing system, therefore how has this additional cost been accounted for?

GM1082 - Signage on Differential Mowing - 210525

A member authority would be interested in examples of signage/artwork to advise and educate the public on differential mowing.

GM1081 - Mounting Habitat Boxes on Council Assets - 140525

GM1080 - Grass Cutting - 010525

Cut and Collect

• How did you select cut and collect sites?
• How/ when do you re-assess these sites?
• To what extent have you replaced swards with either partial or complete seed/ wildflower turf?
• How have you prepared these sites?
• Have you used ornamental perennials in urban areas and how has this been justified?
• Have you sown directly onto subsoil or open cast mined areas, and how successful?
• Do you have any ready responses to criticisms, e.g. hidden dangers in long grass, asthma?
• Have you managed to quantify various benefits e.g. carbon sequestration?
• How do you manage pernicious weed control/ competitive grasses with limited resources?
• Have there been any issues with ‘No Mow May’ e.g. visibility splays?

Bulbs in amenity mown areas

• How have you mown later flowering bulb areas incl. primroses, in amenity swards?
• How do you manage winter hedge cutting next to early flowering bulb areas?

General

• How are the range of mowing regimes in different areas communicated to the mowing teams?
• What major lessons have been learnt or issues addressed?

GM1079 - Hedges - 290525

Do authorities carry out site specific risk assessments for every individual hedge and shrub bed they maintain?

GM1078 - Management Handbook - 240425

A member authority would like to know if anyone has a Parks Management Handbook or similar that they provide to parks supervisors/chargehands to guide them in delivery of their role and to ensure that they make links to key agendas and manage according to an agreed standard.

GM1077 - Badgers - 140425

A member authority would like to know the following:

[Please answer what you can]

1. Are you noticing an increase in badger populations on your inner-city parks and green spaces?

2. How is badger activity impacting on your site use?

3. How are you monitoring the ground damage created by badgers? If inspecting, how often weekly?

4. Do you have site specific risk assessments relating to badgers and how your mange the implications of having them present on a site?

5. Are you infilling foraging digging holes if so on what frequency? As found, in line with inspections etc?

6. Have you agreed a reasonably practicable response to protecting new sett locations, members of the public and or other site users from badger holes dug?

GM1076 - Grasscrete - 260325

A member council’s premier park is used for outdoor events, and the grass area which is used can suffer from compaction issues or become churned up if it has been wet.

The type of events which are held range from small community events to concerts with 12,000 people in attendance.

The equipment which is brought to site is by HGVs, tracking is put down on the grass, but this can be problematic at times.

The council are currently looking to see if grasscrete is an option to install on site. However. there are mixed reviews on this.

Have other local authorities either:

• Used grasscrete successfully?

• Used an alternative system and if so, what?

• Or removed the grass and hard surfaced the area instead?

GM1075 - Bowls provision - 090425

[Please answer what you can]

1. What bowls provision is your organisation still providing?

2. If you have reviewed your bowls provision in the last 5 years what has been the key changes to your delivery model?

3. Do you still offer a concessionary rate if so what percentage reduction on seasonal fees?

4. What is your seasonal player fee?

5. Have you developed any new ways of working regarding bowls pavilions and their weekly utilisation to develop shared usage or more sustainable cost-efficient usage?

6. Have you moved bowls clubs onto lease arrangements including the maintenance responsibility and what were they key outcomes from this? Were clubs able to take on the responsibility and the cost?

7. If you have a sustainable bowls model in operation, please can this be shared, we are keen to identify a sustainable business model.

8. Has your organisation of any of your clubs developed a successful new player recruitment initiative that could be shared?

GM1074 - Volunteers using power tools and/or machinery - 260325

A local authority is undertaking a review of how voluntary groups can undertake works using power tools and/or machinery.

They would be interested to hear from other councils who are aware of any voluntary groups undertaking works of this nature. In particular, they would be interested to know:

• How works are risk assessed
• How training of volunteers is undertaken
• What kind of works are permitted
• If works in and around bodies of water are permitted
• Any information on insurances
• Details on the council’s permissions processes and how long they run for
• Any other relevant information

GM1073 - Managing Appeals Processes on Allotment Sites - 260325

A member authority would like to know more about the methods employed by other councils in managing appeals processes on their allotment sites.

Their aim is to establish a robust procedure for dealing with such situations.

GM1072 - Use of Allotment Plots by Community Groups - 210325

A member authority is looking to implement a new community plot agreement. It is going to be like a tenancy agreement but specifically for community plots where people from a community group/charity/school use an allotment.

Do any other local authorities have a specific agreement/terms and conditions for the use of allotment plots by community groups?

GM1071 - Grounds Maintenance Management Software - 170325

GM1070 - Annual rent charge for self-managed allotment associations/societies - 140325

This is a query for authorities who have self-managed allotment associations/societies:

1. What is the annual rent charge for the land that is leased out to the association/society?
2. Is the charge based on the size of the land? If so how much per Ha or acre?

GM1069 - Rural verge cuts and biodiversity

With regards to rural verge cuts and biodiversity, this local authority is keen to understand how other members authorities mark the areas of verge not to be cut by contractors using eg tractor and side arm flail on rural verge cutting routes so they are easily recognised? Is there any easy tried and tested method, preferably permanent, as an alternative to contractors having to frequently study maps?

GM1068 - Pay gradings for compact sweeper drivers - 190225

A member authority is reviewing its pay gradings for compact sweeper drivers, in particular:

• What pay grades / salary do compact sweepers drivers earn?

• Do compact sweeper drivers undertake additional duties?

• Are compact sweepers driver JD combined with other JD’s or as a separate role?

GM1067 - Securing and Calculating S106 Contributions for Green Space, Allotments, Play, Sport and Leisure - 140225

What are your local authority’s process and procedures for securing and calculating Section106 contributions for green space, allotments, play, sport and leisure?

GM1066 - APSE local authority inherited grounds maintenance on private land survey

GM1065 - Removing Moss in Parks - 310125

An authority is struggling with removing moss in its parks, particularly on paths. Other councils have suggested:

• Algon
• Block Blitz
• WESTERMANN WR870 Moss Brush

The authority would like to know the pros and cons of using any of the above?

Or if there are better alternatives?

GM1064 - Standby and Call-out Pay Rates - 170125

A member authority has standby/call-out arrangements within its highways, grounds maintenance and arboricultural teams to deal with urgent out-of-hours issues i.e. storm damage, people being locked in a park etc.

What (if any) standby and call-out rates do you pay for this type of work?

GM1063 - Use of CRM/Asset Management software to deliver street cleansing operations - 060125

A member authority is seeking any feedback on software used to manage street cleansing operations such as resident service requests, fly tipping reports, gang routes for litter and bin emptying, bin locations, mapping, mechanical sweeper routes etc. They are aware of some key providers such as bartec Municipal Technologies and Alloy so any references to these would be particularly useful if you are already using them.

• How you have found the system to work with on a day-to-day basis?

• The level of support you have received from the vendor?

• What’s good about the system?

• What’s poor about the system?

• Would this be a product you would recommend?

• Any other comments or advice welcome.

GM1062 - Parks operatives training - 020125

A member authority is reviewing its parks operatives training and hope to learn what other members have in place for staff.

• Do you have train the trainers for handheld tools like strimmer’s and blowers, also for ride on and push along mowers?
• If yes, which training company did you use please?
• Do your team leaders or chargehands carry out this training?
• What certification or check lists do you use for compliance?