Dear Sir,
I would just like to draw a matter to your attention regarding the unacceptable grounds maintenance in our area.
For a few years now we have had to deal with unsatisfactory work on our green areas, I’m referring to the red estate but I can imagine it applies to all areas in Newton Aycliffe.
The quality of the work done is shocking, bushes that need cutting back are not cut back and the ones that are cut back are hacked down with no care or regard for the area. The grass cutting is a bit of a standing joke in the area, it’s either not cut at all, cut very poorly or cut when the ground is sodden leaving our greens and house boundary’s looking like mud pits. I have attached some pictures of DCC’s attempt at grass cutting today, in the middle of November, after days of rain.
Residents in the area get a lot of flack from councillors and people in authority if they mount the grass in vehicles during the winter, damaging it, why do DCC and the grounds maintenance company, contracted by Livin, seem to be able to do it without question?
As a private household we have to pay nearly £40 per year direct to Livin for maintenance of our green areas, for an estate with around 300 private homes this is an investment of £12,000, This, on top of our council tax contributions, should guarantee the residents a good standard of workmanship, a standard of workmanship we should not have to complain about every time something is done.
We work hard as an estate to keep it clean and tidy, we look out for one another and many families are settled here, the very least we can expect is Livin and DCC to maintain our green spaces to a decent standard, we pay for it after all.
Michael Murphy
