Item 11 - Open Space Grass Cutting
West Dunbartonshire Council · 17 December 2025
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Officer - Roads and Neighbourhood Chief Officer – Housing West Dunbartonshire Council - 17 December 2025 Subject: Open Space Grass Cutting 1 Purpose The purpose of this report is to provide the information requested in the motion agreed at Council on 27 August 2025 in relation to the appropriate budgets for funding additional grass cutting and provide assurance the Council has appropriate asset management records to identify ownership of all material assets. 2 Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that Council: i) Agrees the funding for the additional grass cutting undertaken in 2026/27 will be £150k allocated to General Services and £150k allocated to the Housing Revenue Account. ii) Agrees the costs incurred in 2025/26 to undertake works through overtime and retention of seasonal operatives should be charged to Housing Revenue Account for work undertaken on Housing land and charged to General Services for work undertaken on general services land. 3 Background 3.1 The Council’s Greenspace Service carry out grounds maintenance and street cleaning of all Council owned land. This service is funded by a combination of the general services budget and individual departmental budgets including the housing revenue account. 3.2 As part of the 2025/26 budget setting process Council agreed to reduce the housing revenue account grass cutting budget by £150k and approved a saving option that reduced grass cutting on general services land by £150k. This reduced the number of seasonal operatives by 20, of which 10 would have been allocated to open space maintenance within general services land and 10 would have been allocated to housing revenue account land. ITEM 11
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3.3 West Dunbartonshire Tenant’s Satisfaction Survey 2024 confirmed there was lower support for housing revenue account funding to be spent on areas of garden and open space maintenance. This tenant feedback informed the decision to recommend a revised 2025/26 budget for Council approval with reduced grass cutting provision by £150k. 3.4 In line with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s Code of Practice on Local Authority Accounting, all Scottish councils are required to maintain a detailed and accurate asset register. This categorises assets into specific groups, including: o operational land and buildings (parks, schools, housing) o non-operational land and buildings (surplus land, investment properties) o infrastructure assets (roads, bridges, and footpaths) o community assets (open spaces and recreational grounds) o heritage assets (listed buildings and monuments). 3.5 Each asset record must include key information including ownership status, location, asset type, current value, and its depreciation method. For housing related land, it is essential to identify whether the asset is part of the housing revenue account or the general services account. This ensures maintenance and funding responsibilities are correctly allocated. At the end of each financial year, councils must carry out a valuation of their assets in accordance with reporting standards and guidance. This includes: o revaluing land and buildings, typically every five years or sooner if there are significant changes o reviewing assets for any reduction in value due to damage or obsolescence o calculating depreciation based on the expected useful life of each asset o verifying the physical existence and condition of assets. These valuations are reflected on the balance sheet of the Council’s annual financial statements. 4 Main Issues 4.1 On 13 August 2025 the IRED Committee approved the following motion: “That subject to Housing and Communities Committee approval and subsequent Council approval, Greenspace services are restored as follows: One-Off Costs for the Current year 2025/26 to: Apply a one-off cost of £65,000 from the HRA reserves to fund additional grass cutting capacity over the rest of the year at a cost of £65,000. Contribute £75,000 towards the costs of the retention of ten seasonal workers to cut back the areas of long grass to the 2024/25 levels. Recuring costs for financial year 2026/27 to: Increased recurring cost to fund grass cutting services at a cost of
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£150,000 to the Housing Revenue Fund for 2026/2027. The Housing and Communities Committee agree the above proposals relating to the Housing Revenue Account (subject to consultation with the West Dunbartonshire Tenants and Residents Organisation in respect of the 2026/27 costs) and approval of the General Spending commitment at Council. The stepped approach means next year that we will restore our grass cutting service capacity to its 2024/25 levels in a planned and achievable way.” 4.2 On 20 August 2025 the Housing and Communities Committee agreed the reversal of the implemented reduction of £150k in open space grass cutting in Council housing estates, which was presented in the 2025/26 Housing Revenue Account budget, agreed by Council in March 2025. 4.3 On 27 August 2025 Council agreed the following motion: “Council notes the decisions regarding greenspace services taken at recent IRED and Housing Committees and ratifies all matters requiring Council consent. A report should be brought at the earliest opportunity, but no later than the 2026/27 budget meeting, to allow elected members to make an informed decision on which budgets should be responsible for funding what work. Officers should also use this time to consult with WDTRO. Until Council has considered that report, Council agrees to fund all costs from the general services account as a temporary measure.” 4.4 Historical 2008 tender documentation confirmed Greenspace previously carried out grass cutting operations on 1.7million square metres of open spaces that are allocated to the housing revenue account. However, it is recognised these areas will have changed over time and although a significant number of open space plots within the housing estate continued to be maintained, there required to be a review of priority areas to be undertaken to ensure the current housing areas being maintained by Greenspace align to the priorities. 4.5 For housing related assets, the Council’s asset register covers all land and property linked to the housing revenue account, including communal open spaces, landscaped areas, and housing infrastructure. Each asset entry includes essential details such as ownership status, geographic location, asset type, current and historical valuation, and its designated service use. 4.6 The asset register is updated regularly through a rolling valuation programme to ensure accuracy and compliance with national accounting standards supported by joint working between Housing, Asset Management, and Greenspace teams. Appendix 1 of this report provides an asset list of the priority locations that are linked to the housing revenue account. 4.7 Officers from Greenspace, Housing, and Asset Management have worked together to identify a list of priority areas for grass cutting during 2026/27. This approach included ensuring the priority areas highlighted for housing revenue account grass cutting were areas managed by the housing revenue account as detailed in the asset register. This provides Council with the assurance that Housing Revenue Account funding is allocated exclusively to
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land managed by the housing revenue account. The priority list was established by comparing all West Dunbartonshire Council postcode addresses with housing revenue account addresses to determine the concentration of housing tenants in each area, supported by local officer knowledge. 4.8 To further enhance the accuracy and usability of asset records, the Asset Management team will begin mapping all open space areas to create a visual reference that complements the asset register. This exercise will: o reinforce clarity around ownership and maintenance responsibilities o support accurate budget allocation and service delivery o improve transparency for elected members and residents o enable more precise year end valuations and financial reporting. 4.9 Based on the committee decisions to reverse the grass cutting saving options, Greenspace will recruit 20 additional seasonal employees with 10 allocated to grass cutting managed by the housing revenue account and 10 allocated to general services grass cutting. In addition, open space maintenance has been undertaken utilising overtime and retention of the seasonal operatives over the winter period. This allows the service to prepare all sites to be maintained in 2026/27 in advance of the seasonal maintenance. 4.10 Housing Officers will provide an annual priority list of areas to maintain within housing revenue account land that fulfil the capacity of 10 seasonal operatives. The priority sites reflect the levels of housing tenant density. 4.11 The West Dunbartonshire Tenants and Residents Organisation have confirmed they are not in agreement with the £150k of housing revenue account budget being reinvested into grass cutting provision. 4.12 A question has been included in the housing rent setting consultation issued to all West Dunbartonshire tenants to seek their views on reinstating the £150k into housing revenue account funded grass cutting. The Housing Rent Consultation Strategy commenced on 30 October 2025 and will close on 23 January 2026, with analysis of returns expected by the end of January 2025. This will inform the rent increase recommended to Council in March 2026. 5 People Implications 5.1 The decision to reinstate grass cutting on Council owned land to 2024/25 levels will result in an additional 20 seasonal employees being recruited for the 2026/27 financial year.
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6 Financial & Procurement Implications 6.1 The reinstatement of the open space maintenance requires the recruitment of 20 seasonal operatives and the reinstatement of the £300k budget for 2026/27. 6.2 Activity undertaken through overtime or retention of seasonals is currently funded by general services. 6.3 In 2024/25 the housing revenue account funded £150k of the budget under consideration (10 seasonal operatives) and the general services funded £150k (10 seasonal operatives). 7 Risk Analysis 7.1 The Council has a duty to deliver services that demonstrate best value in line with Council policy and procedures. 8 Equalities Impact Assessment 8.1 An equalities impact assessment is not required as this is the reinstatement of an existing activity. 9 Consultation 9.1 Engagement has been undertaken with internal services and the West Dunbartonshire Tenants and Residents Organisation. 10 Strategic Assessment 10.1 This report reflects the 2022 – 2027 Strategic Plan and in particular the following Strategic Priorities: • Our resources are used in an environmentally sustainable way • Our Council is adaptable and focused on delivering best value for our residents Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane / Peter Barry Service Area: Roads and Neighbourhood / Housing Date: 4 December 2025 _____________________________________________________________
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Person to Contact: Ian Bain Greenspace and Waste Manager ian.bain@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Nicola Pettigrew Housing Operations Manager Nicola.pettigrew@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Appendices: Appendix 1 – Asset List of Priority Sites within HRA Ownership Background Papers: None Wards Affected: All