The Parish Councils grass cutting contract is due for renewal in January 2027.
Grass cutting is one of the main regular expenditures for the council as we have a lot of grass in the village.
We do need to cut the grass, some areas for road safety reasons, some as we do them on behalf of North Yorkshire Council, and mainly because many residents consider it important that the grass is kept tidy, to enhance the apparency of the village.
Concerns have been expressed over the effects on wildlife of regular cutting, particularly bee orchids.
Bee orchids are not a protected species, but we do appreciate that many people do like to see them.
For this reason we are intending to include a requirement for relaxed mowing areas in the new contract.
Not cutting the grass at all will not help as this encourages more vigorous grasses and weeds to grow which will create conditions which are not good for the orchids and other wild flowers.
Two options were discussed at the |July Parish Council meeting.
Option 1: After the first cut of the year and prior to the contractors next visit, the Parish Council will mark areas to be treated as relaxed mowing. These areas will not be cut again until August.
Option 2 ; The following areas will be classed as relaxed mowing areas and are to receive 1 cut in April and no further cuts until August with the exception of a 1M strip adjacent to the road and the footpath.
A Verge on the A 1246 from Ash Lea to the village boundary towards Brotherton.
B Verge on the A 1246 from the flats to the wooden fence adjacent to the community centre
C Areas where daffodils and tulips are planted.
As bee orchids are likely to move their locations, option 2 might not ensure that all the orchids were protected in any given year. However, it would hopefully create areas where the orchids and other species could thrive on a long term basis.
Any comments of these proposals would be welcome from residents and should be addressed to the parish clerk by 4/9/26.