Parks and green spaces - Your expectations and our standards

What can you expect?

We will:

• ensure that the parks, allotments and playground services are available as advertised
• ensure events are as advertised
• update information points on a regular basis check play areas on a regular basis to ensure safety and remove any safety hazard within four hours of you telling us
• ensure customers are satisfied with the quality of our recreational and sporting facilities, football pitches,  bowling greens, cricket pitches, tennis courts and pitch and putt
• provide opportunities to develop countryside skills and knowledge
• keep all public trees in a safe and healthy condition

Our general standards

We will:

• answer all letters within 28 days and emails within 14 days (or 28 days at peak periods)
• deal with your enquiry courteously, and identify ourselves by name
• ensure access to facilities and services for people with disabilities
• regularly seek your views on our services and use this and other information to monitor how we are performing

We will also take action if we are not meeting our standards and set targets for improving our performance.

Grass cutting - Areas we cut

Grassed areas on council owned land includes:

• Highways - Grass verges
• Leisure - Parks and open spaces, environmental meadow areas
• Social Services - Grounds
• Education - Non school sites
• Bereavement Services - Cemeteries and Crematorium

Different standards are applied to the various types of grassed areas we are responsible for, depending on where they are and how they're used.

When do we cut?

In general, we don't cut grass on a regular cycle. Instead, we ask our contractors to cut it only when it reaches a specified height. The advantage of this approach is that it lets us use our resources much more efficiently.

For instance, in a period of drought grass doesn't grow quickly, so our contractors don't need to cut it as often.

On the other hand, if we have warm, wet weather, they might need to cut the grass more frequently than a fixed schedule would allow. 

Football pitch prices

To download prices for football pitch hire, click on the PDF icon below:

Prices are correct at the time of publication however, may be subject to change without notice.

Your feedback

If you would like to help shape the future of our parks and green spaced, please take a couple of minutes to complete our online questionnaire.