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Countrywide Grounds Maintenance wins grass cutting contract with Welsh council to help save costs

20 May 2019

Countrywide Grounds Maintenance®, the UK’s leading professional grounds maintenance contractor, has recently won a new flexible grass cutting contract up to four years with the Vale of Glamorgan Council to help reduce its costs. 

This agreement also allows the number of cuts to be reduced in future years so can be tailored to reflect ongoing budget challenges.  Grass cutting of verges and small areas of open land will take place nine times this year, with the Council saving £100,000 on last year's costs, when grass was cut using agency staff.

The new contract, which started 6 weeks ago, will comprise of grass cutting in areas such as parks, sports fields and schools continuing to be undertaken by Council staff on a more frequent, 10-day cycle.

Miles Punter, Vale of Glamorgan Council Director for Environment and Housing Services, said: “At a time of decreasing budgets and increased financial pressures, we must be especially prudent in our approach to providing non-statutory Council services.  Through a successful external procurement process we have managed to maintain the urban grass cutting service at a level similar to that of last year.  However, with increasing demands for the Council's statutory services such as Education, Social Care and Highways, continuing to deliver non-statutory services like grass cutting, to the standards that the public expect, is becoming more and more difficult. This contract with Countrywide recognises that and allows cutting frequencies to be reduced in future years to reflect the budget demands."        

Ian Michael, Regional Director of Countrywide Grounds South Wales, said: “It is great to win this grass cutting contract with the Vale of Glamorgan Council and to be able to support them with their cost-cutting.  Not only are our teams trained to the highest standards, but they have the commitment and enthusiasm necessary to provide a service that’s second to none and we will ensure that we will always provide a service to ensure that the verges and green spaces always look their best.  We are really excited to have already started the work and look forward to the seasons ahead.”


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