COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 09, 2013

QUESTION NO.5

QUESTION: Councillor C. King

To ask the Manager to specify the cost of grass cutting throughout the County during the grass cutting period up until September 1st 2013 and to compare this to the same period last year and to state whether the same volume was cut as last year. Finally could the Manager state how many times the Belgard Rd was cut in 2013 in comparison to 2012 and to state the costs associated with both periods?

REPLY:

The cost of grass cutting is not readily available as a defined programme of work as the financial reporting set up under the old Parks Section focused on geographic areas rather than work programmes. It is therefore only possible to give an approximation of the cost of the grass cutting programme for the county in 2012 at approximately €3,000,000.

The re-organisation of the Public Realm Maintenance Services earlier this year includes a re-organisation of all Public Realm budgets so that reports can be facilitated by both geography and work programme. The re-organisation of the budget is being prepared for the 2014 budgetary process later this year and will provide detailed Revised 2013 and Estimated 2014 budgets.

At the moment it is expected that the cost of grass cutting for 2013 will be approximately the same as for 2012. While the grassed areas to be cut have not changed since 2012, the weather in 2013 has facilitated much improved adherence to the grass cutting schedules. In addition to this efficiency and productivity improvements are providing much better value in terms of the numbers of cuts actually being delivered.

Over the last numbers of years the Belgard Road has been cut twice per year. In 2012 cuts at the beginning and end of the season cost approx €45,000 for the year.

In 2013, the advent of the re-organisation of Public Realm Maintenance Services facilitated a revised approach that enabled a three week schedule to be put in place for all major roads – ie Belgard, N81, N4 and the Outer Ring. The first cuts took place in early June and the 3 week schedule has and will continue for the remainder of the cutting season - ie to mid/late October. The Belgard Road will then have received a total number of 6/7 cuts with the cost projected at €52,000 for the year.