Our Green Inspectors project relaunched on 1 July following some changes to improve the way we action feedback.
Our internal process has been improved so that we can easily report on the feedback we’re receiving and clearly see where the issues are to take actions to improve. We’ve also improved the website and feedback form to make it more user friendly for our customer inspectors.
Inspections logged
A total of 11 customers logged green inspections during July.
The below table shows which regions these customers live in.
Feedback from the East region
Customers advised that the contractors were maintaining borders and shrubs well. Areas of concern were hedges and hard-standing areas.
In total, 57 percent of customers gave an overall rating of gold or silver for their grounds maintenance.
Feedback from the South region
All areas of grounds maintenance were scored bronze in July by the two green inspectors. Actions have been taken by the Estate Contracts Team and we hope to share improvements with you in the next monthly update.
Feedback from the West region
Customers were most satisfied with the grass and borders in the South region. Hedges, shrubs and hard-standing were all the areas highlighted for improvement.
A third (33 percent) of customers gave an overall rating of silver for their grounds maintenance.
You said, we did
Where customers have advised areas of hedges or shrubs have been missed – We’ve explained about nesting season. We believe that improving our communication about nesting season and other seasonal changes will help explain to customers why there’s sometimes a change in the service. You can find out more about nesting season here - https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/gardening-for-wildlife/plants-for-wildlife/garden-hedges/hedge-law/
Seven green inspectors advised that either an area has been missed when the contractors attended, or the customer felt the areas wasn’t completed to a good standard – The Estate Contracts Team referred all of these back to the contractor, asking them to re-attend.
A customer in the West region advised that the area wasn’t completed to a good standard - The Estate Contracts Team issued the contractors with a 48-hour notice to bring the area up to the expected standard.
We’ve been advised of areas that aren’t being maintained to a good standard – We’ve found that not all areas are Longhurst Group responsibility. We’ll issue all green inspectors with a map of their area to help show which areas our contractors should be maintaining.
Not all customers know what’s included in the grounds maintenance service - We’ve added this to The Hub page to help customers know what to expect.
Our grounds maintenance contractors maintain the communal grounds of our estates. The number of visits each month depends on the time of year. For example, grass cutting will take place more regularly during the growing season.
If your home comes with a grounds maintenance service, you can expect the following.
What is included?
- Grass cutting – Grass cutting is weather dependent but we endeavour to cut grass every two weeks between March and October.
- Hedge cutting -. This will usually consist of one cut per year, and will take place outside of the bird nesting season which is between February and July.
- Shrub pruning - Cut all shrubs in communal areas. All shrubs should be kept at a height of no more than 160 centimetres. Some shrubs will require hard pruning at times, which may lead to the shrubs looking unsightly for a short time before they regrow. Yearly prune unless overgrowing paths or creating a Health & Safety hazard
- Shrub beds - Will be kept weed free through a combination of treatment and hand weeding.
- Weed control – Hard standing areas will normally receive four sprays during the growing season between March and October.
- Leaf collection - Will take place monthly on each site visit between October and January.
- Hard areas - All hard areas will be swept monthly, with all litter removed and any build-up of debris removed.
- Trees – An annual tree survey will take place, which will inform us of any work required for Health & Safety purposes. We will not normally prune trees to improve TV/Satellite reception, if they block light or drop leaves or fruits.
What is NOT included?
- Removal of green rubbish generated by customers.
- Maintenance of any plants or shrubs planted by customers.
- Removal of any garden furniture or any other items that could impede grounds maintenance duties such as grass cutting. It is up to residents to ensure areas of grass are free of all obstacles.
