Residents’ complaints over Kirkholt grounds maintenance

Councillor Dale Mulgrew

Residents of the Kirkholt estate have expressed their dissatisfaction with the council’s recent upkeep of the area, claiming it looks ‘deserted.’

Numerous complaints have been received from locals who are unhappy with the lack of grounds maintenance performed in the area, with Councillor Dale Mulgrew expressing his concerns over grounds maintenance contract which Environmental Management delivers on behalf of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH).

Despite recent high-level visits to the estate by the new Rochdale Council Chief Executive and the Chief Executive of RBH, Councillor Mulgrew believes the ‘footpaths strewn with weeds, green spaces overwrought with vegetation and a general lack of tidiness around the verges’ show the contract isn’t being fulfilled.

Councillor Mulgrew said: “One tenant has suggested to me that the estate currently looks as if it were ‘deserted’, and I really cannot disagree with this conclusion at the present time.

“There has been a marked decline in the appearance of the Kirkholt estate over the summer months which has been picked up on by local residents.

“I understand the council has had difficulties with the delivery of this summer’s grounds maintenance programme, especially the spraying activity to remove the weeds from the footpaths. This is because of the really bad spell of weather we had to suffer during the early part of the summer.

“But overall it seems like the basics are not being delivered to a standard which is the very least the residents of the estate should expect. I felt I needed to register these concerns with the council and RBH. I hope some action can be taken swiftly.” 

Martin Taylor, Street Services Manager for Environmental Management at Rochdale Council, explained: “We have a groundwork maintenance contract with Environmental Management and RBH, who we have a great working relationship with.

“We’re aware of some of the problems, and in all honesty this summer’s been an absolute nightmare with the weather. With regard to weed-killing, new legislation which means we must use weakened chemicals also hasn’t helped. It may sound like an excuse, but that has cause major problems.

“We had a quality review meeting and thankfully picked up on these issues early on. We’re aware of the issues and have a team out there now working hard on it. With regard the upkeep we’ve had no complaints from the contract manager.

In terms of the issues with the banking, it can be difficult to work on with the weather, but as soon as it’s dried out we can get started.”

Councillor Martin Burke, Cabinet Member for Environmental and Operational Services at Rochdale Borough Council said: “Excessive rain over recent months has made it more difficult to spray weeds effectively but we have put extra teams on across the borough to assist with their removal. We have regular walk-abouts with local residents, and feedback has been positive. However we are meeting with Councillor Mulgrew shortly to listen to his concerns and will ensure they are acted on.”