GRASS verges may only get cut twice a year under the latest savings scheme from Oxfordshire County Council.

The county currently provides funding to district and parish councils to cut verges fives times a year but is proposing reducing that to twice.

A spokesman said other councils ccould put in their own cash, which one parish leader said could lead to a council tax rise.

The total county budget for highway verges in “urban and village areas” will fall from about £1.5m this financial year to £734,000 from April.

The county council cuts verges itself and gives some cash to some other councils to manage their own cutting.

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Oxford City Council said its funding is for five cuts a year and is expecting a reduction from £41,589 to £20,000 this year. It did not comment when asked how many will take place in future.

Former city council street cleaner Donald Young, 76, of Williamson Way, Rose Hill, described the reduction in funding as “pathetic”, adding: “There is no reason or rhyme doing reductions, it is bad management. It will look like a tip, like wild countryside.”

Kidlington Parish Council will consider at a meeting on Thursday putting up its share of the council tax – £123.88 for a band D this year – up by two per cent to help make up the shortfall.

Chairman David Betts said: “Verges with two cuts a year will be two inches high as some times of the year.

“If you cut it and it is not picked up, then can you imagine? It will be everywhere.”

He added: “Imagine what your lawn would look like if it was cut just twice a year.”

Cherwell District Council has said it will not cut verges on behalf of the county from April as its £141,693 grant would be halved.

It said it makes about 16 cuts a year to keep grass under 75mm and would still cut grass on those roundabouts that were sponsored by businesses.

West Oxfordshire District Council spokeswoman Carys Davies said it expected its county funding to continue to allow for five cuts next year.

She said the district put in its own cash to provide up to 14 cuts a year in 30mph zones, for example.

Vale of White Horse District Council got £50,000 this year from the county, but no final decisions had been made for the next financial year, spokesman Natalie Ellis said.

It said it carried out an average of 11 cuts a year and up to 15 in some areas.

South Oxfordshire District Council does not get any cash from the county.

County council spokesman Owen Morton said the move was “part of wider on-going savings” which were “as a result of vastly reduced funding from central Government”.

He said the authority – responsible for roads – had no statutory responsibility for grass cutting unless there a safety risk, such as “encroaching vegetation”.

He added: “For county council-maintained verges the new funding will be based on two cuts a year plus additional cuts to maintain safety.”

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