We will have regular meetings with BEST to monitor their performance.

Our new framework will outline service standards, which we didn’t have in our previous agreement. This helps us hold them accountable.

Some of the key service standards include:

• Cutting standards: Grass should be cut three-weekly and kept under 75mm during the season.
• Safety: Grass must be blown away from pathways and doorways.
• Customer service: They need to report any complaints to us immediately.
• Customer convenience: The contractor will work with minimal disruption and ensure safe access.
• Security: Staff will carry ID cards and wear uniforms with their logo.
• Noise control: The contractor will need to minimise noise and disruption as much as possible.

In the past, our contractors have picked up the grass clippings after it’s been cut.

Some of you have told us that you prefer it this way. We get why – it can look tidier.

We’ve tried to find contractors that would consider this. But it takes much longer and needs different kit, most just can’t cover it. Also, it’s a lot less eco-friendly and a lot more expensive.

This year, we'll switch to a standard cut, where clippings are left after a cut.

But we'll cut more often to keep the amount of clippings down.

BEST have already started working around the borough.

The first cuts began on the 17 March 2025.

March - October  (if needed)

• Previously, our grass cutting season ran from Apr -Sept.
• However, we’ve noticed that our summers now extend well into Sept / Oct, and everything starts blooming in March if it's mild.
• So, this year, we’re working with BEST to extend the grass cutting season from Mar - Oct.

The cuts will run on a three-weekly cycle this year.

We're really sorry about the issues you experienced with our grass cutting service in 2023 and 2024. It wasn't up to the standard that you (or we) expect and you deserve.

Here's what happened:

• Back in 2022, grass cutting was one of our most common complaints.
• So we did a consultation and found a new contractor, Nurture (CGM).
• Nurture started in 2023, but it didn't go well.

After the issues we faced, our estates management spent a lot of time in spring last year (2024) discussing the problems with Nurture (formerly CGM).

We were reassured that they had addressed the issues and got more staff - so normal service would resume.

Unfortunately, this didn't happen.

So, we ended our contract with Nurture in October 2024.

We have been busy talking to BEST about our expectations this year and pulling together a new contract.

We have set up a formal framework to outline our expectations and give us more flexibility around the weather.

So, if we have another rainy and hot summer, the grass will be cut more frequently at no extra cost.

In 2022, we saw a trend in complaints which told us our grass cutting service wasn't meeting your expectations. 

So back in September 2022, we went out to get a new supplier and to explore value for money. We shortlisted two options and asked you to help us decide.

Nurture (formerly CGM) received the highest votes and their contract started with us at the beginning of April 2023.

We know how important it is to you to keep communal gardens and grass areas around your estate looking their best. And we hoped that you would see an improvement in the service that you receive. 

In October, we held a customer consultation to consider two new options:

1. Return to the previous contractor (BEST), a service run by Broxbourne Council in 2022.
2. Find another contractor.

Your vote indicated that you wanted to return to our previous contractor, BEST.

You can find out more about this consultation here.

BEST has also invested in new equipment, all serviced and ready to go. Since we've worked with them before, they know the areas well, which means there will be less of a grace period.

With one contractor covering all areas across Broxbourne, we should see more consistency and fewer patchy areas. But it also allows us to quickly identify and address any missed spots if this happens.

You might notice that open communal areas are cut before more difficult to access spaces (e.g. smaller gardens behind a gate).

Big ride-on mowers can't get into some spaces.

So, there’s a separate team with different equipment for those restricted areas. And they'll have their own schedule.

So please don't be concerned if, at first, it looks like they’ve missed a bit. They'll be around another day for the other bits.

If the team at BEST arrives but doesn't cut the grass, there are a couple of possible situations...

a) There were things in the way

Items like:

• Toys
• Bikes
• Chairs / tables
• Trampolines / paddling pools
• Dog mess

...can stop the grass getting cut.

Contractors not comfortable moving your things and can't risk any damage their equipment - especially with dog mess.

If there are things in the way, they might go away and come back next time.

To help us keep the communal garden nice for everyone and ensure the grass is cut on time, please keep the areas clean and clear.

b) They didn't deliver the service

If the grass area is clear and it's now is longer than 75mm but it still wasn't cut, please let us know.

Trees, shrubs, and bushes follow a different maintenance schedule compared to grass cutting and are not managed by BEST.

Instead, our Grounds Maintenance team takes care of them.

• Trees are pruned during the winter season.
• Shrubs and bushes are trimmed three times a year.

Our team starts in the north of the borough and works their way south according to a set schedule.