Purpose

To seek approval for the funding of a 18-month scheme for managing trees and other garden maintenance within the Housing Revenue Account portfolio that sit outside of the current Grounds Maintenance Service Level Agreement.

Decision

This report proposes the following recommendations to the Portfolio Holder for Housing:

·      Approve the establishment of a Management of Trees scheme from October 2026 until March 2028

·      Approve the use of £40,000 reserves from the HRA Efficiency Budget

·      Note the alignment to the Community Plan Ambition Seven

·      Note a report on the outcomes from the scheme will be presented to the Portfolio Holder in March 2028.

Reasons for the decision

Failure to manage overgrown trees could provide a risk to tenants, Council property and/ adjacent properties.

The recommendations enable the Council, as a responsible and forward-thinking landlord to support tenants financially with trees that may cause a health and safety risk.

This proposal aligns with the Community Plan Ambition:

Seven - be a top performing, modern and accessible Council that gets its everyday services right for the residents and businesses it serves

Alternative options considered

To provide no support scheme.