Wirral Council will not be cutting grass in parks and open spaces for the whole of May, in a bid to support wildlife.
It is the second time the policy has been put in place in Wirral, after it was trialled last year. A Facebook post from Wirral Council read: “Following the success of last year, No Mow May is back!
“This means we've stopped grass cutting in our parks and open spaces to help bees and other wildlife thrive - and we encourage residents to do the same. So, lock up your lawnmower until June and let the wildflowers bloom.”
READ MORE: Local elections 2022: Wirral Council results live as they happen
But it is important to note this policy does not cover every blade of grass the council owns across the borough. The post added: “Sports pitches, play areas, cemeteries and civic spaces will still be maintained as usual.”
This means grass in Wirral’s public open spaces gets cut twice in April and June and then once per month from July to October. The same policy is in place for what the council calls “general grass areas” in the borough’s parks. While some back the plan in the hope it will support wildlife, others worry it could make some of the borough’s green spaces unusable.
This is not the only initiative the council is championing to support the environment. So-called ‘rewilding’ is a policy which has seen some areas of grass in the borough cut just once per year, in the autumn.
A section of Wirral Council’s website read: “Some areas will also be allowed to re-wild to provide opportunities to encourage wildflowers to grow and to protect and encourage insects, such as bees, butterflies and moths. For most rewilding areas grass cutting will only take place once per year, in the autumn.
“In large areas, pathways will be cut through the grass areas to provide walking routes, and borders will be cut surrounding existing pathways. Any roadside grass verges, that if left to grow would impact visibility and cause safety concerns, will be maintained by cutting a corridor edge along sightlines.”
This policy is in place for certain green areas across the borough, including Moreton Linear Park, The Little Arno in Oxton and Poulton Recreation Ground in South Wirral. A full list of the areas Wirral Council is rewilding can be found here.
