A former Aberdeen Lord Provost has criticised the council for treating Bridge of Don residents as “second-class citizens” over its failure to cut the grass.
John Reynolds has labelled the suburb a “total mess” as the grass has either been left completely uncut or doused in weed killer.
Although some locations are meant to be cut 16 or 17 times a year, Mr Reynolds claims they have not been cut once all year.
The retired councillor, 74, stepped back in 2022 after representing the Bridge of Don ward for 36 years.
Now he is calling on Aberdeen City Council to act and clean up the area which he has described as the “worst he has ever seen”.
After being contacted by The Press and Journal about the situation, council grass-cutters took action the next day and got to action on some of the worst parts.
But Mr Reynolds believes the area is still neglected, despite the recent action.
Weed spraying is ‘stupidity at its best’
He said the council has been spraying weed killer indiscriminately to control the grass.
“They’ve obviously bought a job lot of weed killer, as I’ve never seen such a large amount of poor spraying, with at least six inches of grass being killed off”, he said.
“Sadly, some of the areas that should be sprayed haven’t even been touched.
“It is stupidity at its best.”
Mr Reynolds believes the fall from grace of Aberdeen’s horticultural offering has been sad to see.
Aberdeen proudly holds 14 gold Britain in Bloom titles, along with the record for the most back-to-back wins.
But Mr Reynolds said it is a “good job” the judges stick to the city centre and do not visit Bridge of Don.
He said: “Residents have seen a huge deterioration in service, which is indefensible.”
Bridge of Don neglected despite contributing to city’s coffers
Mr Reynolds is frustrated with the treatment of Bridge of Don by the city council, despite the area of 30,000 people “contributing hugely” to the council’s budget.
He said the issue is getting worse, despite the fact the grass-cutting budget has not seen a reduction.
“Residents in the Bridge of Don are having to put up with a second-class service”, he said.
“I think the money is going someplace else. I don’t know if it is getting spent on other areas of the city.”
Mr Reynolds said in his day as a councillor he would go around his patch and report it to the council.
But he said he is not sure if the current councillors live in the area and see it on a daily basis.
“You have to be proactive, not reactive”, he said.
How does Aberdeen City Council decide on where to cut the grass?
Aberdeen City Council said it cuts the grass between mid-March and mid-October but not every area needs the same cutting regime.
It said it cuts the grass depending on the ground and weather conditions, and if it is used for recreation.
But said grass that is not used for sport or recreation will not receive full cuts and will be managed for nature instead.
The council said that allowing grass to grow longer is better for nature, biodiversity and helps combat climate change.
How much money should be spent on grass-cutting?
However, the Aberdeen city public are now being given the chance to help shape council spending decisions on various services, including grass-cutting.
People can have their say with a new website, awarding points to the issues they think matter most.
Read our guide to the process HERE.
Now’s your chance to help prevent cuts while shaping spending on Aberdeen… Here’s how!
