Urban grass cutting
Each October, we ask all Parish and Town Councils with urban grass to choose one of three options for the next year.
- Option 1 - Standard: Two cuts over the course of a year to be carried out by ESCC at no cost to the Parish/Town Council. Urban grass will be managed for safety purposes only.
- Option 2 – Extra cuts: Parish/Town Councils may fund an additional four cuts to be carried out by ESCC, totalling six cuts (two standard and four extra) over the course of the year. The extra 4 cuts would be funded by the Parish/Town Council.
- Option 3 – Self delivery: Parish/Town Councils take on responsibility to deliver all urban grass cutting in their area. This must include a minimum of two cuts over the course of the year. ESCC will not carry out any urban grass cutting in the area. ESCC contribute the cost of 2 cuts to the Parish/Town Council.
Please see below image displaying the urban grass cutting zones within East Sussex.
Urban grass cutting schedule
How we maintain urban verges
Our grass cutting policies prioritise safety and visibility for road users. Therefore, we cannot cut grass verges for aesthetic reasons - we only make the decision to cut a grass verge based on road safety.
If a safety issue is found, at junctions or in sight lines, between the two planned cuts we will carry out an additional cut.
Urban verges will be cut twice per year unless:
- The Parish or Town Council have paid for 4 additional cuts
- The Parish or Town Council is undertaking their urban grass cutting service in-house; therefore, we will not carry out any cuts.
- The verge is registered as a wildlife verge
- There are no urban verges, verges in this area would be maintained as rural
You can find out who is responsible for grass cutting in your area on our grass cutting map above.
Eastbourne Grass Cutting
From Tuesday 1 April 2025, Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) will hand back grass verge cutting and weeding operations to East Sussex County Council (ESCC) East Sussex Highways. This will be the end of a contract which lasted for around 40 years which saw the borough council self-deliver these services.
The decision was made at Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet on Wednesday 13 November 2024, as part of a wide-ranging set of measures to help the council achieve a sustainable financial position.
More information on the changes can be found on the Eastbourne Borough Council website.
The number of cuts will reduce from eight per year to the ESCC minimum requirement of two per year across the borough, in-line with the standard option for the rest of the county. Eastbourne Borough Council will remain responsible for the grass cutting on the land it owns, including council properties, parks and open spaces, cemeteries, the seafront and Beachy Head.
If you have any questions about grass cutting on Eastbourne Borough Council-owned land, report this using the online form on the Eastbourne Borough website.
Report overgrown hedges and vegetation in Eastbourne - Lewes and Eastbourne Councils