Edward Hunt's Forest of Dean Miscellany

31st July 2008

Councillor Bruce Hogan proposed the following motion: -

The Forest of Dean District Council is concerned at the current controversy surrounding the decision by Two Rivers Housing to charge owner occupiers of former Forest of Dean District Council and Two Rivers Housing properties for grass cutting on former council housing estates.

This Council recognises that although it was not a party to the decision to levy these charges, the legal justification being used by Two Rivers is a clause in the deeds of conveyance originally drawn up by this council when the properties were sold.

The council therefore recognises that it has a moral, if not a legal, responsibility to use its best efforts to find a fair and equitable solution to this problem.

Furthermore, this council notes that there is clause in the deeds of conveyance of some, if not all, of the properties allowing for disputes over the level of charging for the maintenance of joint services to be settled by arbitration.

The Forest of Dean District Council resolves to:

call upon Two Rivers Housing to initiate procedures for disputes over the charging regime to be settled by free and independent arbitration.

call upon Two Rivers Housing to detail all the areas of grassland that it is expecting each owner occupier to contribute to the maintenance of, and details of the costings of the maintenance contracts.

facilitate discussions between Two Rivers Housing, the Forest of Dean District Council, representatives of the tenants and owner occupiers of the affected estates and relevant town and parish councils to find a more equitable way of funding the maintenance of open spaces which have amenity value for the whole community.