Rewilding, a group of residents in Derbyshire fight back.

We have friends who go litter picking with a group of other people.

The amount of rubbish they pick up is astonishing. It is quite shameful. That is not even from flytipping, it's just carelessly dropped or thrown from cars by those who care nothing for their environment.

I read the article in some local news reports. Some said no mow May had turned into can’t be arsed August 😏

Golf courses that were originally created and maintained by councils have been rewilded one near by is good, we don’t have to duck the “thwack” of balls when dog walking anymore, ..but the beautifully manicured grass is as the name suggests becoming wilder -
there was even a suggestion that some rare breed of cows would be “ installed” in one section …not happening and this was at the start of 2020!
All the rewilding is so obviously about cost cutting really. Why can’t they just be honest?

Good job you don’t get bushfires. Long grass would be incredibly dangerous here, especially near houses. Everyone looks after the ‘nature strip’ - councils don’t do that , it is expected the nearest householder would mow it. If anyone dropped litter up our street there would be an outcry, just wouldn’t happen. Thank the Lord for that, I couldn’t stand living around litter.

I've just had to phone the council again and speak even more firmly to them.

While it's true that long grass and wildflowers have many benefits to the local ecology and also to children at play, these areas need to be attended to with proper knowledge of gardening.

Long grass and annual wild flowers should be cut at the end of the flowering season to allow for regrowth for over- wintering.

If dogs are being walked there should be enough litter bins to suit even the laziest dog walkers.

I am not in favour of house holders taking the law into their own hands except in cases of dire necessity, which this is not.

I think rewilding is lovely, but it does need to be managed properly. I live in a rural area and frequently you can't see round bends because the grass verges have been left, the roads are narrow and often single file, plus the joggers, walkers etc have no choice but to walk in the roads.

I recently got stuck behind 2 large load vehicles for 6 miles travelling at 6 mph, something we accept around here, but the verges were so overgrown that the parking sensors just beeped at me for the whole 6 miles. And no I have absolutely no idea how to turn them off. Not even sure if it's possible?

Trouble is, most councils have been squeezed by cutbacks and an increase in demand for their services whilst having their budgets slashed. Some are even on the verge of bankruptcy.
More than one council has gone bankrupt because of ill-advised investments.
Residents are then being expected to put up with reduced services as well as an increase in council tax.

Reduced services, and higher service charge for me.
Can no longer access the washing lines.

You could argue that council tax should be used to cover the costs of the utilities that able-bodied citizens can do themselves, such as repairing pot-holes in the roads, and providing adequate lighting after dark.

We may not all be able or want to garden, but we can all of us take our litter with us to to the nearest bin, rather than throwing it down in the street, and we can all point out to children or adults who litter, that they dropped something!

Those who can mow grass and sweep their own pavements will doubtless continue to do so, and perhaps encourage others to take pride in their surroundings and try to keep them tidy.

MissAdventure

Reduced services, and higher service charge for me.
Can no longer access the washing lines.

I know you shouldn't have to, but could you and the other people who use the lines, club together and pay for a gardener to strim the grass? Mind you, if it's anything like where I live, the weather has been too wet and cold to hang anything out

One of the councils near us is £2 billion in debt and bankrupt. Their answer is to close public toilets, stop meal deliveries and some day clubs. So they probably don't have any money for mowing either. Our Council is apparently still in the black but heading fast into the red - they are still mowing some areas but obviously not others.

I doubt it, pascal
The woman above me is already struggling, and will be hit by these government decisions, ans she is the only other I'd imagine who might join me in paying.

I would only do it by reducing what I pay for service charge.

There are a young couple with a little boy who both work and rent privately, a council tenant who is also struggling to make ends meet, and upstairs woman, who would flatly refuse.
Next door to me also struggles, as a single occupier, too.

We have grass areas near our house. The council are supposed to mow twice a year. For years the neighbours have done it. Naturally the council don't bother coming anywhere near us now.

I would encourage people to read up more on how important rewilding is for the conservation of our earth. Insects,birds and all interconnected species. They are being decimated. No exaggeration. So many people are taking their garden and creating living spaces and eliminating bushes, trees, flowers to entertain in. Front gardens are replaced with large parking areas. No place for even the smallest of wildlife. Therefor it makes even more important that councils let verges go wild. No it doesn’t look the way you may be accustomed to but it is really benefiting the eco system. Mowed grass has O benefits to the eco system as well.

Syracute Proper rewilding is as you say important. Deliberately leaving areas uncut where the excessive growth endangers life is wrong.
The increasing prevalence of plants like ragwort is another danger.

Rewilding projects are usually part of programs for habitat restoration and conservation biology, and ideally they should be based on sound ecological theory and evidence.

Ragwort has its benefits as well . Yes, proper control is necessary. I can only suggest people read more of the RHS and RPBS to educate yourselves more on how important uncultivated areas are. I know it goes against tradition but there is no time to waste . I let large parts of my yard go wild and plant various plants that are important to the wildlife . I had just started recently and the difference of how many butterflies, moths and bees insight are amazing.

If you have livestock ragwort will kill them, I guess if you put environment above food that makes sense. Don’t worry there will be plenty of food imported you can afford the higher prices.

David49
Which is why rewilding does not mean the same as just letting things grow or go rampant indiscriminately.

My sister lives in Arizona, if you don’t keep your front garden clean and tidy you receive a warning, then a fine if you ignore.

It's good to have a compost heap, but I wouldn't want the council to tell everyone to leave pies of veg peelings and newspapers outside my flat.

Piles. Or pies, I guess.

Rewilding is all well and good, but there have to be some limits. When it is left to the extent that road signs and lines of visibility for road users are obscured, or drains choked with weeds, then it becomes a matter of safety. And don't get me started on ragwort - I have a friend who lost a horse to ragwort poisoning!

When the Labour government get time to look at the Agriculture Census next June they are going to panic, many thousands of acres are going into environmental schemes, whole estates are being entered, instead of crops.
Why grow crops when bees and birds will give the same income.
Maybe it’s a little trap the Tories have set.

MissAdventure

Piles. Or pies, I guess.

Piles of Woolton Pies.

Syracute

Ragwort has its benefits as well . Yes, proper control is necessary. I can only suggest people read more of the RHS and RPBS to educate yourselves more on how important uncultivated areas are. I know it goes against tradition but there is no time to waste . I let large parts of my yard go wild and plant various plants that are important to the wildlife . I had just started recently and the difference of how many butterflies, moths and bees insight are amazing.

Ragwort needs to be pulled up and burned as it kills horses and cattle. Each plant sheds thousands of seeds, all blown for miles and they then reach other previously unaffected areas.

I watch from year to year the spread of ragwort and it is horrific how quickly it spreads. New year, new field full or roadside.

What country are you in Syracute? In the UK it is supposed to be an offence punishable by hefty fines if you allow ragwort to grow on your property. Only a certain type of moth is drawn to ragwort. Horrible stuff.