Outdoor services

We are introducing a phased approach to delivering services. This will be in line with current government guidance and will support the wellbeing and mental health of our residents. It will be delivered where resources allow and in a way that ensures the safety of our employees and the public.

It’s important that we respect our cemeteries and make sure that our sports fields are maintained in a way that allows them to be brought back in to use as soon as possible once the lockdown restrictions are eased.

This, along with the maintenance of local green space and supported living garden care, means that as far as possible, we can provide spaces for people to exercise in and enjoy, thereby supporting residents’ wellbeing and mental health.

We are able to carry out these services whilst adhering to the social distancing guidance and we would ask that members of the public support us by maintaining a two metre distance from our employees.

The phased approach represents our priority programme for returning services. This is explained below:

Phase 1 - commenced 27 April 2020

• garden care
• cemeteries
• sports fields
• supported living areas

Phase 2 - commenced 4 May 2020

• tractor areas (large areas)
• ride on areas (medium sized areas that tractors don’t cut)
• cemeteries (strimming around headstones and weed killing)
• fly-tipping (only where there is an immediate danger)

Phase 3 – services that will return once resources allow

• strimming (edges)
• weed killing
• pedestrian mower (smaller areas and corner sites)
• fly-tipping (please see FAQ on fly-tipping below)

Please note the above services may be subject to change within short timescales if critical services require assistance.

Yes! We currently have volunteers helping within communities, doing litter picking and grass cutting.

Please contact our Outdoor Amenities section by emailing Outdoor.Amenties@east-ayrshire.gov.uk and a member of the team will contact you with further information.

We will provide equipment and tools in the form of an amenity maintenance kit (see below) and litter picking packs.

Wherever you collect litter, we will arrange with you to have this uplifted and disposed of safely.

Training will be provided for everyone who volunteers. What’s in the community resilience kits:

Resilience Kit 1 - litter picking

• litter picker(s)
• bags
• disposable gloves
• contact details for uplift at designated area

Resilience Kit 2 - grass cutting

• small rotary mower
• 1 x D-handle strimmers
• 1 x hedge cutter
• 1 x backpack blower
• fuel
• visor
• disposable gloves

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide timescales for when areas will be cut. This will depend on the resources we have available and how much support we need to provide to other services. This could mean that grass maintenance may be delayed or stood down for short periods.

Should this happen, you may notice that some areas are still being cut; this may be due to volunteers carrying out work in your area.

At this time, we have a reduced schedule for emptying litter bins. This will be reviewed and increased to a normal service when resources allow.

We are only able to uplift emergency fly-tipping requests which pose a health or safety risk at this time. Please be assured however that we are logging all reported incidents and when resources and guidance allow, we will resume a normal uplift service.

We are working in close partnership with our Corporate Enforcement Unit which is continuing to patrol throughout East Ayrshire, monitoring known hotspots, dealing with reported incidents, tracing those who have been fly-tipping where possible, and taking appropriate enforcement action.

We would ask that you continue to report fly-tipping so that we can review and schedule this service as soon as we are able to do so. Please email EACEnvCrime@east-ayrshire.gov.uk