After residents contacted me about the grass on the verge along Podsmead Road, I contacted the city council and Gloucestershire Highways to ask when it might be cut.

I also asked about the grass by the bus stop. I will feedback the response.

I know that in some parts of the ward such as round Tuffley Park, some of the grass has been left long to encourage biodiversity. I have seen examples of this in other parts of the city too, where some grass is kept shorter for people’s use, and some on verges or in out of the way areas is left a bit longer.

In general we need to strike a balance between neatness and the need to help species that need long grass to survive and thrive.

The Milton Avenue project will help towards improving biodiversity in our green spaces and there will be others in the future such as Blackbridge.

In particular we need to encourage bees, and I will work with the community and council to achieve this.