A SENIOR Bucks councillor has said the county council will be providing a different grass cutting service next year, as her and her team do not have the energy to go through the same as they did this year.

At last week's Buckinghamshire County Council meeting, Ruth Vigor-Hedderly, cabinet member for transportation, said the council failed dismally on its grass cutting service this year.

She added: "We will not provide this service next year. There will be a different service on grass cutting.

"I have not got the energy or the will power to go back through what we have been through this year and neither have my officers."

The council is holding discussions with parish and town councils across Buckinghamshire about the possibility of them taking on a number of village maintenance tasks, as a devolved service from the council.

A number of individual towns and parishes have already taken on self delivery of such services in their own community.

In 2013 The Stewkley Enterprise Agency was set up; a not-for-profit social enterprise, which enabled them to provide grass cutting and strimming, minor hedge cutting, weed spraying and road sign cleaning.

Five parishes have just signed up to become a cluster with Stewkley- Swanbourne, Mursley, Drayton Parslow, Stewkley and Stoke Hammond.

In the south of the county, a similar agreement has been made with Amersham Town Council for parishes in the area to arrange for services to be carried out on their behalf. Gerrards Cross, Chenies, Little Missenden, Stoke Mandeville and Coleshill Parish Councils benefit from grass cutting, vegetation clearance, tree maintenance and graffiti removal as part of this arrangement.

Cllr Vigor-Hedderly said: ""The way that Stewkley has set up their arrangement, and the Amersham agreement as well, are such good examples to other parishes who are considering joining in with the scheme."

The council has delivered a series of conferences in order for all parishes to have the opportunity to ask questions about the proposals.

The next stage of the devolution project will see more clusters of parishes join together for greater flexibility and the benefits of collaboratively working together that this will bring.