This is why grass on verges and public areas is left to grow longer this year in Milton Keynes

Council bosses have this week explained why grass on verges, roundabouts and public areas all over MK is being left to grow much longer.

As grass shoots up during the May ‘spring flush’, the council’s mowing programme has been deliberately reduced.

This is to enable wildflowers to grow and boost the city’s biodiversity.

Milton Keynes City Council’s ‘garden’ is 10 million square metres of grassland and for many years this was mowed frequently, on a strict programme to keep all grass short.

But now the council aims to balance biodiversity with road safety, so rather than mowing entire verges and roundabouts, they instead cut ‘sight lines’ along them. The remainder is left to grow wild flowers.

Rural verges and grass on roadsides between villages, are now mown just three times per year. But all play and recreational areas will be maintained as standard.

A council spokesman said: “These days we make a conscious effort to mow a smaller area in these and other public spaces to help the city’s wildflowers grow, which increases biodiversity as part of our wider work to tackle climate change.

"We’ve seeded additional wildflowers around the city, and more than 1,000 pollinating species such as bees and beetles are already benefitting from our work to increase wildflower verges and meadows.

"So, if you spot slightly longer grass and more wildflowers than you might expect in public green spaces, it’s typically there for a reason.”

The council is asking residents to also think twice before keep their lawns shorn.

Cabinet Member for the Public Realm, Cllr Lauren Townsend, said: “Wildflowers provide food, shelter and places to breed for insects, and the insects themselves then provide more plentiful food for creatures up the chain, such as birds, bats, and amphibians.

"This time of year is a really important time for wildflowers to get a foothold so they can feed pollinators over the summer, so if you have a garden, please think about allowing your lawn to grow that little bit longer this month, or zone off a ‘wildflower area’. By doing so you’ll be playing an important part in our city’s biodiversity.”