What does a parish lengthsman do?

The Lengthsman Scheme is an arrangement between the county council and the parish council by which the parish council is permitted to appoint (hire on a self-employed basis) a lengthsman – our lengthsman for Severn Stoke and Croome d'Abitot parish is also employed by other local parish councils, bringing benefits of shared equipment and local knowledge. Lengthsman carry out minor local highways jobs identified by the parish council. The parish council can claim money back from the county council for tasks that are ‘approved’.  That means that while your parish councillors have control over the work schedule of the Lengthsman, they can set only set tasks that the on the County Council’s list. Residents cannot instruct the lengthsman directly, but can contact the parish council to ask or suggest that a job needs doing and that maybe the lengthsman could get involved (remember to include a photo if you can). It is best that the below list is checked first to see if the work might be possible:

Drainage: Clear gullies, headwalls, and outfalls; Advise landowners/frontagers when their ditches need cleaning (Nb. lengthsman are often not permitted to work with flood debris due to risk of contamination);

Vegetation Clearance: Remove vegetation obstructing signs and at junction visibility splays; Removal of basal tree growth from highway trees; Side out footways to normal width and spread arisings on verge where possible; Negotiate with frontagers for them to cut back overhanging vegetation. The parish council cannot cut private hedges. Roadside weeds can be tackled with a spade but our lengthsman is not licenced to use spray weed killer.

Miscellaneous: Rotation and charging of mobile Vehicular Activated Signs (VAS); Clean dirty signs, reposition signs which have been knocked out of place; Snow clearance and gritting / salting by hand; Removal of illegal fly posting.

Most lengthsman jobs are only approved within a 30mph zone or, if the verge is wide enough, in a 40mph zone. For safety reasons, our lengthsman does not work along the A38 unless supported by Highways. The County Council mows roadside verges and public grass areas on a twice yearly basis. The District Council conducts roadsweeping, mainly upon request.

This list is not exhaustive but gives a good indication of the invaluable work that our lengthsman does for our parish. In short, the Parish Lengthsman scheme is all about doing the little things that matter to communities and gives parish councils the ability to prioritise according to local knowledge and resident requests.  If you spot any work that might fit within the lengthsman remit, please report it to the Parish Clerk and we will gladly investigate.