Answers on a cheque please

No surprise then that the dispute is still rumbling on, with matters escalating to police involvement as patience runs out and tempers fray. For the very hard of understanding amongst the council officers, the whole point of civil court action is dispute resolution where agreement cannot otherwise be reached.

A dispute over Edinburgh City Council’s apparent failure to uphold a court order to cut sprawling hedges down to size is rumbling on

It might only be one line of trees between two gardens, but there is a very important point of principle here, which is that failure to enforce the express instructions of a court undermines the principle of civil law. There is the option of seeking prosecution for contempt of court, but as the council’s officers seem reluctant to do anything at all, why should it fall to the aggrieved (and elderly) householders who have already been put through the mill and have a court order on their side?

There is another principle, which is whether the council is taking money under false pretences, because the complainants have paid £350 for a High Hedge Notice, which they finally received after a struggle.

The rules stipulate that if one is issued, a deadline is set for the hedge owner to meet its terms or the council will arrange for the work to be done, and for which the owner must pay. This has not happened, so why not? Answers on a cheque to reimburse £350.