Edinburgh council blasted by family of Granton pensioner with dementia whose garden is 'lifeline' after grass uncut for months

An 89-year-old with dementia paid for a council gardening service but hasn't had her grass cut in months.

The family of an Edinburgh pensioner who has not had her grass cut for months despite paying for the service has blasted the council, after being told she can’t get her money back.

Rose, 89, doesn't get out much and spends time in her garden whenever she is able. The pensioner who has dementia and has impaired hearing has paid the council for grass cutting services for four years. But her family said workers have only been out ‘a few times’ in that period, including only once this summer so far. Her hedges have not been cut this year.

The grandmother-of-three, who lives in Granton, is now left with her garden in a state and is also out of pocket after she forked out £180 for this year's service. Under the maintenance scheme, council workers cut grass usually up to twelve times in a year between late March to October. Customers are told they can also expect their hedges to be trimmed twice during the summer season.

Families say their grass hasn't been cut in months despite paying for service

Previously gardeners would call her home phone if she didn’t hear the doorbell. There is a sign on her door which advises that she is hard of hearing. But she claims she was told last time they attended that they ‘don’t do that’.

Rose claims she has called the council every week for months but didn’t get any response. When her grandson finally got through he explained that the service hadn't been delivered and asked for a refund. But he was told she wouldn’t be able to get her money back.

He said: “Outdoor space is so important for Gran. It ’s th e thing that keeps her going. She takes a lot of pride in her garden and needs help to maintain it. She paid for this service so it’s appalling that it hasn’t been delivered. What’s worse is she couldn't get someone to deal with it. For ages she was phoning at least once a week but couldn’t get any help. When I finally got through I explained she wasn't happy and that gardeners had barely been out this year. I asked for a refund for her and said we’d organise the service from another provider. When they told me that’s not something they do I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked.”

He added: “If she has paid her money and not received the service that is unacceptable. This is an older, vulnerable woman who is relying on their help. She doesn’t get out that much so without her gardens she just feels lost. It’s totally out order. They need to give people their money back if the work hasn’t been done.”

Residents in Granton said they have had problems with the scheme

A carer told the Evening News that a number of older people that she looks after in the Granton area had not had their grass cut this summer. Private tenants and homeowners are charged an annual fee under the council's grass cutting scheme, which varies depending on their grass area and hedge size. It's stated under the contract that the fee is ‘non-refundable’ and has to be paid before maintenance work is carried out. Customers are not told in advance when workers will turn up.

Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said: “I regret that some individuals have been having difficulties with our Garden Aid service. In the case of Mrs Rose, we will be in touch with her directly to discuss how, as a gesture of goodwill, we can compensate for the occasions that the contractor could not access the property.

“However, it is important to note that the following are clearly stated on the conditions of service. In order to keep service costs low unrestricted access to the garden maintenance area is required, the contractor will not knock on doors to ask neighbours for access, if a service is missed due to access, they will have to wait until the next scheduled visit and that the fee for the year is non-refundable.

“We welcome feedback on our services and will always do our best to get these right for our residents.”