If you are an Oxford City Council tenant and you cannot manage your garden, you may be able to get help with basic garden maintenance.
We offer 2 services for council tenants:
- Summer Garden Scheme – 6 basic garden maintenance visits over the summer
- Winter Clearance Service – a one-off visit for severely overgrown gardens
The service you can apply for depends on the condition of your garden and whether you meet the eligibility criteria. Places are limited.
These services do not include landscaping work. We will only cut back or remove vegetation and carry out basic maintenance.
Summer Garden Scheme
The Summer Garden Scheme provides 6 basic garden maintenance visits between April and October.
You can get up to 1 hour of gardening work per visit. Work is usually carried out by 2 gardeners working for 30 minutes and may include lawn mowing, hedge pruning and border trimming.
We may visit smaller gardens less often, and we may not be able to trim hedges at certain times of year because of laws protecting nesting birds and other wildlife.
The scheme is not suitable for severely overgrown gardens. You should apply for the Winter Clearance Service instead.
Who is eligible
You must meet all of the following criteria and provide evidence:
- you are an Oxford City Council tenant
- you are unable to maintain your garden because of your physical disability
- you receive Housing Benefit or the Universal Credit housing costs element
- you receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Attendance Allowance (AA)
- you do not have family living with you or in Oxfordshire who are able to help maintain your garden
- you are not buying your council home through Right to Buy
Winter Clearance Service
The Winter Clearance Service is a one-off visit for severely overgrown gardens. The service runs between November and March.
We will cut back overgrowth and brambles to make your garden easier for you to continue maintaining afterwards.
This service does not include ongoing garden maintenance or yearly visits. It is a one-off service only.
Who is eligible
You can apply if:
- you are an Oxford City Council tenant
- your garden is severely overgrown and difficult to maintain
How to apply
To apply for the Summer Garden Scheme
You should:
- download the Summer Garden Scheme application form
- send the completed form to ODS Group (the address is on the form)
The closing date for Summer Garden Scheme applications is 15 March. Applications received after this date will be added to a waiting list in the order they are received.
To apply for the Winter Clearance Service
You should speak to customer services to register your interest.
What happens after you apply
Spaces are limited. We may carry out checks or arrange a home visit before confirming your eligibility.
If your application is successful, we will contact you to explain what happens next.
If your application is unsuccessful, we will let you know why it was unsuccessful.
Waiting list for the Summer Garden Scheme
If all places on the Summer Garden Scheme have been allocated, eligible applicants will be placed on a waiting list. Applications are added to the waiting list in the order they are received.
If a space becomes available:
- before June – we will offer it to an eligible applicant from the waiting list in the order their application was received
- after June – applicants who remain on the waiting list would be offered a one-off Winter Clearance Service visit
- for the following year – we would offer you a place if you are still eligible
