If you live in an Oxford City Council home and you can't manage your garden, you may be able to get help.
We offer 2 garden schemes for council tenants. The scheme you can apply for depends on the condition of your garden and whether you meet the eligibility criteria:
- Summer Garden Scheme - regular maintenance
- Winter Clearance Scheme - one-off clearance for very overgrown gardens
Summer Garden Scheme
The Summer Garden Scheme runs from April to September.
If you’re eligible, you can get up to 1 hour of gardening work each month. This includes lawn mowing, hedge pruning and border trimming.
Work is usually done by 2 gardeners working for 30 minutes. We may visit smaller gardens less often. There may also be times when we can't trim hedges because of laws protecting nesting birds.
This scheme does not cover severely overgrown gardens. If your garden is very overgrown, you will need to apply for the Winter Clearance Scheme.
Eligibility
You can apply if all of the following apply:
- you are an Oxford City Council tenant
- you are unable to maintain your garden because of your physical health
- you receive full or partial Housing Benefit or Universal Credit Housing Cost Element
- you receive PIP, DLA or AA (you’ll need to provide proof)
- you do not have family in Oxfordshire who can help
- you are not buying your council home
Spaces are limited. We may carry out checks or arrange a home visit before confirming your eligibility.
How to apply for the Summer Garden Scheme
To apply:
- download the Summer Garden Scheme application form
- send the completed form to ODS Group (the address is on the form)
The deadline for new applications is 15 March.
Applications received after this date will be added to a waiting list in the order they are received.
Winter Clearance Scheme
The Winter Clearance Scheme is a one‑off service for gardens that are severely overgrown.
We will cut back overgrowth and brambles to make your garden easier to manage afterwards. This scheme does not include ongoing maintenance.
Spaces are limited.
