A DECISION has been taken to extend Hampshire’s successful parish lengthsman scheme.

The county council provides funding for parish and town councils to employ a ‘lengthsman’ for maintenance tasks such as cutting back hedges, cleaning signs and clearing ditches.

The scheme has grown, since it was introduced in 2010 from covering a handful of parishes to covering more than half of county.

Councillor Rob Humby said: “We’re really pleased to be able to introduce our town and parish councils to an effective, community-based solution to local, immediate maintenance jobs, and support them to take it up.

The term lengthsman dates back to the 1800s, referring to workers who were responsible for keeping a particular length of road neat and tidy.

Hampshire has allocated £1,000 per year for every town and parish in the scheme.