MORE than 670 residents on the Castle Mead in Trowbridge are to be balloted on whether they wish GreenSquare to carry on looking after their public open spaces and play area.

The ballot is being organised by Stewart Benford of the Castle Mead Residents Group.

He says their 487 members feel they are not getting value for money from the £138 a year GreenSquare charges them for estate maintenance.

Mr Benford, 49, of Thirsk Drive, has emailed Andrew Rossiter, GreenSquare’s estates service manager and a director of GreenSquare Estates Ltd, asking for a ballot.

He said: “A number of us have again been discussing removing GreenSquare from Castle Mead and replacing with a company chosen by residents.

“This we can legally do. Can you advise the percentage of residents that need to be in agreement for this to happen?”

Andrew Rossiter said: “Mr Benford has contacted GreenSquare asking about the circumstances in which a ballot might apply and how this process works.

"We have referred him to the relevant section of the agreement where these details are outlined.”

There are 675 homes on the Castle Mead estate, with most residents living in houses built by Persimmon Homes plc of York and its subsidiary Charles Church.

Mr Benford says Mr Rossiter has threatened to block his emails, while GreenSquare’s chief executive Ruth Cooke has so far declined to meet residents to discuss their complaints.

Mr Benford has told her: “All we get is you stating you do a good job when reality is something else. Where does all the money go?”

Simon Helps, 49, of Castle Hedingham, said: “Collectively, the residents pay more than £100,000 in estate maintenance charges.

“We are paying for grass cutting, the maintenance of our public open spaces and for litter to be collected from the bins.

“The grass cutting gets done on a regular basis , about 13 times during the growing season, but the litter bins are overflowing and some of the kerbs are chipped, broken or need realigning.

“We are paying for a litter pick each week and they are not doing it. They say they do, but they don’t.”

Residents have also written to South West Wiltshire MP Dr Andrew Murrison asking for his support for their grievances.