Agenda item

Motion submitted by Councillor Tim Taylor concerning weeds.

Councillor Taylor presented his motion regarding weeds.

Councillor Woollard seconded the motion and Councillor Meekins opened the motion for debate.  Members made comments as follows:

·       Councillor Woollard stated that the motion is very comprehensive and covers the issues that are faced by all the town and villages across Fenland and, in his opinion, the County Council appear to have relinquished their responsibility for the maintenance of the highway verges, pathways and drainage culverts which is undermining the efforts of everyone in Fenland to enhance communities with hundreds of thousands of pounds being spent on projects across Fenland such as the new market place development in March which is being spoilt with weeds. He stated that the use of the glyphosate chemical is safe for both humans and animals and has approval for use in the United Kingdom and across the European Union. Councillor Woollard expressed the view that there are too many instances of flooding in Fenland and the clogging of drains and culverts with weeds will only exacerbate the issue of flooding should the policy at County Council continue. He added that it clear that the residents of Fenland are not happy and the change in policy must be addressed which is why he wholeheartedly seconds the motion.

·       Councillor Patrick stated that he fully supports the motion and he referred to the very high weeds he has seen in the towns and villages of Fenland which are, in his opinion, a disgrace. He expressed the view that the policy is not just about weeds, but it is also a cost cutting exercise which is leaving the towns looking so dirty and unsightly.

·       Councillor Carney stated that he has been approached by many of his constituents with regards to the issue of lack of weed control and roadside drains with concerns over flooding. He explained that he reported it to the County Council in August, received an initial response and he then followed it up and questioned who would be liable if the residents property flooded as a result of the drains not being cleared sufficiently and it is only recently where he has received a response. Councillor Carney stated that with regards to the use of glyphosate, it is well known to be one of the safest products available for weed control and he has undertaken some research and has ascertained that from the Health and Safety Executive website that glyphosate has been approved as safe and efficacious for a number of years and it also states that the responsible use of pesticides and herbicides in amenity areas as part of an integrated programme control can help deliver substantial benefits for society, management of conservation areas, invasive species and flood risk. He added that it also mentions that it can be used in public spaces for the prevention of weed growth on hard surfaces preventing trip hazards and it also makes reference to ragwort, which is covered by the Weeds Act 1959 which details 5 injurious weeds, and it was augmented by the Ragwort Control Act 2003 and if the Code of Practice is not followed then this can be used as evidence and legal action can be taken against the landowner if the weeds are not properly controlled. Councillor Carney stated that he is more than happy to support the motion.

·       Councillor Mrs Laws stated that she is the Chairman of a voluntary Flood Warden Group and she explained that whilst she was in attendance at a recent meeting there was a heavy downpour of rain and at that time she received a message from a resident to advise that there were 220 properties known to be flooding out and over 1,000 at risk of flooding. She stated that 6 of those properties were at significant risk and one of the contributing factors appear to be ‘off kerbs’ which were installed by the County Council several years ago at great expense. Councillor Mrs Laws explained that ‘off kerbs’ manage the water on the roads and take water away far quicker and at that time they were blocked through weeds and the water was 3ft away from entering a property whilst two others did have water in their homes. Councillor Mrs Laws stated that it is important that the weeds are controlled for surface water flooding and as the climate changes meaning there are milder winters which means more rainfall. She explained that in March of this year the water table was extremely high in Whittlesey which meant that North Bank had to close for a couple of days. Councillor Mrs Laws explained that following the issue encountered by residents she contacted the County Council with regards to blocked drains and she was advised that there is not a planned programme of works to empty drains and it is only actioned as and when required, which if this is correct she would be interested to know how the County Council are directing their money if they are not having a programme of planned works as she cannot see any action being taken with regards to pothole or highway repairs. She explained that she has received calls from residents with regards to how unsightly their roads are and, in her opinion, they are likely to take matters into their own hands and use toxic sprays which could cause issues for dog walkers and in turn see matters spiralling out of control. Councillor Mrs Laws referred members to the local authority in Brighton and Hove who stopped spraying weeds and as a result they now have weeds which are taller than school age children. She stated that by having overgrown verges, it is encouraging people to walk onto the highway which is a real cause for safety and she made the point that she totally supports the motion but she wants to know what the County Council are doing with all the money they are saving by undertaking no drainage works or weed spraying in order to assist the residents of the Fenland towns and parishes.

·       Councillor Miscandlon stated that he fully supports the motion and added that it is a legal responsibility for the authorities to remove ragwort and it is a criminal offence not to and they need to be aware of the detrimental effect it has on animals. He added that he also represents the Internal Drainage Boards, and he has been made aware that they are becoming increasingly concerned about the amount of debris which is falling off the unkept verges into the drainage ditches. Councillor Miscandlon also mentioned that the high weeds are also causing significant hazards to road users due to the obstruction to visibility.

·       Councillor Tierney stated that the question has been raised with regards to what the County Council are doing with the saved money they appear to be saving from not tackling the issue of weeds and, in his opinion, those monies are going towards the favourite projects of the County Council, with the County Council not wanting to improve the roads they want them to deteriorate so that people do not use them. He stated that he believes Councillor Patrick is correct in his view which is that there is a money saving element to it. Councillor Tierney expressed the view that those responsible persons at the County Council can be identified by two categories, with one half being ideological dealing with global warming issues and others focussing on saving money on issues that they are not content with in order to spend on issues that they are content with. He expressed the view that the public’s perception of seeing a town when it is overgrown with weeds can be one in which they feel unsafe as they feel that the town is unkempt, unloved and uncared for. Councillor Tierney expressed the view that there are many different types of chemicals which can be used safely and are non-harmful to wildlife if you research the effects and costs. He made the point that the controlling members of the County Council need to be advised that their choice of action is not satisfactory, and the towns and villages of Fenland do matter and that by leaving the area in an unkempt run-down state, it will have a knock-on effect and can lead to a rise in crime and further consequences and those members in power need to be advised of the consequences of their actions.

·       Councillor Hay stated that she is disappointed that there has been a need to bring this motion to Council and she made the point that when this policy was introduced the County Council failed to consult with the District, Town and Parish Councils and now that they find themselves receiving complaints they have decided to issue a consultation. She added that a recent event took place in Chatteris giving the public the opportunity to meet the local Police along with an officer from the District Council, she attended the event in order to ascertain what issues members of the public raised and they included potholes, inconsiderate and illegal parking and one of the major concerns raised was the condition of the pathways and gullies, with residents highlighting that there was an issue of flooding which was either caused by or exacerbated by blocked gullies. Councillor Hay expressed the view that the County Council cannot be so financially constrained which precludes them from taking pride in the towns and villages. She advised members that Councillor Marks has started a petition to put forward to the County Council which at the current time has 1763 signatures  and she urged all members to engage with their residents and to urge them to add their names to the petition. Councillor Hay stated that she will support the motion.

·       Councillor Count stated that the Highways and Transport Committee at the County Council were advised about a pilot project being undertaken by Cambridge City Council with regards to dealing with weeds in a different way which could potentially lead to savings, however, in February the detail concerning the budget was released by the County Council which stated that there would be a saving of £150,000 made by stopping the use of glyphosate and as part of that they stated that they would spend an extra £40,000 engaging with Parish and Town Councils in the first quarter of the year which, in his opinion, was before the growing season commenced. He stated that a new policy was introduced in April 2023, and referred to the current state of the town and villages and questioned what they will look like in the future and he cannot see a future for a first world country that allows its street, roads and pavements to be left to evolve into such a state. Councillor Count stated that it would appear that the engagement process did not take place with any authority apart from Cambridge City Council who had advance notice as they ran the pilot and he did not receive any update on the pilot scheme, he took it upon himself to ask them for an update on what the outcome of the pilot scheme was and he was eventually advised that different methods were trialled to look at their efficiencies to remove weeds and now large weeds are being removed by hand and after that if required they will use glyphosate. He stated he has also been provided further information from the County Council with regards to the invasive weeds such as ragwort, with the first weed spray being undertaken imminently and they have confirmed that they will be using glyphosate and have clarified that it is safe to use with proper training. Councillor Count stated that it would appear that complaints have been received since April from the whole of the county and the Chairman of the Highways Committee has advised him that with any new policy there does need an element of fine tuning and Councillor Count stated that whilst he appreciates that, it has not stopped the number of complaints being submitted and the Director then issued a letter which explained that new policies need to be reviewed and it included part of the new budget setting cycle which comes in force until February and then April 2024. He explained that a questionnaire has now been sent to all councillors and, in his opinion, it is action which is being undertaken far too late and he has provided evidence of an active travel route in March that is on a blind corner, is for cyclists and pedestrians only and the path is now severely restricted for people to use and, therefore, users of the route are having to walk on the highway for safety reasons which he understands is now being investigated. Councillor Count stated that he is aware that the lack of weed spraying was undertaken as a cost saving exercise and now there is a significant issue and the maintenance that is now required will mean that any savings that were made will pale into insignificance when considering the repair works let alone the damage that will be caused by any flooding. He expressed the opinion that it is a diabolical policy that has been implemented and he thanked Councillor Patrick for his support as it is not a political motion. Councillor Count added that the town of March secured over £12,000,000 to change the town centre, and whilst not everybody agrees with the change, nobody he has ever met like the weeds that are now being seen and he stated that on behalf of the people of March he is grateful for the motion being brought forward and thanked Councillor Marks for bringing the petition forward, urging everyone to sign it in order to get the County Council to change their minds.

·       Councillor Marks stated that he has recently been contacted by a resident whose home was being flooded for the fourth time, he went to the property and found that there was a gully which was blocked with weeds which he helped to remove. He stated that the residents have experienced four flooding issues over the past three years and the human cost of that, in his opinion, far outweighs killing some weeds and cleaning out the gullies. Councillor Marks stated that there has been a great deal of slurry work undertaken which is a cheaper way of repairing the pavements in Manea, with the issue being now that the weeds are growing out in the middle of them and once the weather turns colder the frost will end up lifting the slabs which in turn will make them a trip hazard and he expressed the view that the County Council need to take action now to resolve the problem.

·       Councillor Taylor stated that there appears to be confusion regarding the use of glyphosate and stated that if the weeds have not been touched for a year then there will be a period of three to four years to get rid of what is already in existence. He explained that glyphosate was originally manufactured as a wormer for cattle, and it was not until the final inspection took place prior to the licence being signed off, that it came to light that wherever the glyphosate had been administered to the cattle, the surrounding ground had been killed off so the manufacturer then realised that they could make more profit using it as a weed killer rather than a wormer. Councillor Taylor stated that there are some weeds such as brambles that will not be killed by glyphosate and other chemicals need to be used. He stated that he is pleased to see that there is so much support for the motion and explained that there is 5ml of glyphosate to 100 litres of water and, therefore, it is a very cost-effective chemical to use in his opinion.

Council AGREED to respond to Cambridgeshire County Council and advise them of the contents of this motion and the desire to see cyclical spraying recommenced to suppress weeds on Fenland’s roads, pavements and gullies.