FOI request (FOIR-434173264)

Use of pesticides by council

Requested Mon 04 July 2022
Responded Thu 07 July 2022

This is a request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. I would like to request the following information:

Do you manage your open spaces yourself or are they are outsourced?

If they are outsourced, what is the name of the company/companies that manage them?

What is your policy for weed control in the open spaces (parks, sports fields, grass verges, and so on)?

Do you use herbicides containing glyphosate (for example Roundup, Weedol and so on)? If yes, what do you use? What areas have been sprayed with herbicides containing glyphosate?

What is your policy on the use of glyphosate?

What precautions were taken ahead of its use?

For each of the calendar years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, please can you tell me the volume of these herbicides that you have you used and the cost?

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Response

Hastings Borough Council manages our parks and open spaces and sports fields. The grass verges are managed by East Sussex County Council (https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk).

Our grounds maintenance external contractors maintain our parks and open spaces. Hastings Borough Council does not use weed control in our parks and open spaces. Glyphosate herbicide is only used on Japanese Knotweed.

We hold no information as to precautions, volumes or cost.