Open Spaces Outsourcing - Find a freedom of information request

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

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

2. What is your policy for weed control in the open spaces - parks, sports fields, grass verges etc?

3. Do you use herbicides containing glyphosate e.g. Roundup, Weedol etc If yes, what do you use, what areas have been sprayed with herbicides containing glyphosate?

4. What is your policy on the use of glyphosate?

a. What precautions were taken ahead of its use?

5. For the calendar years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, please can you tell me:

a. The volume of these herbicides you have you used.

b. The cost.

I would like to receive the information electronically - preferably in an Excel format.

1. As Highway Authority for Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) manages the highway network in Lincolnshire. Works carried out to maintain it are carried out by our Term Maintenance Contractor Balfour Beatty.

2. LCC's weed treatment regime is set out in the highways asset management plan which is available on the LCC website.

3. The County Council does not choose the particular product used by its Contractors. They just have to comply with the specification set out in the Contract with them which is that they must use an approved herbicide. The areas treated are all hard surfaces within the highway such as footways, cycle tracks, kerb channels and areas of block paved carriageways not on verges.

4. The application of the herbicide by the Council’s Contractor is by a controlled droplet application with the equipment used ensuring drift does not occur during the process. It is not blanket sprayed over areas of footway and our process ensures the amount of chemical used is limited to an absolute minimum. The herbicide is applied by trained and fully NPTC (National Proficiency Tests Council) certificated operators. This is an essential part of LCC's preventative maintenance regime and is carried out twice annually. The frequency has been reduced from three times to limit chemical usage whilst still preventing damage to footway etc caused by weed growth. The programme dates for the two treatments by District Council area are given on our website.

5. LCC does not hold records on herbicide usage within the highway. The budgets for weed treatment were £340,000 in 2018/19, £368,771 in 2019/20, £378,432 in 2020/21, £373,345 in 2021/22 and £385,025 in 2022/23. This budget is not only used for chemical treatment but also includes manual vegetation clearance where required.