Councillor column: Weeds are already 'out of control' again in Brighton and Hove

Summer has not long begun, but already weeds on the pavement and overgrown verges are generating complaints across Brighton and Hove.

In 2019, the Labour-Green Council introduced a ban on the use of weedkiller to please environmentalists but replaced this with just 6 additional seasonal staff responsible for manual removal of the city’s 975.67km of footway.

It was, of course, too much for 6 people to clear the entire city of weeds. The matter got out of hand and by the end of last summer only 20-30% of the city had had their weeds cleared. Expensive private contractors had to be brought in to deal with the situation, costing the taxpayer and blowing the city budget.

This year, lessons have not be learnt, as the weeds have once again quickly got out of control, presenting trip hazards, cracking and damaging pavements and making paths difficult to navigate for prams and wheelchairs.

Compounding this, under a new Green-Labour policy, the Council has also decided to halve verge cuttings in the city this year from 11 to 6 per year and also let dozens of verges go completely wild.

The result has been a mess on city streets, which is upsetting residents.

One Hove Park resident wrote to describe the situation on her street.

She said: “The situation with our grass verges is becoming a real danger to humans and animals alike, the grass is over knee high and is difficult to walk in when getting off buses and waiting for buses.

"They have now become infested with ticks and insect-biting creatures, in fact my husband has nasty bites on his leg which have got infected – as a direct consequence of waiting for a bus! This is also becoming an urgent problem for the elderly, it is affecting their mobility.”

The resident went onto say: “As a council tax payer, we find it extremely disappointing and incredible that Brighton and Hove City council has not been able to tackle this simple task which is expected from any civilized community.”

The policies of the Labour-Green Council are upsetting residents, damaging pavements and making the city to become a mess. They need to be revisited urgently.

Brighton and Hove City Council recently issued a statement on the weeds and verges. Here’s what they said: Brighton and Hove City Council responds to concerns about weeds and overgrown verges in the city | SussexWorld (sussexexpress.co.uk)

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