Weeds Warning on Grant Funding

10.33.00am GMT Fri 9th Nov 2007

Liberal Democrat Leader, and one of the two County Councillors for Grove & Wantage, Cllr. Zoé Patrick warned the County Council's Cabinet today that lack of commitment to weedkilling could put at risk important reward grants funding from national government. Under the new Local Area Agreements set up by central government to reach environmental targets on improved street and environmental cleanliness, the County Council could lose out on over a million pounds of revenue. Oxfordshire County Council is in partnership with district councils to deliver a "clean and green" agenda, but this won't happen if the County Council do not take this commitment seriously.

Cllr. Patrick said, "This is hardly evidence of an 'excellent' council if it cannot meet targets on improving our streets and pavements. Weeds just add to the whole untidiness of our housing estates, and people lose their sense of pride and purpose. Litter gets thrown in the weeds making the situation worse and of course, this summer with all the added rain and flooding, the weeds have had a heyday."

Cllr. Jim Moley, the other County Councillor for Grove and Wantage said "This year Wantage Chamber of Commerce paid to have town centre weeds cleared; this is unacceptable. We are hoping that the Cabinet make sure that this important part of the budget is reinstated for next year."

In the past, parishes and towns have been given budgets to enable them to deal with local weedkilling themselves, but this has now been cut, and Liberal Democrats are calling for it to be reinstated as soon as possible.