Volunteer “weed warriors” could help tackle a growing problem across Brighton and Hove since the council stopped using weedkiller, councillors believe.
Brighton and Hove City Council said: “With spring around the corner, our beaches are getting busier with residents and tourists, our parks are getting colourful with budding trees and blooming flowers and, unfortunately, weeds are starting to fill our streets.
“We’re asking volunteers to join us at our ‘weed warrior’ launch event on Friday 17 March.
“We’re launching the ‘weed warrior’ scheme to help tackle unruly weeds and overgrown vegetation across the city.
“Our hardworking Cityclean team carry out weeding throughout spring and summer but the labour-intensive nature of manual weeding means that some areas can become overgrown.
“Volunteers will work together to remove weeds in problem areas by carrying out weed management and vegetation control tasks.
“These areas have been identified by Cityclean staff who are always actively working to reduce weeds on our streets.
“The scheme aims make streets, twittens and other public spaces across Brighton and Hove more attractive for visitors and residents.
“Weeds on public highways, streets and other rights of way cause access issues and damage street surfaces.
“In 2019 we stopped using glyphosate, a harmful herbicide, to remove weeds on our streets. It was made clear at the time that this would result in more visible weeds.
“To help combat this, we’ve invested in a small vehicle to remove pavement weeds, recruited additional staff for our street cleansing team and employed contractors to assist where necessary.
“For residents interested in helping out, our launch ‘weed warrior’ event is being held at Ladies Mile Road and starts at 10.30am.
“We’ll also be running regular ‘weed warrior’ events in particularly weedy areas over the spring and summer months.
“If residents can’t attend an event but still want to get involved, there will be opportunities to volunteer to become a weed warrior in their local area.
“Volunteers will be supplied with tools and trained how to weed safely at an induction session.
“More details about the events and volunteering as a Weed Warrior on our website at www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/weed-warriors.”
Green councillor Elaine Hills, who co-chairs the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, said: “We know how important avoiding pesticides for weed removal is to our residents which is why our streets have been glyphosate-free since 2019.
“We’ve had difficulty recruiting for street cleansing positions in recent years and Cityclean are doing all they can to remove weeds.
“The ‘weed warrior’ scheme will help us keep up with the demand of manual weeding through the spring and summer months.
“As well as ‘weed warrior’ community events, volunteers can also join in by becoming a ‘weed warrior’ in their local area.
“We hope the scheme provides an opportunity for residents to gain new skills, be more active, get out and about in the city and find new places to explore.
“You’ll also have the opportunity to meet new people who are all as passionate as you about looking after our beautiful city.”
Let’s see how many green councillors are out on the 17th. Then how many are out the following weekend.
Do we get a discount on our council tax if we do the councils job for them?
Let’s see how many of the whingers on this site’s comment section are out on the 17th. Got to factor in all the duplicate accounts of course.
I helped out last summer. I went to the garden center and got some weed killer and sprayed it outside my house. Hay Preston, no more weeds…
Still saw loads of bees and bugs so it’s a nonsense they have stopped using this
Or we pay our taxes clean the streets like what we pay you for.
But, officer I’m a ‘weed warrior’, ask Brighton & Hove council. I was my way to Amsterdam but I heard the call for ‘weed warriors’
I’m confused, so I can’t smoke this here❓
How about just using weedkiller and stop sodding about.
Weed warriors – good grief. Roll on May elections where hopefully we can weed out those councilors with daft ideas like this. Whilst this was the former Labour Cllr Anne Pissaridou initial implementation, surely by now the administration could have sorted this out.
This is one of the most unbelievable initiatives ever suggested. Even by the incredibly low standards of our Green councillors this is plumbing new depths. Most of them have been all over Twitter claiming that the weeds growing on our pavements and in our gutters and verges are part of a “rewilding” project. Now they are trying to get residents to volunteer to do the council’s job for them. Our road has not seen one weed removed by the council since this ludicrous policy was implemented. So what is it? Weeds good or weeds bad? Please just get out of politics because you’re embarrassing yourselves.
I’m going to the ‘council officers shooting themselves in the foot’ open day
The gutters and drains are choked with weeds causing terrible flooding in addition to the terrible eyesore. Pavements are not passable in many areas. Roundabouts have blind spots causing a serious danger. This is a nationwide problem so clearly is another obsurb and illthought out decision made by Central Government. This Country is an embarrassment its going, going, gone to the dogs. Make Britain great again PLEASE.
Last year I talked to an agency worker , employed by the council, scraping weeds on the seafront with a wooden hoe.
The seafront is maybe 5 miles there are hundreds of miles of pavement in B&H .
Back in 2019 when they banned weedkiller their only plan was to employ cheap labour and give them a scraper.
Then they blamed Brexit for cutting their source of cheap workers.
There are many local authorities in the UK and round the World who have tried banning weedkiller . Why in 2023 are they still talking about trialling stuff ?
‘Rewilding’, how ridiculous, pavements are meant to be safe places to walk not covered in rampant vegetation! And now the Council want volunteers to do their work for them? Unbelievable!
No – it’s the council’s statutory duty to perform this service and they have failed 🙄
Glyphosate is perfectly safe if usage instructions are followed, and is still used by councils in many towns as it is cheap, and it kills weeds down to the roots with one application.
It is still legal to buy and use in the UK and the ban only applies to council use on council land. Residents can still use it, as I do on pavements and gutters in my road with approval from neighbours.
If only Green councillors could stop spreading misinformation from their friends at the Pesticide Action Network.
How’s about the council and CityClean do the jobs we pay our council tax for,, rather than them getting us to do it for free due to their ineptitude?
Taxi for Councillor Hills!
No, absolutely bloody not! BHCC do your frigging job or refund part of our council tax. What a damned insult to ask us to do their job for free. We clean the weeds up and put them in our brown bins and they charge us to take them away – how hell does that work…. Give me strength!!!!
Happy to use weed killer in my street so no need for your unemployed dogmatic weed wonkers here
Beggar’s belief. A message to this inept council – DO THE JOB I PAY YOU TO DO! NOW!
With this council all we ever get is excuses it’s always somebody else’s fault. Gross incompetence.
Weedkiller is on sale in poundland, if everyone bought one and did just outside of their property problem sorted. Or the council could use our coubcil tax to pay for it. JUST ANOTHER STUPID GREEN COUNCIL IDEA. Last year they blamed it on Brexit for not getting workers. Yes let certain areas go to nature but not paths.