Your views on our proposal to save money by reducing weed spraying activities on the highway

Closed 16 Dec 2022

Opened 21 Oct 2022

Contact

0344 800 8020

haveyoursay@norfolk.gov.uk

Feedback updated 23 Mar 2023

We asked

In 2022, across Norfolk, our contractors treat the network of adopted roads (public highways) and pavements twice, based on a schedule of sites where weed growth is an issue. We asked you about your thoughts on our proposal to save money by reducing the number of weed control treatments from two across the county, to one.

You said

Over half of respondents to this consultation said they either agreed or strongly agreed with the proposal. The main reasons given for agreement include that reducing weed spraying is better for the environment, and the understanding that NCC must prioritise and make savings. Another popular answer is agreement as long it does not compromise safety.

We did

Norfolk County Council delivers a weed spraying service on the highway network (adopted roads and footways) in order to help prevent damage to hard surfaces which can be expensive to repair in some circumstances.  This service will still be provided although will reduce from two treatments per year to a single treatment per year.  It is anticipated to save £130k per year whilst also reducing the quantity of weed spraying product used on the highway network.  The timing of the weed spraying treatments are dependant on growing conditions but typically started in May /June with a second treatment in July / August.  A single treatment will require careful planning to ensure that this is delivered at the optimum period to deliver maximum benefits.

For more details on the Council Meeting in which the budget proposals were agreed click here

Overview

Norfolk County Council will set a new budget on 21st February 2023.

This consultation is about our proposal to reduce the frequency of weed control from two treatments per year to one treatment per year. This proposal would save us £130,000 in 2023/24.

Why we are consulting

We want to find out what people think about our proposals.

We are consulting through: 

  • This online consultation, which is also available as a paper copy  
  • Our Norfolk Residents’ Panel 

We are consulting from 21st October 2022 to 16th December 2022. Please note that if we receive any consultation responses after the 16th December 2022, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to take them into account. 

We will feed back the findings from our consultation to our county councillors as part of the evidence to help them come to a decision. 

If you need a copy of this consultation document in a different format please email haveyoursay@norfolk.gov.uk, call 0344 800 8020 or Text Relay on 18001 0344 800 8020 (textphone) and we will do our best to help. 

An Easy Read and Large Print version of this consultation is available to download at the bottom of the page. 

The consultation should take between 10-15 minutes to complete. 

We now want to hear your views on these proposals.

What happens next

This consultation closed on Friday 16th December.

We will take a report about the findings of this consultation to the Council Cabinet in January 2023. We will set a new budget on 21st February.

Our county councillors will consider the consultation responses we receive very carefully.

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to respond to this consultation.

Areas

  • All Areas

Audiences

  • Anyone from any background

Interests

  • Spending
  • Environment