News / Bristol
Fears for future of Bristol’s trees
Majestically lining the streets, they are one of the great pleasures of Bristol. But it seems even the city’s much-loved trees are not safe from budget cuts and consequently fears have been raised over their future.
Bristol City Council has slashed 78 per cent of its highways budget as part of widespread cost-saving measures that include a £200,000 decrease in an already overstretched pot for the maintenance of trees on the roads and pavements.
Speaking at a council meeting, Anthony Negus of the neighbourhoods scrutiny commission, accused Marvin Rees and his cabinet of putting people’s safety at risk with the cuts and of threatening a long-standing legacy that earned the city the 2015 European Green Capital title.
is needed now More than ever
Celebrations after Bristol was given the European Green Capital 2015 title.
“We are at risk of not only losing that wonderful green reputation that we have, but we are going to lose a lot more if we do not consider the implications of this reduction,” said Negus, the Lib Dem councillor for Cotham.
“There is a massive risk to safety. Pavements will rise and branches will fall. As a result of cuts we have made, the emergency 24-hour service is gone, so if something happens overnight, there will be problems and we will not be able to solve these problems.”
Negus argued that a single incident in which someone is injured as a consequence of trees that have not been maintained could result in an insurance claim that would soon eradicate any savings made by the cuts and issued a warning on behalf of the scrutiny committee that this is a likely outcome.
Deputy mayor Asher Craig said that the council would be happy to look again at exploring the budget and confirmed that alternative methods of tree maintenance are being considered.
Referring to the cuts brought about by a reduction in Government funds, Rees said: “We knew from the start that the whole budgeting process was going to bring risk to the city by definition.”
He encouraged the input of groups, such as the Bristol Tree Forum, in helping to determine how the trees on the city’s roads and pavements should be looked after and preserved.
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