Call to Ban Glyphosate in Reading Parks

Reading councillors are being urged to stop routine spraying of glyphosate and move to alternatives across public spaces.

Councils' staff use the liquid glyphosate to kill weeds and unwanted grass.

Cllr James Moore (Liberal Democrats, Tilehurst) is calling on Reading Borough Council to set out a formal phase-out plan, pointing to Lib Dem-run councils such as Bath & North East Somerset and Kingston upon Thames that have cut or banned glyphosate.

Cllr Moore added: "The cost difference between glyphosate and the alternatives is real, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise.

"But a phased plan - which is exactly what PAN UK offers for free - allows councils to make the transition sustainably.

"The question is whether Reading’s Labour administration has the ambition to act, or whether residents will still be waiting for an answer in another two years’ time."

The council ran a year-long trial of alternative weed-control methods in 2022, testing pelargonic acid, steam, hand removal and acetic acid against glyphosate in Northumberland Avenue, Rabson’s Recreation Ground and Cintra Park.

A report to the Housing, Neighbourhoods & Leisure Committee in July 2023 concluded that glyphosate remained the most cost-effective option, but committed to seeking alternatives through future contracts. No further public update has been provided since.

Almost half of UK councils are now taking some form of action to reduce or end pesticide use, according to Pesticide Action Network UK, which offers local authorities a free three-year phase-out framework.

In response, a council spokesperson said: "The council minimises the use of glyphosate wherever possible and has reduced use from four to three applications per year.

"However, evidence from our own trials and the wider sector show it to be the only treatment that reliably kills the root system.

"Alternatives require far more labour, water and fuel, are less effective on established weeds, and carry higher costs and carbon impacts.

"We will continue to monitor the market and experience from other councils to see if any other weedkiller offers a better combination of effectiveness, practicality and value for money."

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter