1. Please can I have the raw data set of how many trees have been chopped down by the council since the start of 2017, broken down by year.
We have liaised with the various services within the Council who deal with Trees as they are not handled within one team (e.g. Countryside, Localities, Tree Preservation, Public Rights of Way, Highways). We have been advised that this would be a massive task to undertake as we are not able to report on this level of detail as would need to manually go through records to extract any relevant information which would be manifestly unreasonable to do so. Some work may be labelled as ‘tree work’ but doesn’t mean that the tree has been cut down, it could just be branch trimming.

Any tree work is carried out for either woodland management / conservation reasons or Health and Safety; but even then, the figures could be distorted – Countryside Services may clear fell 1000 trees because they are growing on a heathland site where the heathland habitat is of higher value than a woodland one regards conservation. There is also the variable on size and age of trees as to purposes why they had work done and what is considered a tree. In some instances there may be one set of roots but two trunks Eg Silver Birch which may make figures more complex to calculate. It may also be the case that some trees are coppiced as part of good management practice so these are encouraged to re-grow rather than be “cut down” for removal sake.

Tree Management currently carry out tree inspections and tree works on Public Open Spaces and along the Highway. The purpose of Tree Management inspections is to assess the health and condition of the trees within these areas and to consider if there are any appropriate health and safety works required that are in line with Council policy and required to fulfil the Council’s legal duty of care. Upon inspection, where there are indicators that demonstrate the structural integrity of the tree has been compromised and where it is foreseeable that they will fail, action will be required to reduce any safety risk. Felling a tree is always considered a final resort by the Tree Management team and where possible other appropriate measures will be carried out to mitigate risk and to avoid tree felling. However, sometimes the only appropriate action is to fell the tree.

Over the last 12 months over 1000 reactive tree inspection requests were received and investigated by the Tree Management team. Of these, 74 inspections determined that the tree in question was posing an immediate health and safety risk that could only be addressed by felling the tree.

2. And after the council has received a request from an insurance company, how many trees have they chopped down because of this?
We’re able to advise that from 01.01.2017 to date in respect of claims for alleged subsidence made against the council:
• there were 32 requests from insurance companies to remove vegetation (e.g. shrubs, bushes, climbers, ‘trees’ of any size);
• 29 such requests have been agreed – not that this necessarily means removal has actually happened on all 29 claims;
• it also doesn’t mean that the council or council contractors carried out the “chopping down” – work might have been carried out by, e.g., the claimants’ insurers’ contractors;
• some of the vegetation might have been on private land but removal might still have required council authorisation.