The speech you should have heard!

Cllr Knowles was hoping to respond to the Net Zero report today but we was denied the opportunity. This was what she planned to say: 

There are several things I could comment on in this report, but I wish to concentrate first on flooding and then glyphosate.

Whilst the work to remove weirs, build bunds and improve protection from flooding is welcomed, there is no mention of any work to monitor regular leaf clearance and gulley maintenance programmes. Failure to do both these things contribute significantly to flash flooding of properties during heavy downpours of rain, which with climate change are becoming more frequent. 

In Southlands Road in Moseley, in every heavy downpour, residents resort to going out in their rain gear to clear the gullies and divert the water away from pouring down their drives and into their homes. The last two years, the leaf collection routine has been virtually non-existent. Getting blocked gullies cleared is a mammoth task usually involving several emails to Kier for every gulley that needs doing. Consideration of this in future reports would be welcome.

Secondly, it is almost three years since Councillor Mahmood and I jointly presented a petition from Bee Friendly Brum of over 100,000 signatures demanding an end to the practice of spraying of glyphosate in our parks and streets.

Glyphosate is harmful to wildlife, especially bees and other pollinators. It is banned in the EU and is labelled as "probably carcinogenic" by the World Health Organisation.

Since 2022, as members of the Neighbourhoods Committee will know, assurances have been given numerous times that it’s use is being phased out. The ending of chemical spraying was even in last year’s budget, one of the very few cuts that made sense.

In April 2023, in answer to a written question. We were told, and I quote: 

 ‘Our Highways contactors, Kier, have already moved away from the use of Glyphosate based sprays to control weed growth on pavements and gutters to a more organic substance found naturally occurring in plants - this being Pelargonic Acid’ 

For the Parks Service, we are where we can, transitioning our practices and reducing our reliance on glyphosate-based products to a contact pelargonic acid-based product too.

The aim is to cease the use of all Glyphosate based product by the end of this season except for the treatment of invasive weed species where there may be no other suitable alternatives’

End quote

So, it is disappointing the progress is not mentioned in this report? 

Could it be because there has not been a reduction at all?

I have the figures here:

Between 2020 and 2022, 2,850 litres of glyphosate weed killer were used each year. 

In 2023 that rose to 3,780 litres. 

In 2024 it was 3,635 litres and so far in the first three months of 2025 they have sprayed 1,825 litres across the city. 

So much for Kier changing its system.

Now, we could be led to believe it is only being used for invasive species like Japanese Knotweed. But that would not be correct.

This is Amesbury Road in Moseley. Two years ago residents planted bulbs around the tree bases. I have a photo here – Beautiful blue and yellow irises. (see header picture)

This is what the same tree base looks like this year after two visits to the street by a contractor appointed by Kier. They have reduced these lovely flowers to a brown mush. It is heartbreaking and totally unnecessary. (again, see header picture)

This is not an isolated mistake.

This photo shows pointless spraying the edge of the car park in Windermere Playing Fields. 

This one is of random spraying of a street kerb in Moseley Village.

I’m aware they have also sprayed flowers in Acocks Green planted by volunteers from Acocks Green in Bloom.

I’m sure it is happening all over the city. 

I live in hope Lord Mayor, that one day petitions of over 100.000 signatures might mean something. I live in hope that one day as a young student commented to me, we will ‘stop the bee genocide’.

I live in hope that residents across Birmingham will be able to plant out flowers in their streets and centres and know they will thrive and blossom and not be poisoned and killed.

And I hope that the progress to achieve this will start now and be documented in next year’s report.

Thank you, Lord Mayor.