Horticultural practices

The request was successful.

Dear Aberdeenshire Council,

I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information.

1. Does the council manage the grounds for schools, nurseries and hospitals? If so, please provide a list where the use of glyphosate is permitted on their grounds.

2. How much does the council spend on mowing grass every year? (Please include staff costs of people employed to undertake this (either contractors or council staff) and equipment costs).

3. How much grassed open space (both informal and formal) does the council manage and maintain in total?

4. How much does the council spend on purchasing bedding plants for floral displays and where are the plants sourced from?

5. How much does the council spend on the maintenance of these floral displays per year?

6. On average, how many complaints does the council get about weeds every year?

7. Does the council use peat-based compost? If so, how much is used each year?

8. How is the council implementing the ‘Pollinator Strategy for Scotland 2017-2027’ (https://www.nature.scot/pollinator-strat...

If it is not possible to provide the information requested above for any reason, I would be grateful for any further advice or assistance as to how I can refine my request. If any of this information is already in the public domain, please can you direct me to it, with page references and URLs as necessary.

If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact me and I will be very happy to clarify what I am asking for and discuss the request.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response.

Yours faithfully,

James Byrne

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ISFOI, Aberdeenshire Council

Dear Mr Byrne

 

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (“The Act”)

 

We refer to your request dated 16/08/2020 for the following information on
Horticultural practices. 

 

We confirm that the Council holds the following information, which we
believe satisfies your request, and which is as noted below:

 

 1. Does the council manage the grounds for schools, nurseries and
hospitals? If so, please provide a list where the use of glyphosate is
permitted on their grounds.

 

Aberdeenshire Council manages grounds for all schools and council run
nurseries in Aberdeenshire. Hospital grounds are not maintained. The use
of glyphosate is permitted in Parks, Open Spaces, Schools, Cemeteries,
Playgrounds, Housing Estates, Sheltered Housing/Care Homes, Tree Basins,
and control of vegetation on highways roads and footpath surfaces.

 

 2. How much does the council spend on mowing grass every year? (Please
include staff costs of people employed to undertake this (either
contractors or council staff) and equipment costs).

 

Aberdeenshire Council spent £3,057,919.81 on mowing grass including road
verges in 2019-2020.

 

 3. How much grassed open space (both informal and formal) does the
council manage and maintain in total?

 

Aberdeenshire Council manages and maintains 21,606,584.09 sqm of grassed
open space including road verges.

 

 4. How much does the council spend on purchasing bedding plants for
floral displays and where are the plants sourced from?

 

The cost of bedding plants in 2019 was £240,847.72. Bedding plants are
sourced from Pentaland Plants through a procured contract.

 

 5. How much does the council spend on the maintenance of these floral
displays per year?

 

Aberdeenshire Council have no record of the cost of maintaining floral
displays as most of this is done by community volunteers.

 

 6. On average, how many complaints does the council get about weeds every
year?

 

Between August 2019 and July 2020, Aberdeenshire Council received 158
complaints.

 

 7. Does the council use peat-based compost? If so, how much is used each
year?

 

Aberdeenshire Council have no record on use of peat based compost.

 

 8. How is the council implementing the ‘Pollinator Strategy for Scotland
2017-2027’
([1]https://www.nature.scot/pollinator-strat...

 

Aberdeenshire Council has had a pollinator strategy in place since 2015,
most recent iteration as follows:

 

[2]https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/media/2...

 

 

Please contact me as the officer responsible for responding to your
request if you have any further queries.

If, for any reason, you are not satisfied with this response, please refer
to the further information attached.

 

Yours faithfully

 

Freedom of Information Co-ordinator

Infrastructure Services

 

Further Information:

Aberdeenshire Council’s Review Procedure under the Freedom of Information
(Scotland) Act 2002 and the Environmental Information (Scotland)
Regulations 2004 can be accessed at the following link:

 

[3]http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/council-...

 

 

 

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References

Visible links
1. https://www.nature.scot/pollinator-strat...
2. https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/media/2...
3. http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/council-...

Dear FOI Team,

Many thanks for the information you have sent across, it's very much appreciated.

Yours sincerely,
James