Glyphosate and pesticide management
Case reference FOI2026/01002
Received 23 June 2026
Published 25 June 2026
Request
Response
I am writing to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000/Environmental Information Regulations about the use of glyphosate for amenity weed killing and any breaches of UK pesticide regulations.
The queries are as follows:
1. Do you or your landscape/ grounds maintenance contractors use glyphosate?
Glyphosate is only used on difficult to eradicate weeds such as Japanese knotweed or intensively infested areas.
2. Have you or your contractors used any alternative products or methods to glyphosate for weed control? If so what are they? We use mechanical methods of weed control on the contract, we do not support the general use of herbicides other than on sports pitches where no alternative is available.
3. Has your council's policy regarding use of glyphosate to kill weeds changed in the last 5 years? Are there any plans to change in the future?
We have no intention of changing our policy as we do not support the use of herbicides
4. Have your grounds maintenance teams or contractors been found to be in breach of Health & Safety Executive Official Controls (Plant Protection Products) Regulations 2020 or Plant Protection Products (Sustainable Use) Regulations 2012 in the last 12 months? No breaches of Health and Safety in the past 12 months.
If so, please outline:
the nature of the infringement of each incident and whether it led to of the following: N/A
Improvement Notice
Fee for Intervention
Prosecution
Documents
This is Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.