Giving councils a sustainable financial settlement is the long term solution to protecting and enhancing trees in public spaces, and this must be addressed in the forthcoming Spending Review.
Key messages
- Councils work hard to protect and maintain the natural environment, including urban trees. That is why many councils have set out their long term vision for trees and are seeking ways to increase tree planting, for example by working with local volunteer groups to promote trees and woodlands.
- Giving councils a sustainable financial settlement is the long term solution to protecting and enhancing trees in public spaces, and this must be addressed in the forthcoming Spending Review.
- The LGA does not support the proposal for a new duty requiring councils to consult residents on felling of street trees. Councils are already accountable to residents for their actions and it is right that they decide locally how best to engage residents on tree felling.
- If Government introduces any duties for councils on tree management they must be treated as a new burden and given adequate funding.
Download the full briefing
LGA responds to Consultation: Protecting and enhancing England's trees and woodlands, February 2019
Spending Review 2019
Without a sustainable funding, your council can't deliver the essential services that keep your communities running; securing the financial sustainability of local services must be the top priority for the Spending Review later this year.