I am writing to request environmental information held by Devon County Council concerning weed and vegetation management on highways and other County Council-managed land within Exeter.
Please treat this as a request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR). Where any part of the requested information falls outside the scope of the EIR, please consider it under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please provide the following information:
1. Any current policies, service arrangements, contracts, maps, or guidance setting out responsibility for weed and vegetation management on the following within Exeter:
a. highways and carriageways.
b. pavements and footways.
c. kerbs and road edges.
d. highway verges; and
e. other Devon County Council-managed land.
Regarding grounds maintenance it is a site by site decision, and therefore there are no specific policies about weed management.
Please see this webpage for information about an arrangement between Devon County Council (DCC) and Exeter City Council (ECC).
Further information can be found on these webpages:
Devon County Council Weed Management
Weed Control/Clearance Policy.
2. Records concerning the decision to cease the routine highways herbicide spraying programme in Exeter in 2023, including any reports, assessments, briefings, or decision records setting out:
a. the reasons for the decision;
b. the areas or types of land affected; and
c. the arrangements expected to replace routine spraying.
Please see this DCC webpage for this information.
You will see that some information has been redacted. This is because this information is exempt from disclosure under Regulation 13(1) of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (Personal Data).
Devon County Council can confirm the requested information is held; however, the Council cannot disclose personal information, if releasing it would contravene any of the provisions in the UK General Data Protection Regulation. In this instance release of this information would contravene Principle (a) – Lawful, Fairness, and Transparency – of the UK GDPR and therefore the information is withheld.
Nevertheless, all of the County Council’s roads and footways are subject to planned Highway Safety Inspections in accordance with the Council’s Highway Safety Policy. This includes obstruction and obscured visibility by overgrown vegetation.
Weeds causing structural damage to road and footway surfacing may be identified by local Highway Officers or following reports received from the public.
There are currently no proposals to review the Council’s policy and funding for weed control. However, the Council, at its meeting in December 2025, did consider a Notice of Motion concerning deterioration of pavements across Exeter as a result of vegetation overgrowth , including weeds.
Please see Agenda item – Urgent Action on Pavement Vegetation, Neglect, and Public Safety (Minute 39 of 4 September 2025) – Democracy in Devon for this information.
It was agreed to
(a) continue rectifying safety defects on pavements caused by overgrowth and vegetation;
(b) advise communities of their potential involvement should they wish to do so, if the new parish protocol on highways self-delivery is agreed at Cabinet in December;
(c) work with the Probation Service on clearance areas where possible in the County; and
(d) hold a discussion with other tiers of local government, including DALC, Town and Parish and District on improved working with communities for issues such as this, taking good practice from other initiatives, including asking Team Devon to consider this at a future meeting.
3. Details of any replacement weed, or vegetation-management arrangements introduced in Exeter since the routine spraying programme ceased.
There are none.
4. Records of any herbicide treatment carried out since 1 January 2023 on highways or other Devon County Council-managed land within Exeter, including, where held:
a. location.
b. date.
c. product used; and
d. responsible council service or contractor.
Please see this DCC webpage for the information for the contractor: Complete Weed Control.
Please see this DCC spreadsheet for the information for the contractor: Kelly Bros Ltd.
Please see this DCC webpage for the information for the contractor: M Group.
5. The number of complaints, reports or service requests received since 1 January 2023 concerning:
a. weed growth on highways or pavements within Exeter.
b. vegetation management following the cessation of routine spraying; and
c. pesticide or herbicide use within Exeter.
– Where these records are categorised by location or issue, please provide that breakdown.
DCC’s Highways Department has responded to two Priority 1 complaints from residents concerning weeds, and three MP letters asking about weed management in Exeter.
Please see this DCC spreadsheet for more information.
6. Any correspondence, meeting minutes or other records exchanged with Exeter City Council since 2022 concerning:
a. the cessation of the highways spraying programme.
b. subsequent weed or vegetation management within Exeter; or
c. the division of responsibility for vegetation management across public spaces in the city.
Please see this DCC webpage for this information.
You will notice that some information has been redacted. This is because this information is exempt from disclosure under Regulation 12(5)(e) of the Environmental Information Regulations (Confidentiality of Commercial/Industrial Information).
Devon County Council can confirm the requested information is held; however, the information is commercial in nature and is confidential. This confidentiality is protecting the legitimate economic interests of the Council and its supplier, and in releasing this information, that confidentiality would be adversely affected.
The Council has considered the public interest in releasing this information and recognises there is a public interest in openness and transparency. However, there is a stronger public interest in the ability of the Council to obtain value for money in the future.
Therefore, the balance of public interest weighs in favour of withholding this information from disclosure.
Additionally, some names have also been redacted. This is because this information is exempt from disclosure under Regulation 13(1) of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (Personal Data).
Devon County Council can confirm the requested information is held; however, the Council cannot disclose personal information, if releasing it would contravene any of the provisions in the UK General Data Protection Regulation. In this instance release of this information would contravene Principle (a) – Lawful, Fairness, and Transparency – of the UK GDPR and therefore the information is withheld.
In the interests of providing advice and assistance, DCC can confirm that further information can be found in this joint press release by DCC and ECC dated 23.03.2023.
7. Any current policy, guidance, or recorded process through which residents, community groups or neighbourhoods can propose:
a. alternative vegetation management.
b. reduced or no-herbicide management; or
c. a community-supported vegetation-management arrangement on Devon County Council-managed land.
As mentioned in the response to question 2 above, it was agreed to:
(a) continue rectifying safety defects on pavements caused by overgrowth and vegetation;
(b) advise communities of their potential involvement should they wish to do so, if the new parish protocol on highways self-delivery is agreed at Cabinet in December;
(c) work with the Probation Service on clearance areas where possible in the County; and
(d) hold a discussion with other tiers of local government, including DALC, Town and Parish and District on improved working with communities for issues such as this, taking good practice from other initiatives, including asking Team Devon to consider this at a future meeting.
Where information is already publicly available, please provide a direct link to the relevant document or dataset.
Please see these DCC webpages:
Self help and community support – Roads and transport