FOI Request - Statistics on Vegetation Blocking Footways
Request 101003710461
Reports of Obstruction from Private Land:
1. How many reports or complaints regarding overgrown vegetation and foliage obstructing footways, originating from private land were received by your authority in the past two years (2023 and 2024)?
Reports of Obstruction from Public Land:
2. How many reports or complaints regarding overgrown vegetation and foliage obstructing footways originating from public land were received by your authority in the same period?
Actions Taken by the Authority
Enforcement or Intervention on Private Land:
3. For reports concerning overhanging vegetation and foliage from private land, how many led to:
• The landowner being contacted?
• Formal enforcement action?
• Direct intervention by the authority to remove or address the vegetation?
• Penalty fines issued?
Length of time for action to be taken
4. On average, how long did each report take to action, from the moment the complaint was received, to the point which the issue was dealt with?
5. What is the usual timeframe you state you will deal with overgrown vegetation and foliage in?
Maintenance of Public Land:
6. What actions were undertaken to address complaints about overgrown vegetation and foliage obstructing footways on public land? Please provide details of:
• The number of cases resolved per year (2023 and 2024).
• The nature of the interventions (e.g., pruning, clearing, etc.).
Best Practices and Guidance
Policies or Guidance on Overhanging Vegetation:
7. Does your authority have any specific policies, procedures, or guidance documents on preventing or addressing overgrown vegetation and foliage obstructing footways? If so, please provide copies or links to these documents, ensuring they are in an accessible format for blind and partially sighted people.
Examples of Good Practice:
8. Can you provide examples of good practice adopted by your authority to effectively manage overhanging vegetation and foliage issues (e.g., community engagement, educational campaigns, partnerships with landowners, or consultation with disability groups)?
Coordination with Other Authorities:
9. Has your authority worked with neighbouring councils or external organizations to share resources or best practices for tackling overhanging vegetation? If so, please provide details.
Accessible reporting
10. What is the process of reporting overgrown vegetation and foliage, how many steps are there, and how accessible/easy to find are these processes on your website? (By accessible, we mean how easy is it for a blind or partially sighted person using assistive technology or person with low vision, to access and report it.)
11. How many reports of overgrown vegetation and foliage did you receive from blind and partially sighted people did you receive in the past two years?
Spending and Budget Allocation
Expenditure on Addressing Vegetation Issues:
12. What was the total expenditure allocated and spent by the authority on tackling overhanging vegetation and foliage affecting footways during the past two years? Please break down this spending by:
• Addressing vegetation from public land.
• Addressing vegetation from private land (including enforcement and direct intervention costs).
Additional Budget for Vegetation Management:
13. Has your authority allocated any specific budget or additional funding (e.g., grants, subsidies) to manage overhanging vegetation and foliage? If so, please provide details of the amounts and their use.
Response 21-02-2025
1. Not held. We do not hold details of landowner against our enquiry data, therefore the figures below represent all enquiries and complaints relating to overgrown vegetation and the possibility that it was blocking a footway. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.
2023: 44
2024: 51
2. Not held - see question 1
3. Not held - exempt under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.
However, it is procedure to contact landowners regarding any overgrown vegetation. This in the form of a letter that informs the landowner on its duties under the Roads (Scotland) Act. Roads Maintenance has not taken a formal enforcement action, nor taken any direct intervention, nor issued any fines, during the period specified.
4. Not held - exempt under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.
5. We request that the work to clear the obstruction is done at the earliest possible date.
6. Not held - exempt under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.
However, Roads Maintenance work closely with our Open Spaces colleagues who maintain much of the public land adjacent to the public road network. Resolution of such issues, either it be clearing or pruning, happens promptly following a report being received.
7. Not held - exempt under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.
8. Not held - exempt under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.
9. No
10. Reports of non-emergency faults, such as vegetation obstructing a footway, can be made online via the ‘Report’ section of the council’s webpage www.moray.gov.uk. Alternatively, we have a contact centre that can be reached on 0300 123 4565.
11. Not held - exempt under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.
12. Not Applicable – Roads Maintenance doesn’t have a budget for tackling overhanging vegetation and foliage affecting footways
13. No