Agenda item

Steve Terry, Emergency Planning Manager and Tony Harwood, Senior Emergency Planning Officer were in attendance for this item)

 The Committee received a report from the Cabinet Member and Director detailing the Council and its partners response to the Ash Dieback outbreak

(1)     The Chairman introduced the report stating that Kent was leading the way on this issue.  The Cabinet Committee had previously expressed concern about Ash Dieback (Chalara fraxinea) particularly where Ash trees grew along public footpaths and highways and the potential problems that could arise from this.  Mr Hill added that Emergency Planning had performed extremely well and to date was taking a national lead on this topic.

(2)     The Ash Dieback outbreak first came to the Council’s attention in the autumn of 2012 and was an ‘emergency’ as defined by the Civil Contingency Act 2004, the statutory piece of legislation which Emergency Planning worked to, and which covered “any situation which threatens serious damage to the environment”. 

(3)     In Denmark 95% of Ash trees had succumbed to infection, not all had died and the disease was being closely monitored.  Kent had the highest number of outbreaks in the open environment in the UK, followed by East Anglia.  There were currently some 45 confirmed infection sites in Kent.  The Forestry Commission believed that Ash Dieback was now endemic in East Kent.

(4)     Emergency Planning had been working with the Forestry Commission and Defra to understand the outbreaks and quantify the risks involved.  Major inroads had been made at both a policy and a political level and Kent had been asked by the Local Government Association to lead on Ash Dieback nationally, in recognition of the work that had been undertaken.

(5)     Mr Harwood explained that the main change since the Committee had been updated at its March meeting was that Kent was now proactively working to manage the outbreak.  When initial news of this pathogenic outbreak had been received, Emergency Planning had been in a reactive phase. Links with Defra had been fostered and strengthened and there were very good working links with the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Science, Lord De Mauley, in relation to this work. 

(6)     In October a stakeholder event would be held to launch a bespoke Kent Management Plan for the response to Ash Dieback.  The Management Plan would demarcate the main outbreak zones.  Working within these outbreak zones with organisations such as utility companies, the Highways Agency and with arboricultural workers, prescriptive guidance would be laid down regarding bio-security measures. 

(7)     Officers responded to comments and questions from Members on Ash Dieback and the following points were highlighted:-

·                That although the spores may theoretically have blown in from Continental Europe, local spread of the pathogen by human interventions was the focus of biosecurity measures as this was easier to address than airborne spread.  Spread could be slowed by relatively simple measures such as not moving leaf litter or leafy brash.  Potentially infective plant material could continue to be moved around, but only within infected areas - not across borders between infected and non-infected areas. 

·                Tetrad surveys reveal that the majority of Ash trees in Kent were not in open countryside but rather in urban and urban edge areas. 

·                That the Ash Dieback threat was potentially costly.  When any highways works were carried out a ‘lane hire’ fee was required, to close off a road.  If this work was undertaken during the day this cost £800 per site.  Coupled with the fact that KCC had approximately 20,000 Ash street trees the cost implications could be millions of pounds.  Emergency Planning officers were in discussions with government to ensure that procedures were streamlined or circumvented where possible to ensure that time and money were not wasted. 

·                The Bellwin Scheme offered emergency financial assistance to local authorities after a set sum had been met by the authority.  For KCC this monetary sum was £3m.  However, the estimated cost for street trees alone in Kent could be as high as £16m.  Bellwin was usually applied to flooding and other emergencies caused by severe weather, but applications had been made during the Foot and Mouth outbreaks.

(8)       RESOLVED that:

(a)     the potential level of threat that Ash Dieback poses to public safety and the environment and the economy of Kent be noted;

(b)     the KCC and wider-partnership approach outlined within this report be endorsed; and

(c)     the Cabinet Committee be kept informed of progress.