Cash-strapped councils are often left with little choice but to fell trees as they would otherwise incur bills running into the millions to keep them standing, a Labour MP has said.
Catherine West told the Commons many veteran trees in cities across the UK are “at risk of being felled” and accused the Government of not doing “nearly enough” to protect them.
The Hornsey and Wood Green MP said in her constituency there is a “growing problem” of street trees being cut down because “they are implicated as a cause of building damage and subsidence”.
She explained: “Tree roots do not need to be the definitive cause of subsidence, they only need to be implicated for the owner to be liable to an insurance claim.
“Councils who own the street trees are then responsible for the exorbitant cost of repair work to the damaged property, which can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds per property.
“For cash-strapped councils like my own, which own hundreds of trees at risk of insurance claims, they face a bill running into the millions and are often left with little choice but to fell the tree.”
The Labour MP argued “the finger of blame is too quickly pointed at a nearby tree rather than investigating other causes and solutions”.
Calling on ministers to “redress the imbalance of power” between insurance companies and local authorities when it comes to subsidence claims, Ms West said: “The insurance industry must be held responsible for their role in protecting urban trees by requiring them to explore alternative measures to stop subsidence damage before considering removing a mature tree.”
Ms West urged the Government to “provide specific guidance to the insurance industry on expanding sustainable solutions to subsidence”.
Responding to the adjournment debate, environment minister Trudy Harrison said trees are at the “forefront” of the Government’s plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, adding: “And that is exactly why we have introduced that target to increase tree cover to 16.5% by 2050.”
Ms Harrison said the Government introduced a new duty on local authorities to consult the public before felling street trees and told MPs “we will be seeking to commence this duty this year”.
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She thanked Ms West for raising the guidance for the insurance sector, before adding: “The Forestry Commission will be working as per the England Trees Action Plan to speak with engineers, developers and arboriculturists to get more trees on streets and in developments.”
Ms Harrison also said the Government will be working with the National House-Building Council foundation guidance, the London Tree Officers Association risk limitation strategy and in other ways to “ensure firstly, that the right tree is planted in the right place going forward, and perhaps the right house is built in the right area going forward”.
