Lib Dem pressure halves Council's 11-year tree timeline
Residents in Merton could see 3,000 missing street trees replaced within the next six years, following a successful campaign by local Liberal Democrats.
At the recent full Council meeting, Merton's Labour Council bosses admitted that they will now double the replanting rate from 250 to 500 vacant tree pits filled per year.
The change comes after pressure from the Liberal Democrats who revealed in March that, based on the council's initial target to plant 250 trees per year, it would take until 2035 to restore the borough's tree canopy.
Labour councillors had previously voted down a Liberal Democrat proposal to invest more funds into the replanting scheme, despite £1million of unspent funds being available at the time (see here at item 8).
The details of the Street Tree Replacement Programme for 2024-25 will be published by the end of October.
Cllr Anthony Fairclough, Leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said:
"Not only do trees take carbon from the air but they provide shade, keeping our streets cooler in hot summers. They are key part of the Council's work on the climate emergency.
"So It's good news for Merton residents that the Council has finally listened to reason and agreed to double the rate of replanting. Halving the tree timeline is a step in the right direction, but we'll be watching closely to ensure these promises are kept.
"Labour have been in power locally for about 30 years and only now do they really know the scale of the problem – and yet have consistently blocked proposals that might have speeded things up.
"We will continue to push for a faster replanting rate and ensure that no areas of the borough are left behind when the details are revealed."
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