Dear Ms Murray,
Thank you for your email dated 8 April 2019; we have treated this as an Environmental Information request – you have asked for the following information:
Has the council or its contractors used any glyphosate-based herbicides in the year 2018/2019? Yes or no.
Can you confirm the total litres of glysophate-based herbicides applied either by the council or its contractors in 2018/2019?
What is the percentage change (increase or decrease) in litres usage of glysophate-based herbicides from 2017/2018 to 2018/2019?
Can you confirm the total £ amount spent on glysophate-based herbicides by the council or its contractors in 2018/2019?
What was the brand name of the glyphosate-based herbicides used in the year 2018/2019?
Were glyphosate-based herbicides used on any playgrounds in the year 2018/2019?
Were glyphosate-based herbicides used on any school grounds in the year 2018/2019?
Were glyphosate-based herbicides used on any housing estates in the year 2018/2019?
Were glyphosate-based herbicides used on any hospital grounds in the year 2018/2019?
Were glyphosate-based herbicides used on any NHS doctor surgeries in the year 2018/2019?
Were glyphosate-based herbicides used within a 10m radius of any playgrounds, schools, hospitals, housing estates or private homes in the year 2018/2019?
Has the council or its contractors currently used any other herbicides or methods of weedkilling in 2018/2019 i.e. not glysophate-based? If yes, what other herbicides or methods were used in 2018/2019?
Has the council or its contractors used any insecticides in the year 2018/2019?
If yes, what is the brand name, or active ingredient, of the insecticides used in 2018/2019?
Has the council or its contractors used any fungicides in the year 2018/2019?
If yes, what is the brand name, or active ingredient, of the fungicides used in 2018/2019?
Please note that I will only be able to answer queries relating to housing estates.
Advice and assistance
As, having searched our records some the information you have requested is not held by The Barnet Group, it may be more appropriate for Barnet Council to provide some of the information in this case, as it is possible they may hold some or all of the information you require as I have indicated above.
Barnet Council can be contacted at:
Barnet Council
Information Management Team (IMT), Building 2 North London Business Park
Oakleigh Road South, New Southgate, London N11 1NP
Email: foi@barnet.gov.uk
You may also need to approach the NHS for information relating to hospitals and GP surgeries in the borough and would recommend that you contact the individual hospitals/practices directly.
Barnet Homes’ response:
Please see our responses below in red:
Has the council or its contractors used any glyphosate-based herbicides in the year 2018/2019?
Yes.
Can you confirm the total litres of glysophate-based herbicides applied either by the council or its contractors in 2018/2019?
Approximately 140 litres.
What is the percentage change (increase or decrease) in litres usage of glysophate-based herbicides from 2017/2018 to 2018/2019?
Approximately 3.7% increase.
Can you confirm the total £ amount spent on glysophate-based herbicides by the council or its contractors in 2018/2019?
Barnet Homes’ grounds maintenance team spent approximately £250.
Refusal Notice
I am refusing some of this part of your request and am relying on the following exception:
- Regulation 12 (5) Disclosure would adversely affect:
- (e) Confidentiality of commercial or industrial info, when protected by law to protect legitimate economic interest · Facilitate the accountability and transparency of the Barnet Group’s decisions
- Factors in favour of maintaining the exception:
- · Openness and transparency and improve the public’s understanding of, and participation in the debate of issues of the day;
- Factors in favour of disclosure:
- This exception is subject to the public interest test. For the information to be withheld, the public interest in maintaining the exception must outweigh that in disclosing the information.
- Public Interest Test
- The amount spent by the contractor on glysophate-based herbicides being made public would likely put our contractor at a disadvantage when negotiating with their current or future suppliers. The likelihood that prejudice will be caused is that it “would be likely to” cause prejudice. The prejudice that would be caused would be damage to the contractor’s negotiating position with respect to future contracts with suppliers, as this would become known to other parties which could put them at a commercial advantage, to our contractor and The Barnet Group’s detriment.
- We consider that the exemption set out in Regulation 12 (5) subsection (e) (Confidentiality of commercial or industrial info, when protected by law to protect legitimate economic interest ) applies to the information requested therefore we are withholding it. The information has been withheld under Regulation 12 (5) subsection (e) as disclosure would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of Barnet Homes’ contractor.
- The Barnet Group’s fiduciary duties to its residents to ensure good value for money, which necessitates a strong negotiating position in contractual and other negotiations
- The maintenance of the Barnet Group’s negotiating position in disputes and contracts
- The benefit in disclosure would be obtained by one company in particular and not the wider public, in this respect the benefit to the company would be akin to a personal interest versus the greater public interest.
On conclusion, the public interest in maintaining the exception outweighs the public interest in disclosure.
What was the brand name of the glyphosate-based herbicides used in the year 2018/2019?
Trustee Amenity and Round Up.
Were glyphosate-based herbicides used on any housing estates in the year 2018/2019?
Yes
Were glyphosate-based herbicides used within a 10m radius of any housing estates in the year 2018/2019?
Yes.
Has the council or its contractors currently used any other herbicides or methods of weedkilling in 2018/2019 i.e. not glysophate-based? If yes, what other herbicides or methods were used in 2018/2019?
Barnet Homes’ grounds maintenance team do not use any other herbicides or methods.
Has the council or its contractors used any insecticides in the year 2018/2019?
No
If yes, what is the brand name, or active ingredient, of the insecticides used in 2018/2019?
N/A
Has the council or its contractors used any fungicides in the year 2018/2019?
No
If yes, what is the brand name, or active ingredient, of the fungicides used in 2018/2019?
N/A
Your rights
If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been handled, you can request a review by emailing Talk2Us@barnethomes.org and marking it as an appeal for the attention of the Data Controller.
If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint, you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF (telephone: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45; website: www.ico.gov.uk).
There is no charge for making an appeal.
Kind regards
Carly Williamson
Complaints and Information Manager