Cambridge City Council welcomed Emma Hardy MP, Minister for Water and Flooding, to Cambridge yesterday (26 March) for a visit jointly hosted with Churchill College, to see first-hand how organisations in the city are reducing pesticide use and developing more sustainable approaches to weed management.

The visit brought together representatives from local government, Defra and organisations involved in managing public spaces, to explore Cambridge’s innovative herbicide-free weed management work programme and its wider integrated pest management approach.

The visit included practical demonstrations of alternative weed management methods both on the public highway and at Churchill College. 

The minister and other attendees saw examples of mechanical, thermal and hot water methods of weed reduction, alongside discussion of trial results, operational learning, and the costs and challenges involved in moving away from herbicides.

The programme also included presentations from the council and Pesticide Action Network UK on Cambridge’s herbicide reduction plan and integrated weed management strategy.

The herbicide-free approach can offer significant benefits, including:

• Biodiversity protection with Cambridge being located in one of the most nature-depleted counties in the UK
• Supporting pollinators, such as bees and butterflies that are essential to food production and our wellbeing
• Improved soil and water quality, preventing chemical runoff into local waterways
• Health and safety improvements, reducing public and staff exposure to chemical herbicides.

Cllr Martin Smart, Cabinet Member for Nature, Open Space and City Services at Cambridge City Council, said: “Cambridge City Council is committed to reducing pesticide use and finding practical, sustainable ways to manage weeds across our public spaces. We were pleased to welcome the Minister and partners to Cambridge to see the work underway and to share both our progress and the lessons we are learning.

“This is about taking a thoughtful, evidence-led approach that supports biodiversity, responds to public concerns, and helps us develop long-term alternatives to routine herbicide use. 

“This visit was an opportunity to show the reality of delivering herbicide-free and reduced-chemical methods on the ground. It allowed us to demonstrate the operational techniques we are trialling, the importance of integrated weed management, and the practical issues councils must work through as they change long-established ways of working.”

John Moore for Churchill College, Cambridge, said: “We were delighted to help host this visit and to show our herbicide-free garden maintenance work, which has long been part of the College’s wider commitment to sustainable practices.

“By working together across institutions, we can all share learning, make a bigger environmental difference, and create safer, better conditions for both people doing the work and the general public.”

Cambridge City Council’s herbicide-free weed management work programme covers council-owned sites including parks and nature reserves, car parks and housing areas plus highways land, and forms part of the council’s broader work to reduce pesticide use and support environmentally sustainable land management.