Newquay Town Council Accuses Cornwall Council of “Contempt” Over Weedkiller Rollout

Formal letter to Portfolio Holder for Transport demands rethink of glyphosate programme

Newquay Town Council has written to Cornwall Council’s transport portfolio holder Councillor Dan Rogerson in the strongest terms, accusing the unitary authority of “contempt” towards the local council sector over its plans to reintroduce glyphosate weed treatment across Cornwall.

The four-page letter, signed by Deputy Chief Executive Stephen Facer and dated 20 April 2026, was sent on the same day Cornwall Council’s opt-out deadline expired for town and parish councils.

“Tokenistic and poorly thought through”

The letter follows an extra-ordinary meeting of Newquay Town Council’s Environment and Facilities Committee on 16 April, called specifically to discuss Cornwall Council’s 30 March directive.

In it, the town council describes the three-week window given to town and parish councils — a period that included Easter — as “tokenistic and poorly thought through at best.” It points out that local councils are legally required to set their precepts by the end of January, meaning budgets for 2026/27 were already fixed long before the opt-out letter arrived.

“This letter, giving local councils an imposed timescale from 30 March until 20 April (and over the Easter period) to respond to the proposed new programme and the ‘opportunity’ to opt out of a chemical weed treatment plan [comes] with insufficient time to formulate a credible plan,” the letter states.

A breach of the “no surprises” promise

Perhaps the most pointed section of the letter accuses Cornwall Council of abandoning a core commitment made to town and parish councils when unitary status was introduced in 2009.

“Cornwall Council, since unitary status in 2009, stated and promised an undertaking to the local council sector that it will work through a mutual and constructive partnership and on a policy of ‘no surprises,'” the letter reads. “This letter significantly undermines that premise and serves as yet another example of the authority ignoring its own policies, processes and commitments.”

The town council goes further, stating the approach does “not in any way resemble a meaningful partnership model” and that Cornwall Council has treated the sector with “contempt.”

Conflict with Cornwall Council’s own declarations

The letter sets out a direct challenge to Cornwall Council’s environmental credibility, naming three of the authority’s own commitments that it argues the weed programme undermines:

• Climate Emergency (declared 2019)
• Ecological Emergency (declared 2021)
• Local Nature Recovery Strategy (2025)

Newquay Town Council itself adopted a Biodiversity and Nature Protection Policy in December 2024 which rules out the use of synthetic pesticides on land it manages. The letter describes the Town Council as “strongly against the use of artificial herbicides, pesticides and fungicides.”

On glyphosate specifically, the letter notes that the Health and Safety Executive’s current approval runs only until 15 December 2026, pending the outcome of a review. It cites a recent study by Virginia Tech as one of several demonstrating impacts on nature, and calls on Cornwall Council to “delay implementation of any weed programme that is reliant on chemicals.”

Questions over long-term funding

The letter also raises a practical concern that has been largely absent from the public debate so far: what happens after the initial three-year period?

Cornwall Council has confirmed a £5 million investment over three years, but the town council wants to know “whether this is a fixed three year period of ‘recovery’ or whether there is likely to be ongoing, longer-term funding, given the yearly reduction in weed control funding we have experienced previously.”

The concern is that any local council considering investing in chemical-free alternatives — machinery such as hot-foam or hot-water systems can run into tens of thousands of pounds — would need certainty about the funding landscape for such investment to be viable.

An “embryonic” alternative

The letter floats an idea the town council acknowledges is “very embryonic and has not been discussed or tested with other towns” — larger town councils clustering together to pool experience and procurement for capital purchases of chemical-free weed control equipment.

The suggestion echoes comments from Newquay Mayor Cllr Drew Creek — who represents Newquay Trenance on Cornwall Council and is among those cc’d on the letter — who has said he has spoken to representatives from Wadebridge, Penryn, Falmouth, Truro and Perranporth town councils who would be interested in a joint approach.

Part of a Cornwall-wide backlash

Newquay’s letter arrives amid mounting opposition across the Duchy. More than 200 healthcare professionals, including over 70 doctors, signed an open letter handed in at New County Hall raising concerns about cancer, liver disease, birth defects and neurological disorders linked to glyphosate exposure. More than 13,000 people have signed various petitions, including one led by environmental campaigner Tom Scott and another by Redruth Town Council.

A cross-party motion supported by Green, Conservative, Mebyon Kernow and Cornish Independent Non-aligned councillors has been tabled for debate at a full meeting of Cornwall Council, calling for the May rollout to be paused pending meaningful public consultation. The motion was proposed by Cllr Creek and seconded by Green councillor Karen La Borde.

Cornwall Council’s cabinet has defended the programme as targeted rather than blanket spraying, using a diluted glyphosate mix described as “HSE-approved for safe use on public highways and in amenity areas” and applied only within urban limits where weeds are actually present. The authority points to 1,500 complaints about weeds received over a three-year period and concerns about declining standards since routine weed management stopped in 2013.

“A review should be undertaken”

The Newquay letter ends by calling for Cornwall Council to reconsider its approach entirely and to work with local councils “over the coming months so that alternative arrangements and innovative solutions can be explored, jointly.”

In a notable aside, it also calls for a review of how the directive came to be issued in the first place: “The Town Council therefore finds this approach out of sync with how Cornwall Council usually engages and conducts its business, and a review should be undertaken to establish how this was allowed to happen. Public resources are now being taken up, responding to petitions, angry residents, complaints and significant media interest — all of which was wholly avoidable and has been directly caused by Cornwall Council.”

Copies of the letter have been sent to Cornwall Council Leader Cllr Leigh Frost, Chief Executive Kate Kennally, Cllr Creek, Cllr Heinz Glanville (St. Columb Minor & Colan), Cllr Joanna Kenny (Newquay Central & Pentire), Saints Coast Community Link Officer Helen Fincham, and the Cornwall Association of Local Councils (CALC).