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Inadequate tree maintenance by local authorities is a critical issue. We focus on the tragic, preventable death of Chris Hall in 2020, killed by a decayed tree limb in Wilmslow. The responsible council, Cheshire East, was fined £500,000 for failing to have a formal maintenance strategy. Currently, regular tree inspection is voluntary, creating a legislative gap that puts the public at risk. We explore the campaign for Chris's Law, which seeks to mandate that councils register and regularly inspect high-risk trees, arguing that preventative maintenance is essential and ultimately cost-effective.
Key Takeaways
- Trees, while beautiful and majestic, require essential maintenance for public safety due to their size and predictable lifespan.
- The death of Chris Hall was preventable, as the 130-year-old decayed tree was known to be dangerous, and recommended maintenance work had not been carried out.
- Cheshire East council pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 following the incident, as they had no formal tree maintenance strategy since 2009.
- There is currently a "legislative gap," meaning local councils have no statutory duty to perform regular tree inspections on public land; this work is voluntary and often neglected when budgets are tight.
- Fiona Hall is campaigning for Chris's Law, requiring councils to maintain a register of high-risk trees and legislate for their regular inspection as a manageable and cost-effective approach.
- Five or six people die every year from falling branches or trees, suggesting this is not an infrequent occurrence. Preventive work is significantly more cost-effective than the financial penalties of negligence, such as the £500,000 fine issued to Cheshire East.
- Existing guidance from the National Tree Safety Group provides an evidence-based framework for managing tree safety, recommending tree owners follow a plan for "zoning" their tree stock based on frequency of public access.
Source: Tree Maintenance: Guidance to Local Authorities
Volume 773: debated on Wednesday 15 October 2025
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No outside chatter: source material only taken from Hansard and the Parliament UK website.
Contains Parliamentary information repurposed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0...
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