Government will tighten rules for tree maintenance following the death of a man killed by a falling tree branch in Wilmslow.
Chris Hall was killed while he was walking his dog along The Carrs in Wilmslow in August 2020. Since his death, his wife Fiona and son Sam have campaigned to introduce Chris’ Law in the hope no other family will endure the suffering they have.
Environment Minister Mary Creagh is looking at what changes can be included in government’s new Tree Action Plans 2026, including whether grants given to councils for tree planting would have a condition linked to them to ensure they were properly maintained.
In the interim, Ms Creagh said she would be writing to all councils reminding them of their responsibility for tree maintenance.
The actions come following a meeting secured by Tatton MP Esther McVey for herself and Chris’ family with government ministers.
Ms McVey said: “It was a positive meeting and I had been trying to secure it for some time. I have been unbelievably impressed by Fiona and Sam’s resolute determination to campaign for change and I will keep doing everything I can to support them in this.
“While I am pleased changes will be considered, we must remember this should never have happened and must never happen again. Chris’ death was preventable. Cheshire East Council knew the tree was unsafe as just a year earlier, a limb had fallen off the same tree but despite recommendations by the council’s contractors, the tree was not crowned, no action was taken to mitigate its risk, or to warn the public of the danger the tree presented.”
Last year Cheshire East were fined £500,000 for gross negligence. Councils are required to ensure public safety but there is no statutory duty on them to carry out regular inspections of trees on public land, leading to the ad hoc maintenance in different parts of the country.
Ms McVey said there needs to be a national standard of maintenance that all councils must adhere to.
Government confirmed earlier this month as part of their Environmental Improvement Plans it will publish a new Trees Action Plan.
