WESTERN POWER won’t reveal how many councils have refused to pay invoices sent for tree pruning near power lines because they feel they weren’t given enough warning.
The issue came to light when Bayswater deputy mayor Elli Petersen-Pik posted about concerns he’d received from residents that the authority’s pruning could be heavy-handed, saying City officers had noted it was a metro-wide problem.
“WP invoices local government for the works, even when no notice was given or the local government was not afforded the agreed notice period to rectify non-compliance,” Cr Petersen-Pik said.
“The City has refused to pay the invoices and those invoices have subsequently not been pursued any further.”
• Bayswater councillor Elli Petersen-Pik says the City is refusing to pay invoices sent by Western Power for pruning in protest at the lack of warning. Photos
supplied Elli Petersen-Pik
Western Power’s media department told the Voice it didn’t want to get into a tit-for-tat argument with Cr Petersen-Pik so wouldn’t respond to his claims about Bayswater, but apparently that also extended to not answering our question on how many other councils refusing to pay their bills.
WP’s asset operations manager Zane Christmas did say its crews only took enough to deem the tree safe, leaving it up to council contractors to “cut to the full clearance and shape the tree”.
That doesn’t impress Cr Petersen-Pik who says the authority’s pruning is inconsistent with Australian Standards.
“Such practices lead to permanent structural damage to trees, increased susceptibility to pests and disease, reduced canopy cover, and loss of street amenity and neighbourhood character.”
He says the council’s contractors have to give the tree a “reset” by taking it back to hard wood, with the canopy expected to regenerate over several months.
“Branches pruned by WP are often left on verges for the City to collect, sometimes without notification.
“Piles of debris obstruct pedestrians, create traffic hazards, and generate resident complaints.
“The City must organise urgent clean-ups and traffic management (on arterial roads), often at short notice and significant costs.”
• Cr Petersen-Pik says the authority also keeps leaving a mess for the council to clean up.
Stepping in
Cr Petersen-Pik said correspondence with WP had failed to resolve the issue, and WALGA was stepping in on behalf of councils.
WALGA president Karen Chappel said the organisation will “work” with local governments and the authority to “address concerns”.
“To reach the State Government’s target of 30 per cent canopy for the Perth region by 2040, it is imperative that all stakeholders make a concerted effort to retain existing canopy cover,” Ms Chappel said.
“Perth has the lowest tree canopy cover of any Australian capital city.
“Local Governments are making consistent efforts to reduce tree loss and are implementing extensive tree planting programs in street verges, parks, and other public areas.
“WALGA has been a leading advocate for measures to increase urban canopy, advocating for a Statewide Urban Greening Strategy to increase canopy cover for the Perth and Peel regions.”
Mr Christmas said WP gave councils 90-day or 30-day notices to prune problem trees, but wouldn’t say if the authority sometimes jumped the gun on stepping in.
“If vegetation becomes a safety hazard, it may result in emergency pruning by our crews,” he said, noting the costs are passed on.
“Western Power regularly engages with local governments and WALGA on vegetation management requirements and processes.
“Vegetation that grows too close to powerlines can become a safety risk.
“Management of the vegetation around powerlines is a shared responsibility between property owners, local governments and Western Power.”
by STEVE GRANT