Stella Creasy MP and Knotweed
Recently Stella Creasy MP compared Japanese Knotweed to Payday loan companies; is this comparison justified?
Ok so weeds are never going to be top of the agenda for Parliament but a recent debate on payday loans just made Jon Barton of PBA Solutions chuckle when Stella Creasy MP compared Japanese Knotweed to Payday loan companies.
Oddly enough there are parallels here which compare with the concerns that Invasive weed experts have with the management of Japanese Knotweed. Stella Creasy MP, who is spearheading a campaign on this high commission lending, warned:
“Payday lenders are like Japanese Knotweed. As fast as they sort one out, another pops up”.
That really does sum it up Japanese Knotweed does spread like wild fire and the companies the repute to deal with this alien invasive are popping up all over the place as well with sum charging a high commission! The debate on payday loans goes on and the following comments on this topic are just as relevant to Japanese Knotweed:
“The OFT review is a welcome admission that they haven’t done enough to enforce the rules. But the law is pretty weak as it is.”
Yes the same can be said to The Wildlife and Countryside, Act 1981; making it an offence to “plant or otherwise cause Japanese Knotweed to grow in the wild”. How vague is this? What does wild really mean; the highlands of Scotland or the verges of a road? Does it mean any area of land not developed. Similarly at what point is someone causing Japanese Knotweed to grow? Are you inadvertently causing this plant to grow by not treating it? Having worked with Japanese Knotweed of many years I can safely say that this would be the case. If you have Japanese Knotweed you must deal with it as problem will only get worse and more costly to deal with.
“Only proper regulation through capping the total cost of loans will really end legal loan sharking and protect consumers.”
The parallel here is that the RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) have been working with industry experts including PBA to provide information to help regulate Japanese Knotweed control within the property market. Home owners over the last few years have had problems with mortgages and Japanese Knotweed; as such consumers need protection and lenders need a regulated industry for invasive weed control. As a result PBA Solutions are pleased to be at the forefront of such developments to ensure that companies offering such services are credible and provide a quality service which meets the requirements of mortgage lenders, home owners and the environment agency.
Contact PBA Solutions
For more information on how PBA Solutions can help you or your community remove invasive weeds such as Japanese knotweed, email info@pba-solutions.com or call us on 0203 174 2187.
