Andrew Cooper | Sheffield Green Party

Sheffield City Council has issued a detailed apology for its actions during the street tree dispute. This was debated at the Council’s Strategy and Resources Committee on 19/6/23.

Here is Green Group Leader Councillor Douglas Johnson’s response to that apology.

“I welcome the report of Sir Mark Lowcock, this council’s formal response to it and the detailed and thorough apology given to the citizens of Sheffield for the way the council treated them over many years.”

“When Cllr Alison Teal and I negotiated the holding of an inquiry into the council’s handling of street trees, it was done in our knowledge of the real harm and upset caused to so many people in the city from the loss of magnificent trees, in many case, the very best physical things on the streets where they lived. Residents expressed this hurt eloquently and in detail at a very early stage of the tree-felling campaign.

“Sir Mark Lowcock agrees those expressions should have been heeded. There were many voices that should have been heeded at the time.

“In 2021, the context of setting up the street tree inquiry was that the council had already changed dramatically. It was immediately after the governance referendum where the people of Sheffield resoundingly voted for a change in the way the council was run. The ruling group had lost its overall majority control of the council such that the parties now had to work together.

“The Lowcock report has exposed truths that are uncomfortable to some but which are absolutely the vital issues that demonstrated how the council got things so wrong for so long.
In the 2 years since then, the council has changed incomparably, with a near-total change of senior leadership at both political and officer levels. More to the point, this has triggered a welcome change in culture.

“That is not to say that things are perfect – or even acceptable – in all cases. There is a lot more to do. However, the progress leading up to today’s apology reset the trajectory of the council’s future. That is something that the residents of Sheffield who became involved in campaigns over many years should be able to take credit for.”

Green Councillors on Sheffield City Council have welcomed the detailed and thorough written apology (1) for the actions the Council took during the street trees dispute.

The apology is in response to the findings of the report by Sir Mark Lowcock into the street tree dispute. The formal Inquiry was commissioned as a result of the Cooperative Administration agreement between the Green Party and Labour in 2021 (1). Labour lost their majority in the 2021 Local Elections.

Councillor Douglas Johnson, Leader of the Green Group of councillors on Sheffield City Council said,

“This apology has been a long time coming but it is welcome nevertheless. If Labour hadn’t lost its majority in 2021 and the Greens hadn’t secured an agreement from Labour for an Independent Street Trees Inquiry it is highly unlikely this acknowledgement of the Council’s serious failings over many, many years would ever have seen the light of day. (2)

“The roots of the street tree dispute come from the Council establishing the Streets Ahead contract with Amey in 2012. This £2.2 billion contract saw the felling of 5474 trees and was criticised for its lack of accountability. This contract was only opposed by the 2 Green Councillors on the Council at the time, Cllrs Jillian Creasy and Bernard Little, who is now a Green Councillor in the Walkley ward.”

“For the Council to truly learn the lessons from the Street Tree dispute it needs to ensure the voice of the public is heard more in the new Committee System. The move to a Committee System, which was opposed by Labour and supported by the Green Party, was the result of a grassroots campaign by local people, largely arising from the Street Trees campaign. In 2021, 65% of people voted for the move to a Committee System in a referendum. This referendum was forced on the Council, by a community-led petition

The “It’s Our City” campaign was founded to address the lack of accountability and secrecy inherent in the Cabinet System and the bunker mentality that it fostered. This meant a few Labour Councillors were making decisions on the removal of thousands of street trees. This was widely condemned by thousands of Sheffielders. The Committee System, which involves all Councillors in decision making, was openly opposed by Labour and is now being given as one of the reasons that nothing like the street trees scandal could ever happen again.

“What really needs to change, for good, is the culture of the Council. Whether we have a committee system or a cabinet system we still need Councillors to be open and honest in the statements they make and in the decisions they take. This apology is an important start in that process and Green Councillors will continue to act as the conscience of the Council and make sure there is no return to the politics of the past.”

REFERENCES

An open apology to all residents of Sheffield, and beyond, for Sheffield City
Council’s actions during the street tree dispute. (starts Page 42)
The Cooperative Administration Agreement between the Green Party and Labour in 2021.

A proposal to install a phone mast and cabinets in a proposed active travel route has been objected to by Green Councillors as it significantly narrows the footway for pedestrians and cyclists.

The Planning Application by CK Hutchinson Networks Ltd is to install telecommunications equipment on East Bank Road for a 15-metre high monopole and 3 cabinets.

Green Councillor Ruth Mersereau, who submitted the objection said,

“The siting of telecoms equipment here would impede a proposed key cycle route planned for
this site, which is part of Active Travel Fund 3. This mobility route is to pass through the City ward, so I’m keen that the route is unimpeded, and that the safety of people on bikes or foot is not compromised.

Even if this proposed cycle route doesn’t proceed as planned yet, siting telecom equipment on pavements reduces the width of the footpath available to pedestrians. The siting of the equipment here would compromise the safety and mobility of pedestrians.

Any alternative proposals by the telecoms company to site the equipment on footpaths elsewhere are unacceptable for the same reason. The telecoms company should negotiate with private landowners to site the telecoms equipment, instead of obstructing the public highway, pedestrian and cycle routes.”

A similar objection by Green Councillors to a proposed mast and cabinets on Jessop Street in City Ward was successful. An appeal by the developer against refusal to the Planning Inspectorate failed. The Planning Inspector concluded that the siting of the equipment would compromise the safety and mobility of pedestrians and cycles due to the decreased width of the shared pedestrian cycleway and the resultant increase in the potential for conflict as a result.

Cllr Mersereau commented:

“Phone companies should not look at public pavements for land grabs and assume they are there for the taking.”

ENDS

1 – Link to the Planning Application – 23/01685/TEL | Installation oF 15m high slim-line monopole, supporting 6no. antennas, 3no. equipment cabinets and ancillary development (Application for determination if approval required for siting and appearance) | Telecomunications Equipment Land Opposite 53 East Bank Road Sheffield S2 3PP

Following Tuesday’s Planning Committee meeting Walkley Green Councillor Bernard Little has called for the Council to give a strong steer to officers to de-culvert large sections of the River Sheaf on the Castlegate site.

The Planning Application to redevelop the former Castle Market site was passed by Committee but the de-culverting of the River Sheaf was left as a reserved matter to be determined outside the meeting.

The Environment Agency and the Sheaf and Porter River Trust have both called for a greater emphasis in the development proposals on de-culverting.

Councillor Little speaking after the Planning and Highways Committee meeting said,

“ As things stand the application still has large sections of the River Sheaf still covered from public view. If this is followed through to the actual development we will have missed a great opportunity to rediscover the river that named our city and we will not gain the many benefits that come from having open water running through an urban environment.

“The positive impact on people’s well-being and on local biodiversity of being close to a flowing river are well known. We should really be giving a stronger steer to the Council that we need to be improving the local environment when we develop somewhere as important to our heritage as the site of the former Sheffield Castle. That is why I am calling for this matter to be raised by the Council’s Transport, Regeneration and Climate Committee so they can give a strong steer to the Council that we want to see greater de-culverting of large sections of the river and making it accessible to the public in line with proposals from Sheaf and Porter River Trust”

Douglas Johnson in Abbeyfield Park — Cllr Douglas Johnson

Sheffield Green Party Councillors called on all parties to work together in a new spirit of cooperation at the Annual Council meeting on Wednesday.

Following the local elections there was no change in the number of Councillors in the political groups. This means that the Council remains in “no overall control” with no party having a majority

Councillor Douglas Johnson said,

“Greens proposed that the Council has a Leader from one party and two Co-Deputy Leaders from the other two Party groups. This would have created a balanced Leadership Team to work together, providing direction to the Council on the important issues facing the city.

“Greens also wanted to see Leaders come together on a weekly basis to agree on how to address strategic issues affecting the city. This would reflect the wishes of the voters of Sheffield who did not provide any party with an outright majority.

“This also represents a further move away from the old “Strong Leader” model that was so decisively rejected by the electorate in the governance referendum in 2021 and in local elections where the public voted the council into no-overall-control.

“Given the new Labour Leader was not even elected by a majority of his own Council group then he clearly does not have a strong mandate to lead the Council on his own. For the stability of the Council, it is important that Party Leaders work together to provide the certainty that local people and council officers need to give them a new sense of confidence in Sheffield City Council.

There were 3 nominations for Leader of the Council. Labour proposed Cllr Tom Hunt, the Liberal Democrats proposed Shaffaq Mohammed and the Green Party proposed Cllr Douglas Johnson.
All nominations were voted down.

New Labour Leader Tom Hunt was elected Leader of the Council following a run-off vote against Shaffaq Mohammed. The Green councillors didn’t support either candidate. As Tom Hunt got the support of the Labour Group and had the most votes, he became the Leader of the Council.

Unfortunately, the Green Party proposal for one Leader and Co-Deputy Leaders was rejected but in a positive new development Party Leaders and Deputy Leaders will now meet together regularly with senior council officers to discuss current issues facing the Council and provide a steer on a cross-party basis.

Cllr Douglas Johnson said,

“This is definitely a move in the right direction and will further strengthen the cross-party working that has been developed in the first year of the Council’s Committee system. More consideration of issues facing the Council across political divides will help us make better decisions.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Council’s rules for selecting a leader are:

If there are more than two people nominated for any position to be filled and there is not a clear majority of votes in favour of one person, then the name of the person with the least number of votes will be taken off the list and a new vote taken. The process will continue until there is a majority of votes for one person. In the event of a tie between the last two persons, the Chair shall have a second or casting vote.

Senior Labour Cllrs absent from the meeting

The Extraordinary Meeting of Sheffield City Council, called by the Sheffield Green Group of Councillors, has agreed to learn from the strategic failure of political leadership exposed in the recent Lowcock Report into the Street Tree dispute.

The Lowcock Report into the Street Trees dispute was commissioned in 2021 (1) as a result of Green proposals in the Cooperative Executive agreement between Green and Labour Councillors, following the local elections, when Labour lost their majority.

Many senior Labour Councillors including Terry Fox & Bryan Lodge who were in the Cabinet and responsible for decisions regarding the felling of street trees did not attend the meeting today. Tree Campaigners attending the meeting were angry and disappointed that senior Labour Councillors were unavailable to answer questions put to them about the street tree dispute.

The Chief Executive Kate Josephs and the Lord Mayor, Councillor Sioned Mair Richards both offered their full apologies for the actions of the Council at the time.

Green Councillors worked with the Lib Dem and Labour groups on a motion committing the Council to accept the conclusions and recommendations of the inquiry and recognised that the committee system requires committee chairs to abide by the rules and spirit of open, transparent and democratic ways of working.

The successful Green Party amendment, moved by Green Councillor and Tree Campaigner Paul Turpin, recognised that without the Council being in no-overall-control that the Lowcock report would never have been commissioned and also committed the Council to install a plaque in the entrance to the Town Hall (alongside the Kinder Scout mass trespass plaque)

Councillor Turpin said,

“This plaque is a recognition of those who fought for our environmental heritage and who were vindicated for doing so. It will also serve as a reminder to all Councillors and members of the public that this failure of leadership should never happen again. Now is the time to fix the things that are broken.”

The Green amendment went on to agree that a timescale for implementing all the recommendations resulting from the Extraordinary General Meeting should be published no later than the end of June 2023.

News that King Edward VII Upper School is going to be forced to go down the Academy route has been met with dismay by Sheffield Green Party Councillors. The decision by the Department of Education followed the OFSTED report that gave the school an “inadequate” rating.

The Academy system was introduced by the Labour Government in 2000 and the Academisation of many local schools has been supported by Sheffield Labour Councillors. King Ted’s is the last secondary school in Sheffield to remain in local authority control.

Green Party Councillor Angela Argenzio, a former teacher said

“Local people are right to be concerned about the Government forcing ‘King Ted’s’ to become an Academy.

Academisation is not a solution to help address the problems faced by under-resourced schools. It can introduce fresh turmoil to staff and students at a time when the school needs to focus on improvement. The Green Party has consistently opposed the academy system which removes Local Authority oversight of how schools are performing and the support that can be given to schools in difficulties.

There is no evidence that Multi Academy Trusts improve a school’s academic attainment, boost OFSTED grades or provide schools with more financial security.

Academies are less accountable to parents and the community, pupils are more likely to be taught by an unqualified teacher or a teacher with worse pay and conditions.”

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Sheffield City Council has secured £4 million of funding to help purchase and refurbish another 55 homes under the Government’s Local Authority Housing Fund Scheme.

The funding is intended to support housing for people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or here under the Afghan resettlement scheme or those fleeing the war in Ukraine. In Sheffield this will help keep people out of unsuitable and expensive hotel accommodation into more suitable and affordable housing.

Councillor Douglas Johnson, Chair of the Housing Policy Committee said,

“It is really encouraging to see the Council taking opportunities to draw in new funding to secure more homes which will be affordable to rent at a time of rising private rents and with owner occupation simply unaffordable for thousands in our city. The money is not just for purchase of existing housing but also for improving them to modern standards.

“These new homes will add to those that are already planned under the Council’s Stock Increase Programme. With the cost of building new properties rising due to inflationary pressure in the construction industry, it makes sense to buy and improve existing housing when it is available. In difficult financial times, we need to be on the ball and awake to any opportunities to draw in funding to improve housing and make it affordable to those on low incomes.”

NOTES

Local Authority Housing Fund – Report to Strategy and Resources Committee – 19/4/23

Officer Decision Report (sheffield.gov.uk)

Green Party Councillor Douglas Johnson, who is Chair of the Council’s Housing Committee, has welcomed significant investment to improve the heating systems and insulation standards of hundreds of Council homes.

1249 homes are due to receive heating system upgrades over the next 2 years. Gas boilers will be replaced with modern Air Source Heat Pumps that extract heat from the surrounding air to provide heating, where this is technically possible. Where it is not possible to install a heat pump, an energy efficient A-rated gas boiler will be installed instead.

Sheffield Council will also be insulating some of its least energy-efficient housing. Homes built in the 1940s and 1950s out of pre-cast concrete are cold, leaky and very difficult to heat. Costs for insulating these homes have risen due to inflationary press

Cllr Douglas Johnson in front of retrofitted houses

ures.

Councillor Douglas Johnson said,

“Improving the energy efficiency of homes tackles climate change and also helps address the cost of living crisis which affects those on the lowest incomes the most. Greens have been campaigning for improved energy performance standards of homes for many years, so this investment is very welcome. What’s more, this will be an opportunity for a new generation of apprentices to learn the skills of installing technology for the future.

“We need to do a lot more, though. Greens have also proposed that the Council develops a scheme for private householders to help them upgrade their homes by releasing some of their equity to pay for measures such as insulation and solar panels with no upfront costs. This could be a relatively easy way of improving a large number of homes, reducing both energy costs and carbon emissions.”

NOTES

Sheffield City Council – Agenda for Strategy and Resources Policy Committee on Wednesday 19 April 2023, 2.00 pm

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Hillsborough Park to get new accessible toilets for severely disabled people

Green Party Councillors have welcomed news that the Council has secured funding for a new accessible toilet for severely disabled people using Hillsborough Park.

A Changing Places grant of £100,000, Community Infrastructure Levy of £10,000 and £15,000 of Council funding will extend and improve the existing disabled toilet to a new improved one with hoists, a peninsular toilet, an adult sized changing area and privacy screens.

The Government announced £7 million of funding for Changing Places grants in February and the Council is making use of this funding to improve facilities for disabled people in Sheffield.

Hillsborough Green Councillor Christine Gilligan- Kubo said,

“ There are over 250,000 people living with severe disabilities in the UK and we should make more public spaces accessible for them and their carers so that they are able to get out and about and enjoy the places we all enjoy. These new toilet facilities are a step in the right direction and will be important in improving accessibility in the Hillsborough area. People living with disabilities are often restricted in what they can do by the availability of toilet facilities and I am very pleased that this new facility will make Hillsborough Park a more inclusive and inviting place for everyone.”

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Author: Andrew Cooper

Council’s Street Tree Dispute Apology – Councillor Douglas Johnson’s response

“Council apology on Street Trees welcome, but a long time coming” – say Greens

Greens object to reduced pavement width due to telecoms equipment

“Let’s reveal the Sheaf” says Green Councillor

Greens propose that all parties work together on Sheffield Council.

Council commits to learn lessons from the Street Tree scandal

Greens oppose forced Academisation of King Ted’s school

Greens welcome funding for new Council homes

Greens welcome big energy efficiency improvements to Council homes.

Hillsborough Park to get new accessible toilets for severely disabled people