Rustling Road trees are being felled right now

[taxman]

http://www.sheffieldnewsroom.co.uk/rustlings-road-trees/

 

An apology of sorts from Coun Lodge. Sorry about lack of inbedded link thingy, I'm on my mobile.

[Waldo]

Haven't followed the entire thread; but, I guess like most people in Sheffield, was aware of the councils plans to cut these trees down.

 

I admit, I'm not terribly knowledgable (or interested) in politics; but won't the fact of Sheffield being a secure Labour stronghold, embolden the local council to this kind of behaviour (i.e. if they feel they're going to get voted in again anyway, no matter what they do)?

 

I can't help but feel; that a vote for Labour, is a vote for this kind of shoddy underhand behaviour...

[taxman]

Haven't followed the entire thread; but, I guess like most people in Sheffield, was aware of the councils plans to cut these trees down.

 

I admit, I'm not terribly knowledgable (or interested) in politics; but won't the fact of Sheffield being a secure Labour stronghold, embolden the local council to this kind of behaviour (i.e. if they feel they're going to get voted in again anyway, no matter what they do)?

 

I can't help but feel; that a vote for Labour, is a vote for this kind of shoddy underhand behaviour...

 

This is what happens when a party knows that the electorate will vote for a chimp in a suit as long as it wearing the correct rosette. They feel invulnerable.

[WarPig]

http://www.sheffieldnewsroom.co.uk/rustlings-road-trees/

 

An apology of sorts from Coun Lodge. Sorry about lack of inbedded link thingy, I'm on my mobile.

 

Councillor Bryan Lodge, Cabinet Member for Environment at Sheffield City Council, said:

 

 

“We would like to offer an apology to the people of Sheffield who were affected by the way in which we took the trees down on Thursday of last week, and particularly those living on Rustlings Road, who will also receive an apology in the post. We are sorry for the disruption and distress caused by the work starting at 5am and the decision not to publish the Tree Panel report in advance.

 

“There were reasons relating to public safety why the decision was taken to fell the trees at 5am and not to publish the report earlier, but we have heard the message loud and clear that this was not the acceptable course of action. We have reflected on this and will not do work in the same way. To be specific, we commit to publishing the Independent Tree Panel reports in a timely manner, with full and transparent information about how we have come to decisions. We can also give assurances that no work will begin before 7am.

 

“As we continue to carry out work as part of the largest investment there has ever been in the city’s street trees, and to protect the city’s 36,000 street trees for generations to come, it is important that we take necessary measures to ensure that we protect the safety of our workforce, and the public. But we know we got it wrong last week with the way the work was started. We have listened and are sorry for the mistakes that we made.”

[prince al]

Not good enough. Sack and prosecute all those involved in the decision making.

[Olive]

Would it help if I take a photo of a 70 year old tree, and a sapling for you to compare...

 

 

If they remove the 90 year old tree that stands outside our house with a sapling I will be forever grateful.

[Alcoblog]

Councillor Bryan Lodge, Cabinet Member for Environment at Sheffield City Council, said:

 

 

“We would like to offer an apology to the people of Sheffield who were affected by the way in which we took the trees down on Thursday of last week, and particularly those living on Rustlings Road, who will also receive an apology in the post. We are sorry for the disruption and distress caused by the work starting at 5am and the decision not to publish the Tree Panel report in advance.

 

“There were reasons relating to public safety why the decision was taken to fell the trees at 5am and not to publish the report earlier, but we have heard the message loud and clear that this was not the acceptable course of action. We have reflected on this and will not do work in the same way. To be specific, we commit to publishing the Independent Tree Panel reports in a timely manner, with full and transparent information about how we have come to decisions. We can also give assurances that no work will begin before 7am.

 

“As we continue to carry out work as part of the largest investment there has ever been in the city’s street trees, and to protect the city’s 36,000 street trees for generations to come, it is important that we take necessary measures to ensure that we protect the safety of our workforce, and the public. But we know we got it wrong last week with the way the work was started. We have listened and are sorry for the mistakes that we made.”

 

If this guy Lodge is stupid enough to have thought that there would be no public outcry over the felling of the trees, he's obviously not capable of doing his job in the first place.

Pre-planned heavy handed plod armed with some kind of obscure grounds for arrest, suggests to me that he was expecting trouble well in advance. Did he not think that banging on peoples' doors and ordering them to move their cars at two in the morning might result in something a little less than a cheery smile?

 

I don't think he's sorry at all, just lying. People like this 'Cabinet Minister for the Environment' (fancy title or what!?) are just a waste of space. Get rid and get someone who knows what they're doing. Resignation would be the honest thing to do.

[taxman]

If this guy Lodge is stupid enough to have thought that there would be no public outcry over the felling of the trees, he's obviously not capable of doing his job in the first place.

Pre-planned heavy handed plod armed with some kind of obscure grounds for arrest, suggests to me that he was expecting trouble well in advance. Did he not think that banging on peoples' doors and ordering them to move their cars at two in the morning might result in something a little less than a cheery smile?

 

I don't think he's sorry at all, just lying. People like this 'Cabinet Minister for the Environment' (fancy title or what!?) are just a waste of space. Get rid and get someone who knows what they're doing. Resignation would be the honest thing to do.

 

Coun Lodge does get a lot of stuff thrown at him but let's take a step back and think who is really in control of City Hall. Councillors are unpaid, unqualified normal folk. They would not be allowed within a hundred miles of a Billion £ contract with a multinational company, neither would they have the knowledge of obscure anti trade union laws to pursue peaceful protesters.

 

It is the paid council officials who are in charge. Mothersole and his ilk are the ones in charge, they get paid over £100k a year, they are hardly likely to devolve important decisions to well meaning but dim Councillors.

[Alcoblog]

Coun Lodge does get a lot of stuff thrown at him but let's take a step back and think who is really in control of City Hall. Councillors are unpaid, unqualified normal folk. They would not be allowed within a hundred miles of a Billion £ contract with a multinational company, neither would they have the knowledge of obscure anti trade union laws to pursue peaceful protesters.

 

It is the paid council officials who are in charge. Mothersole and his ilk are the ones in charge, they get paid over £100k a year, they are hardly likely to devolve important decisions to well meaning but dim Councillors.

So there hasn't been a proper apology then ... just a scapegoat?

[Eater Sundae]

If this guy Lodge is stupid enough to have thought that there would be no public outcry over the felling of the trees, he's obviously not capable of doing his job in the first place.

Pre-planned heavy handed plod armed with some kind of obscure grounds for arrest, suggests to me that he was expecting trouble well in advance. Did he not think that banging on peoples' doors and ordering them to move their cars at two in the morning might result in something a little less than a cheery smile?

 

I don't think he's sorry at all, just lying. People like this 'Cabinet Minister for the Environment' (fancy title or what!?) are just a waste of space. Get rid and get someone who knows what they're doing. Resignation would be the honest thing to do.

 

Of course he was expecting trouble. That's why they took the decision to start work in the early hours with minimal warning, in order to minimise the degree of trouble.

 

I think they were probably wrong to go ahead with felling without looking further into alternative ways of retaining them (eg by giving the locals the opportunity to fund the extra cost of retaining the trees).

 

However, once they had decided to fell them anyway, then the way they did it was much better than pre-warning those people that would have chained themselves to trees, or climbed them or whatever other disruption they would have tried.