Sheffield cabinet member criticises leaked documents on restructure in council's planning department

Coun Bob Johnson has spoken out for the first time after documents were leaked to the press and on social media.

The cabinet member for transport and development says he can’t give full details because there is a collective dispute with employees and unions but the department needs to modernise.

He said: “A number of campaigns recently have referred to leaked documents in relation to the proposed restructure of the council’s planning and building control services.

“I am disappointed such leaks have occurred given that the matter remains at the staff consultation stage and it will have resulted in many of our customers and stakeholders being misinformed.”

He said the council was ‘absolutely committed’ to making Sheffield an outstanding city.

“Sheffield values its heritage assets as well as good design and the council will continue to ensure that these matters are weighed appropriately in future proposals for new developments.

POLITICS: ‘I was ready for a physical altercation with angry voters’

“We need a service that is fit for the future and agile enough to meet the needs of our customers.

“The council has suffered austerity over the last 10 years and the planning service, like others nationally, has needed to adjust to operating with greater efficiency and making sure its core services are delivered really well.

“Other services in the council have done this and planning needs to do it too, not only to keep up with modern working methods, but also to be able to operate within its budget.”

Coun Johnson said the restructure would bring conservation, design, landscape and trees within one team.

“It’s not correct that we’re stopping these services, or outsourcing them - we’re improving them by aligning them directly with frontline delivery.

“The proposed structure includes posts that cover each of these areas, so the idea that ‘we're not doing conservation in future’ is simply not true.

“The details have been delayed as a result of the dispute but we hope matters will soon be resolved and staff can achieve greater certainty about the future,” he said.