Sheffield Hallam MP speaks out after Ombudsman report into tree controversy

Sheffield Hallam MP Olivia Blake has repeated a personal apology which she previously made to tree campaigners.

The council last week issued an apology on its website after the Local Government Ombudsman instructed it to say sorry.

The Ombudsman found the council did not, at times, act with openness and transparency when removing trees across Sheffield, and when dealing with people’s complaints about that work.

It investigated after receiving a complaint from Alan Robshaw, who has since passed away, regarding a dawn felling of trees on Rustlings Road.

The council was told to make a "public unreserved apology" to the city and a private apology to Mr Robshaw's family.

The Streets Ahead contract was signed in 2012 and Ms Blake was elected as a councillor two years later.

She became Deputy Leader of the council in 2017, six months after the dawn felling. She is now the MP for Sheffield Hallam and her constituency covers Rustlings Road.

Ms Blake said: "Sheffield's dispute over street trees has caused immense concern and controversy, especially affecting the residents of several neighbourhoods within Hallam.

"It's such a relief that a new partnership has been forged between the community and the council in recent years, culminating in the recent adoption of a co-produced strategy for managing our street trees.

‘I'm proud that this approach was developed during my time as Deputy Leader of the council. I repeat the personal apology I made to campaigners as Deputy Leader when I chaired the Cabinet meeting in 2019 that received the report on progress with the new approach.

‘Following the Ombudsman's report, it’s right for the council to have responded with an apology both to Mr Robshaw's family and all concerned."

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