Sheffield Labour councillor forced to apologise after anonymously commenting in Facebook group

Cllr Ruth Milsom, who represents Crookes and Crosspool and serves as the whip of the Sheffield Labour group as well as the co-chair of the Police and Crime Panel, admitted to posting anonymously following a public call for accountability from a local campaign group.

On Wednesday, the S35 Community Action Group — which runs the Save Chapeltown, Ecclesfield and Grenoside’s Green Belt campaign — posted on Facebook that one of the anonymous accounts engaging in Green Belt discussions belonged to a sitting Sheffield City councillor.

The group wrote: “We are aware that certain anonymous accounts posting in at least one local Facebook Group is from a serving Sheffield City Councillor outside the S35 constituency.

“This raises serious concerns about transparency and public trust.

“Elected representatives should not be influencing community debate from behind anonymous profiles and posts, especially on matters like the Local Plan where they hold decision-making power.

“We have written to Sheffield City Council to formally raise this issue. We are now calling on the councillor involved to publicly identify themselves and issue an apology in all the local community groups where they have been posting – by 5pm today.

“Our community deserves honesty.”

The group also wrote to the leader of Sheffield City Council, Cllr Tom Hunt, and chief executive Kate Josephs, stating they had evidence that a councillor had been using “various identities” to post factually incorrect information anonymously.

Shortly afterward, in the comments section of the post, Cllr Ruth Milsom came forward and identified herself as the councillor in question.

She explained that she had joined the group out of concern about “a degree of confusion around some aspects” when news first broke regarding the Green Belt requirements tied to the Local Plan.

In her comment, she added: “I wanted to help in ensuring that people were properly equipped with facts to participate in the formal consultation.”

Cllr Milsom said in the same comment that she felt more connected to the group’s campaign because “I see your upset and anger.”

She added she had realised posting anonymously “is not good in certain respects”.

She said she wanted to join the group as a concerned person rather than with the councillor hat on but she realised that it is not possible to separate the two entirely.

Cllr Milsom added: “I realise that it probably looks like a cowardly or dishonest choice not to post under my name. Admins of Facebook groups take the important decision of whether or not to allow anonymous posting.

“I have posted behind that anonymous shield because I thought it would allow me to contribute more freely.”

She said the comments she had made “have been in the spirit of seeking to address factual uncertainties using the best of my own knowledge (which is not completely infallible, since I am human), and perhaps influence a bit regarding the absolute need for a Local Plan”.

She concluded with an apology, stating she had only intended to contribute more effectively and that she was sorry for “having got this wrong.”

Both Sheffield Labour and Cllr Milsom were contacted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) for an official statement.

A Labour Party Spokesperson said: “The Labour Party expects all elected representatives to always conduct themselves in an open and transparent way.

“Cllr Milsom has apologised for her actions. The party will look into the issue.”

Cllr Milsom did not come back before the set deadline.