Just in case they've forgotten it

Way back last year I wrote, on behalf of myself and neighbours, to our councillor for the environment about a large tree at the very bottom of Gregg House Road at Shiregreen.
Tree at the very bottom of Gregg House Road at ShiregreenTree at the very bottom of Gregg House Road at Shiregreen
Tree at the very bottom of Gregg House Road at Shiregreen

The tree was once again breaking up the pavement, and hadn’t been cut back for many years and was depositing a huge amount of leaves onto the pavement opposite our local school, as well as into our gardens. These leaves were, and still are, a health and safety risk to both the schoolchildren and anyone else who happened to walk on that pavement.

I did not get a reply from Coun Bryan Lodge, so I wrote again in June. I got a response in September in which Coun Lodge informed me that an inspection had been carried out and that the pavement would be repaired, which it duly was. Coun Lodge informed me that the tree was healthy and would not be cut down, (though it doesn’t seem to stop them in other parts of the city, as we all know), and that work had been scheduled to cut the crown of the tree. Coun Lodge had been informed that this work would be carried out by the end of November 2017.

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In the autumn, a team of Amey tree cutters arrived and promptly trimmed back the branches of a tree that is a mere 20 yards further up the road than the one I had complained about. They then drove off without touching the one in my complaint.

We are now into 2018, and a team of tree cutters, in a lorry bearing the brand, Acorn, arrived, and promptly trimmed back the branches on the tree twenty yards up the road again. They then drove off.

Now call me daft, but wouldn’t you have thought that having twice been to cut a tree 20 yards up the road, in the interests of saving money for our cash strapped council, they could have trimmed the tree that I had complained about at the same time? Whoever schedules this work clearly doesn’t do joined up working, or both trees would have been trimmed at the same time surely?

As Coun Lodge’s response clearly stated that the tree in question was scheduled to be trimmed by the end of November, but still hasn’t been done despite the tree cutting team twice been working only 20 yards away from it, then if I was him I would be kicking someone up the backside because he’s given out information to a member of the public that is clearly incorrect. That, Coun Lodge, makes you look incompetent. Just in case they’ve forgotten it, the Streets Ahead reference for this job was 101 003 357 823. Perhaps someone could find the paperwork and do the job Coun Lodge said they would have done by now?

S Collins

S5