Sheffield council has apologised after a year-long independent investigation found it “deliberately” misled residents over the city’s street tree-felling programme.
A resident, Sally Goldsmith, questioned the decision to remove an alder tree in Aldam Way, Totley, and was told by a council contractor in August 2017 that removal was recommended because of “decay within the stem”. It added that an independent surveyor had “confirmed a decay pocket … as well as damage to the highway network”. A similar email was sent to another complainant.
However, Goldsmith subsequently used freedom of information laws to get hold of a copy of the surveyor’s report. She found the report had actually recommended the tree be retained, that decay was healing well and that pavement damage was “minor”.
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