Sheffield’s reputation ruined by Julie Dore – The Yorkshire Post says

Yet, while this has been onerous on both her and her council, it still does not excuse – or justify – the extent to which she allowed her city’s global reputation to become tarnished by its tree-felling scandal.

This culminated in a damning Ombudsman’s report which recently revealed the extent to which Coun Dore and her close cabal deliberately misled residents over the council’s £2bn highways contract which brought about the destruction of healthy trees and ‘criminalised’ legitimate public protest.

Even now, the apologies of Coun Dore and some of her former associates have been, at best, mealy-mouthed and not offered any assurance that appropriate lessons have been learned.

Though Coun Dore’s delayed resignation, allowing a new leader to be in place next month, and the arrival of a new council chief executive in January in succession to the already departed John Mothersole, will enable a fresh start to be made, the first act of Sheffield’s leadership team must be the instigation of the necessary inquiry so the full facts about the decision-making processes can be established and published.

For if it fails to demonstrate a willingness to confront previous failings, providing some of the sorely lacking transparency and accountability denied to local residents and taxpayers, the new leadership will render itself culpable by association.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.