By Chris Burn

Published 6th Mar 2023, 16:27 BST

Updated 6th Mar 2023, 16:27 BST

Paul Scriven, who was the Liberal Democrat leader of the council between 2008 and 2011, made the comments after Sir Mark Lowcock’s inquiry highlighted how the plan to cut down 17,500 street trees in the city had come about from a misinterpretation of an external report.

The 2007 report stated 74 per cent of its 35,000 street trees would be classed as “mature” or “over-mature” by March 2008. The council then produced an outline business case which wrongly misinterpreted those findings as meaning those trees were “ready for replacement” – leading to the 17,500 figure being put in the contract tender in 2009.

Lord Scriven said: “Council officers presented to me as part of the outline business case an absolute fact that 17,500 trees in Sheffield were beyond their healthy and natural life and needed to be replaced. In hindsight I should have asked to see the raw data and for not doing this, I apologise to the people of Sheffield for the wrong figure going in the outline business case.”

Labour’s Julie Dore, who succeeded Lord Scriven as council leader and was in charge for much of the dispute, did not respond to request for comment.

Former council leader says sorry for part in Sheffield tree-felling debacle