Sheffield residents worry about effects of austerity, not trees | Letters

Sheffield councillor Bryan Lodge and others respond to protests against the city's tree replacement programmeIn Sheffield - with 4.5 million trees, still Europe's greenest city - we know that a small band choose to ignore the facts in their protests against our lawful tree replacement programme (The roots of resistance, G2, 26 February). But we remain happy to let the facts speak. There will be more trees at the end of this work than at the beginning, as we plant trees for tomorrow. Opponents are entitled to their opinions; but they are not entitled to their own facts. The facts are at sheffieldnewsroom.co.uk/street-trees-mythWe continue to welcome peaceful protest, but it cannot be acceptable for a tiny minority of hardcore protesters to attempt the imposition of their views against the wishes of the majority of local residents who want the council to complete its programme of highways improvements, and the consequent wasting of large amounts of taxpayers' money in additional programme costs and legal bills.Cllr Bryan LodgeLabour, Sheffield city council Continue reading...