Not Listening

They're paid by us. They work for us. Supposedly at least. But some of them pursue their own agendas and look to their own interests. That's what I have to conclude from recent experiences with the officers in Sheffield City Council.

But what's particularly unpleasant is the insistence within the corridors and offices at the Town Hall (and Meersbrook Park, HQ of the council's Parks Department) that local people have to accept 'change'. Well change is what I love and what I record on this site. It's natural change as against artificially driven change that should be valued. Change driven by the agendas of vested interests of whatever kind should be rigorously challenged, especially when we're told it's all about 'cuts' when we know they would be pressing for their options whatever the financial climate.

At a well-attended  meeting of our local community forum on Wednesday evening there was unanimous agreement that the local Common Lane Open Space should remain much as it is and that local people should be involved in decisions about its future. Some of us said we might be prepared to accept that parts of it might have less grass cutting and be more wildlife friendly bringing the chance for more wild flowers etc. But top down one-size-fits-all plans from the council should be resisted. What's right for one park ain't for everywhere.

When I tried to explain this to the officer concerned at the  Re-visioning Parks event mentioned below, he walked away saying he didn't want to hear this. The same officer a year or two back had told me that most people wanted Blacka Moor to be quite different to what I wanted. When I had asked for his evidence he mentioned a visitor survey that SWT claimed they had conducted but we know was utterly fraudulent. The message here is clear*. As far as Sheffield officers are concerned (and many elected members) if the people tell you what you don't want to hear just invent responses that fit in with your agenda and go around saying "this is what you, the public, tell us". Or go out and talk to impressionable people who know nothing about the situation on the ground and feed them propaganda until they accept what you say, à la SWT.

* After being told by the officer that visitor surveys showed that people who used Blacka Moor did not agree with me and other members of Friends of Blacka Moor I sent in a Freedom of Information request for details of these 'visitor surveys' and received a response in these words:

In response to this request I can confirm that Sheffield City Council has not conducted a visitor survey relating to Blacka Moor. The Council has also not asked any other individual or organisation to conduct a visitor survey relating to Blacka Moor on its behalf.