26th September 2025

Romiley is losing patience. Two mature trees at Padden Brook — both apparently protected by Tree Preservation Orders — have been felled following a year of environmental carnage at the Local Wildlife Site at Padden Brook. Still, there has been no clear statement from the council, no visible enforcement action, and no reassurance that the law is being upheld.

This silence is not just frustrating. It is damaging public trust.

MP Lisa Smart, councillors Mark Roberts, Angela Clark, and Rachel Bresnahan, as well as senior council officers Vicki Bates (Monitoring Officer), Liz Sykes (Freedom of Information Officer), and Peter Pollard (Arboricultural Officer), must step forward and provide answers.

Residents have been left asking:

  • Is there an investigation into the felling — yes or no?
  • Was there a breach of the TPOs?
  • If so, who is being held accountable and what penalties are being applied?

Their failure to communicate has created suspicion and anger. Some residents now openly fear that acts of wildlife crime are being ignored — or worse, quietly sanctioned.

It is time to bring in independent oversight.

The Romiley Gazette calls for:

  • An independent investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman or Environment Agency into the felling at Padden Brook and the council’s handling of it.
  • Full transparency over any breaches of environmental law, including publication of all relevant documents.
  • Clear enforcement action where wrongdoing is found — including fines or prosecutions if warranted.

Romiley’s trees are part of its heritage. They cannot simply be felled and forgotten. The council’s silence sends the wrong message: that TPOs can be broken with impunity and wildlife protections are optional.

Councillors Smart, Roberts, Clark, and Bresnahan, together with officers Bates, Sykes, and Pollard, have a choice: restore trust through transparency — or risk losing the confidence of the very people they serve.

This is no longer a local inconvenience. It is a test of integrity. And it demands urgent, independent scrutiny.