Apply to develop a commemorative street tree plaque

We are installing a plaque in the entrance of the Town Hall to commemorate the Street Tree Campaign. It will serve to recognise those who fought for our environmental heritage and were vindicated. We’re looking for people to join a small, time-limited group to help develop and lead a process to agree:

• the wording of a design brief for the plaque
• how to commission the plaque design, eg public competition, an open arts tender, going out to a select list of artists or using in house council design resource
• the approach for a wider public consultation process

The group will then make their recommendations to the Council's Strategy and Resources Committee. Sheffield City Council will retain responsibility for commissioning the designs, running a public consultation on those designs, and taking forward the selected design to manufacture and installation.

About the group

The group will have up to 12 members, including a senior Sheffield City Council officer representative. It will initially be supported by an independent, experienced facilitator.

The group will also need an independent chair to help navigate differing views and work constructively to achieve consensus. As part of its early work, the group will identify someone with the necessary skills and independence to carry out this role.

Who can apply

We want to ensure the design for the plaque has as much support as possible and give both campaigners and the public the chance to have their say on the project. As such, we’re looking for people who:

• have experience and skills relevant to the work of the group, eg lived experience of the street tree campaign; designing or delivering consultation and engagement projects or commissioning art and design projects
• are able to volunteer approximately eight hours of time over the next three months
• are able to attend both online and in person meetings in Sheffield
• are committed to working constructively and willing to listen to other perspectives in order to reach agreement

Please note that group members will not be remunerated.

How to apply

Email us at StreetTreePlaque@sheffield.gov.uk in no more than 250 words, explaining why you want to be part of the group and what skills and experience you can bring.

If more than 12 people express interest, we will use the information you provide to select a group that has the right balance of skills and experience to carry out the work, and broadly represents the street tree campaigners and their perspectives.

The deadline to apply is Friday 31 May 2024.

What happens next

We will inform you of the outcome of this selection process by Friday 7 June 2024.

We will confirm final timescales once the group has agreed its work schedule. We expect that the working group will take 2 to 3 months to complete this work.

If you have further questions, you can get in touch at StreetTreePlaque@sheffield.gov.uk.