Sheffield council wanted police to record the names of anti-tree-felling campaigners who attended a private meeting because it claimed it would be “useful” in taking legal action against them, according to newly released emails.

The local authority had been in conflict for years with residents who protested against its controversial plans to chop down thousands of street trees and replace them with saplings.

In an email released under the Freedom of Information Act, a senior council official suggested to South Yorkshire police that officers should make a note of people attending a meeting with police because it could help take them to court in future.

The private meeting was called to discuss how the police would enforce a high court injunction obtained by the council that made it unlawful for campaigners to try to stop the tree-felling work by obstructing the chainsaws.

The email, obtained by the Yorkshire Post, was from the council’s head of highway management, Paul Beecroft, and sent to Supt Paul McCurry on 1 February 2018.

In it, Beecroft asked whether there would be a register of attendance for the meeting between police and members of the Sheffield Tree Action Group (Stag), which had formed to campaign against the council’s tree-felling programme.

Beecroft added that a list of names “would be useful as we could refer to them being made aware of their responsibilities in any future injunction hearings”. McCurry responded by saying: “We will be recording the meeting with Stag, we will try to obtain a register of attendance but this may prove difficult.”

South Yorkshire police said in a statement that no information-sharing with the council occurred.

A spokeswoman added: “SYP took the decision that any request for information-sharing would have only been accepted following an application to the court. However, we are not aware any such applications have been made.”

The disclosure has emerged days after Sheffield council admitted it had “got things wrong” in its handling of the tree-felling saga after a years-long battle with campaigners and the government.

Michael Gove had accused the council of “environmental vandalism” when he was environment secretary, after it chopped down more than 5,500 trees.

The £2bn programme under a PFI contract, which began in 2012, resulted in scores of arrests of campaigners and others taken to court for breaching the injunction obtained by the council. Those arrested under the Public Order Act reportedly included a woman for blowing a toy horn and a retired fireman who was accused of witness intimidation for allegedly filming a private security guard.