diff --git a/auth/cache.cc b/auth/cache.cc
index bed290a288..e1e92e470e 100644
--- a/auth/cache.cc
+++ b/auth/cache.cc
@@ -190,19 +190,6 @@ future<lw_shared_ptr<cache::role_record>> cache::fetch_role(const role_name_t& r
             co_await coroutine::maybe_yield();
         }
     }
-    // permissions
-    {
-        static const sstring q = format("SELECT role, resource, permissions FROM {}.{} WHERE role = ?", db::system_keyspace::NAME, PERMISSIONS_CF);
-        auto rs = co_await fetch(q);
-        for (const auto& r : *rs) {
-            auto resource = r.get_as<sstring>("resource");
-            auto perms_strings = r.get_set<sstring>("permissions");
-            std::unordered_set<sstring> perms_set(perms_strings.begin(), perms_strings.end());
-            auto pset = permissions::from_strings(perms_set);
-            rec->permissions[std::move(resource)] = std::move(pset);
-            co_await coroutine::maybe_yield();
-        }
-    }
     co_return rec;
 }
 
diff --git a/auth/cache.hh b/auth/cache.hh
index d63c02466f..305ec01f3f 100644
--- a/auth/cache.hh
+++ b/auth/cache.hh
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ public:
         std::unordered_set<role_name_t> members;
         sstring salted_hash;
         std::unordered_map<sstring, sstring, sstring_hash, sstring_eq> attributes;
-        std::unordered_map<sstring, permission_set, sstring_hash, sstring_eq> permissions;
     private:
         friend cache;
         // cached permissions include effects of role's inheritance