Month: March 2021

Information from Councillor Bryan Lodge taken from Sheffield City Council’s website. www.sheffield.gov.uk

A consultation scheme is underway to find out what people think about potential changes to how social housing is let in the city.

There are ever increasing demands on social housing in Sheffield, like many other parts of the country.

The proposed changes aim to ensure that our housing stock goes to the people who need it most. The proposals include:

• A separate register for adapted properties, specifically let to people with a mobility or medical need
• Affordability assessments on everyone offered social housing
• Allowing only those with a local connection to Sheffield to join the Housing Register
• Giving greater priority to people who need to move urgently
• Not allowing those with substantial financial assets or income to join the Housing Register
• Increasing the time period tenants are unable to re-join the Housing Register after taking a tenancy

“Councillor Paul Wood, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety said:  “These proposals could bring about some important changes to the way we let social housing so make sure you have your say and let us know what you think.

“We hope any changes we make will mean that our social housing stock is used in the best way it can be, providing a home for those who need it most. We are also aiming to make more tenancies successful and our neighbourhoods great places to live, with properties that customers can afford and the right support in place when it’s needed.”

Birley Ward Councillor, Bryan Lodge added, “This consultation is an important part of the council’s drive to make sure people have a greater say in the decisions which affect them.  I would like to encourage as many people as possible to join in and let us know how they feel about the proposals.”

Complete the 15-minute survey at http://bit.ly/lettingsconsultation before 30th April 2021 to have your say.

Information from Councillor Bryan Lodge taken from Sheffield City Council’s website. www.sheffield.gov.uk

The Council has committed increased funding of over £1.1 million for community safety work across the city, so that people feel safe living, working, and playing in our neighbourhoods.

The funding, designed to provide more reassurance in local areas by better joint-working, will involve working with communities, the council and partners including South Yorkshire Police, the voluntary, community and faith sector, health, schools and councillors.

Working to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour will be the main aim as well as reducing exploitation of the young and of vulnerable people. The emphasis will very much be on prevention and early intervention work.

Street wardens across seven committee areas

A team of street wardens will be deployed to each of Sheffield’s seven committee areas. These teams will have enforcement powers to issue on the spot fines showing a return to a visible presence in our areas. They will be supported with a safer neighbourhood team and an improved working model with our partners at South Yorkshire Police.

CCTV will also be trialled, linked to the central monitoring unit and quick response teams, and if successful will be looked at for any major incident areas. Trials in a neighbouring authority have seen anti-social behaviour and low-level crime incidents reduce by up to 60%.

What it will mean for our neighbourhoods

This will be a return to highly visible support and intervention on the streets of our local areas, working with residents and partners including the police.

Councillor Paul Wood, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety said: “I recognise the importance of residents feeling safe in their neighbourhoods and that is why we are investing a further £1.1million in bringing back what many people have asked for, a visible presence on our streets.

“This is only part of a far more extensive plan in partnership with South Yorkshire Police and the Violence Reduction Unit who are also increasing their support and presence on the street. Our street wardens will be a valuable source of information regarding the issues in communities and ensure the right partner agencies are involved at the earliest opportunity.

“We’ve already seen the difference that wardens can make where we have teams out in some parts of the city. As well as intervention, and highlighting or escalating issues, they have become a friendly and supportive presence on the streets and I’m confident that our 28 new wardens will be very well received and make a significant positive difference amongst our diverse communities.”

Warden enforcement powers will allow them to issue fines but they will also provide advice and support to local people, helping them to report problems and to monitor ongoing or persistent issues.

The wardens will be recognisable in Sheffield City Council uniform and branded vehicles. People can expect to see them in our neighbourhoods by the summer.

Birley Ward Councillor, Bryan Lodge added, “Issues relating to crime and anti-social behaviour are raised regularly when members of the community contact councillors. I believe this new investment in community safety measures will go some way to making communities in the Birley ward safer and more pleasant places to live.”

The full article can be seen on the following link:

Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour through improved joint-working | SheffNews.

Information from Councillor Bryan Lodge.

Fantastic news for those aged 21 and under as Mayor Dan Jarvis and the local Council Leaders across South Yorkshire announce an extension to concessionary fares across South Yorkshire for a year.

We all know the impact that the Covid pandemic has had on jobs across South Yorkshire. Figures show that this has had a bigger impact on 16-21 year olds here than in other parts of the country so it’s really pleasing to see this step as part of the wider £23.45m of funding to tackle unemployment and help young people in the economic recovery from Covid. The 80p fare will help young people get to work, and find jobs and training opportunities. Additional benefits arising from this policy will further improve the viability of the City Centre by encouraging young people to travel by bus, reduce the reliance on cars and help to deliver on our aspirations towards a carbon neutral economy.

Growing up in Sheffield, and travelling from Hackenthorpe to Granville College from the age of 16, I relied heavily on the cheap and reliable bus network to get about – not just for college but for all aspects of my life. It was never an aspiration to have a car as the network allowed me to get to where I needed at an affordable price. By extending the concession, it allows all under 21 greater opportunities to get about. For more information visit: https://sheffieldcityregion.org.uk/mayor-dan-jarvis-and…/

Information from Councillor Bryan Lodge taken from Sheffield City Council’s website. www.sheffield.gov.uk
Sheffield City Council is holding its first Zero Carbon Sheffield Summit on Friday 19 March where it will release the Pathways to Zero report – the city’s response to the climate crisis.
The summit will be online, open to the public and feature talks from the lead author, sustainability expert Andy Sheppard of Arup, Chief Executive of Community Energy England Emma Bridge and Sheffield City Council’s new Chief Executive Kate Josephs.
In 2019 Sheffield City Council announced its ambition to become a zero carbon city by 2030 and that goal remains, but the Pathways to Zero report shows just how significant the challenges are and highlights the desperate need for the entire city, and the country, to work together harder than ever before to reduce emissions.
The report shows the challenges of reaching even an 85% reduction by 2030 and highlights important steps people across the city can take, including switching from fossil fuels to zero carbon alternatives and changing to healthier lifestyles.
The biggest reductions can be made by switching away from petrol or diesel cars, replacing gas boilers with efficient heat pumps, and investing in buildings to save energy by reducing wasteful heat loss. Changing how we travel, and what we buy and throw away, and how we do business will also play an important part.
The report shows how changes we need to make can have benefits for people’s lives and increase jobs. Reduced air pollution, healthier and more comfortable homes, and skilled job opportunities for local people are just some of the benefits to addressing the climate crisis in Sheffield.
The authority remains ambitious and is calling for a citywide commitment from every individual, business and organisation.
• Councillor Terry Fox, Deputy Leader of Sheffield City Council, said:
“We have an opportunity to build back better from the pandemic and it’s really important that we hear from the people who live, work and study here, to make plans that work for and benefit everyone. We need to position the changes we’ve been faced with to our advantage, including better travel options, more efficient homes and local jobs, that will improve the fabric of the city.
“We’re investing millions of pounds to embed sustainability across council initiatives* and we will look to align these to the recommendations in the Pathways to Zero report. We can take many positive actions from it, but the report also emphasises the challenge we are faced with. We can make fantastic progress if the whole city plays their part, and our approach will be to engage, enable and empower our citizens, but we need support from Government and changes at national level to make that extra difference if we are to meet the zero target by 2030.”
The Summit will have an introduction to the detail of the reports from Andy Sheppard, while Emma Bridge, Chief Executive of Community Energy England will talk about the potential for communities to benefit from climate action.

• Birley Ward Labour Councillor, Bryan Lodge, added:
“Over the last year people have had more time to think about their local community and this is very much the case in the Birley Ward. Our ward councillors have been contacted many times by residents wanting to do something to make their environment cleaner and safer for everyone. The Zero Carbon Sheffield Summit is a great chance for the city to focus on what we can all do to ensure a better future for everyone, I would urge as many people as possible to sign up and share their views on this critically important issue.”
Further details, including of how to sign up for the summit can be found at :
https://sheffnews.com/news/sheffield-to-hold-its-first-climate-summit-exploring-how-city-can-build-back-better-through-addressing-climate-change

For those who cannot attend, the reports and event content will be available online after the Summit. Details of where this is available will be shared once available.
In the last year responding to the pandemic has taken precedent over delivery of many other planned projects but Sheffield City Council has still taken significant steps towards plans and projects that will reduce carbon emissions.
*Announced in its 2021/22 budget the council has spelled out its plan and vision for the city with £160 million of sustainable investment over the next 5 years. This includes investment in to:
• Heart of the City providing first Grade A zero carbon accommodation
• Improving public transport, walking and cycling links
• Extending the hugely successful Grey to Green scheme
• Creating new walking and cycling routes in Tinsley
• Plans for the city’s first active neighbourhood at Kelham & Neepsend
• Installation of new electric charge points
• Plans to create a greener vehicle fleet across council services, and retrofitting buses to upgrade engines across the city’s fleet
• Supporting Sheffield businesses to trial new electric vans, and purchasing e-bikes
• Secured funding to introduce a scheme to let local taxi drivers trial use of an electric taxi
• Investing in our council housing to make homes more energy efficient, including building new council houses, electrical upgrades to 22,000 council properties, external wall insulation to council properties and community heating schemes

Information from Sheffield City Council.

New Electric Chargers Now Live.

Sheffield Council has installed 18 new rapid electric vehicle chargers in 7 locations across the city.
The chargers will fit a range of electric cars, vans and taxis with the fastest able to fill a battery to 80% in 45 minutes. They are in council car parks and on-street parking across the city, including 4 sites within the city centre. The first of these sites are now ready to be used.
Each 50kW charger can charge at 50kW DC or 22kW AC. Each charger will be fitted with Type 2, CCS and CHAdeMO DC Connectors, accommodating for most electric vehicle models on the market.
The chargers have been installed through a successful bid from Sheffield City Council to the Joint Air Quality Unit Early Measures Fund and the Ultra Low Emission Taxi Infrastructure Scheme from the Office of Low Emission Vehicles. 9 of these charge points will be reserved for taxi-only usage to ensure that electric taxis will always have a place to charge. The chargers are being installed and managed by Franklin Energy.
The cost of charging will be 30p per kilowatt hour for the first hour – which will charge the vast majority of electric vehicles to 80% of their maximum. After the first hour, the cost will rise to £10 for every hour to encourage drivers to free up the space for the next driver to come along. When charging, parking is free and there are no additional parking charges.
Payment is through Franklin Energy’s app, LiFe EV or by contactless card payment. By using the LiFe EV App and RFID card, drivers will have access to Franklin Energy’s national network of charge points across the UK known as the LiFe Network.
Electric vehicles saw a significant increase in sales recently – in 2020, one in every six vehicles sold was fully electric, up from one in every 30 vehicles in 2019, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Julie Grocutt, Cabinet Member for Transport and Planning said:
“We’re improving Sheffield’s electric car charging network to make it easy for people to make the switch to electric vehicles which is one of the best things we can do to reduce harmful pollution from transport – making the air we all breathe cleaner
“We know not everyone has access to off-street parking, so not everyone can charge their car up at home. However, rapid charging means you can fill your car up while you nip to the market, or to the shops.”
Robert Byrne, Managing Director of Franklin Energy said:
“We are delighted to work with Sheffield City Council in building a new rapid charging network from the ground up. This will help to accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles and e-taxis across the region.”
The new sites are:
• Clarence Ln (by Waitrose)
• Prince of Wales Rd
There are also chargers which replace the existing ones at
• Carver Lane Car park (by the city hall)
• Parkers’ Ln Car Park (near the Northern General off Witham Rd)
Two of the locations are solely for use by taxis registered in Sheffield
• Howard Ln
• Pond Hill
4 chargers at Eldon St will be coming online in the early Spring, with an additional 9 at further locations to come online by early Summer.
More information on Sheffield’s clean air strategy can be found on Sheffield City Council Website.

Thank you to the residents that keep reporting the issues of fly tipping on the old Newstead estate. In the latest incident on Parkland Crescent we have involved Home Group who have visited the site and put a notice on the items that have been fly tipped. We have asked Streetsahead to remove the fly tipping. There is no need for this – if you have large items that you need to get rid of, like furniture and electrical goods, you can use the councils bulky waste collection service. You can also take bulky waste to one of the household waste recycling centres. The council will collect up to 12 items of bulky waste from your home. The amount you pay depends on the number of items you need collecting. 3 items can be collected from as little as £23.20. Once payment has been received your bulky waste will be collected within 7 working days. For more details see https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/home/bins-recycling-services/bulky-hazardous-clinical-waste.html

Both our AMEY Steward and the Councils Environmental Protection Officer are going to send out a letter to all residents to remind them that fly tipping is illegal.

Fly-tipping offenders risk prosecution. The fly-tipping of waste is a serious criminal offence, it carries a maximum penalty of an unlimited fine or up to five years imprisonment.

Any evidence you can provide would be helpful. If you see any fly tipping you can report this anonymously by:

– calling the Council on 0114 2734567

– emailing through to Streetsahead@sheffield.gov.uk

– contacting your local Councillors Bryan Lodge, Karen McGowan or Denise Fox (details are on the council website, Birley Ward Labour Party website and Birley Ward Labour Party facebook page.

Whilst visiting Frecheville Pond yesterday to support the new café that has opened on Friday. I noticed how full the litter bins are. I have reported these through for emptying but credit must be given to Ruth from the café who is taking responsibility for helping to keep the area clean. She has placed an additional bin to help prevent the litter being dropped on the floor. It is now down to the local users of the space to ensure we use the bins available and to look after this unique and much loved open space right in the heart of our community.