2020 – The Year That Never Was…..

As we enter the final few days of the year, it is hard not to think back to the dawn of a new decade and all the hopes, plans and aspirations that come with the New Year. I don’t think any of us could imagine how quickly the world would be turned upside down to deliver changes and heartache not experienced for over 75 years. So many people have suffered the loss of family and friends, difficult at the best of times but more so when isolation and lockdown denied the opportunity to be at the bedside of loved ones, frightened and in alien surroundings of visors, gowns, and gloves; to be denied the opportunity to be with family to offer comfort and support or share precious memories; and so many people unable to pay their respects and grieve with restrictions on funerals and gatherings.
There’s been cancelled holidays, festivals, events, sports; restrictions on meeting family and friends, and all travel curtailed except for essential journeys. Grandparents unable to see grandchildren, parents their children, partners forced apart and friends isolated. We emerged from the first lockdown, keen to rediscover our previous freedoms that we so easily took for granted – meeting friends, joining in team sports, eating out – but all in new and slightly uncomfortable environments. And then the infections started to increase, and restrictions returned, rising through the tiers, and culminating in a second national lockdown. Hopes were raised for families to meet up at Christmas and enjoy a respite from the restrictions, only to be dashed as the virus once again spread across communities. Even now, the days ahead are not clear with the shadow of rising infection rates and busy hospitals hanging heavily around us.
But throughout the year, beacons of light have been shining in the dark. Communities have been reborn, with volunteers stepping in to help near neighbours and those further afield. Support groups started up, looking after those shielding or on their own. Great stories of the little things being done that are making huge differences.
We’ve adapted and learnt new skills. Thousands working from home were considered the lucky ones, others not so lucky facing cuts to income or even loss of jobs. Prior to March, if you spoke of Zoom to anyone over 50, chances are they’d think off the Fat Larry’s Band hit of the 80’s rather than the video conferencing to which we’ve all become so adept. It’s not just businesses but families and friends using Zoom to keep in touch. Zooming has become so quickly accepted that the new standard Zoom meeting starts with the inevitable “Hello! Can you hear me or am I muted?” and saying goodbye becomes like the ending of an episode of The Walton’s!
The daily exercise became ever more important in relieving the tensions of staying at home, with discoveries of the wonders that lay within your neighbourhood. I live in Frecheville and for several years, residents have enjoyed the sight of a pair of Swans raising their young on the pond. This year, due to the lockdown, many more people have become aware of the swans and social media has been full of pictures of them, on and around the pond, even walking through the surrounding streets taking the eight cygnets for tour of the neighbourhood. Across the city, people passing in the streets or the fields have stopped to have a chat, obviously observing the new norm of social distancing. Neighbours are gathering for daily workouts on the traffic free roads, singers are entertaining with impromptu kerbside performances, fund raising has taken on local actions but with national support. Footpaths that seldom saw more than a dozen or so people walking across them in a week have become well-trodden routes linking newly discovered green and open spaces. Wildlife and nature have prospered with the reduction in traffic, air quality has improved, and we have all recognised that it’s possible to get about on foot or by bike. Deer spotted in the city centre, badgers and foxes more visible in the daylight, with bird song louder and sweeter in our back gardens: all signs of how nature has adapted to the change in circumstances.
And will we ever forget the way the whole country came together to thank the NHS and other key workers? That first night when we clapped and cheered just after sunset, the sky suddenly awash with fireworks! As the weeks progressed, the volume of clapping, whistles, cheers, horns and pan rattling increased, the sun appeared a little higher in the sky each week and the dwindling fireworks replaced with flocks of birds raised from their roosting by the sudden noise.
We are living through a period of our history that will be studied in schools for years to come, and there will no doubt be the questions raised by children in the future: “ Grandpa, what did you do during the Covid-19 lockdown?” Indeed, it is already become part of everyday life, raising questions among children. After the first few weeks in lockdown, my 5-year-old granddaughter asked her dad “Did you have a virus (lockdown) when you were little?”.
We’ve seen fundamental changes in all aspects of our lives and been presented with a chance to rethink what we do, raising questions around the when, the how and the where. It’s almost like someone has pressed the reset button and we are now in Life Version 2.0.
Sheffield has always been viewed as the country’s biggest village and we must make sure that our communities continue to enjoy the newfound feeling of belonging and identity developed over the last eight months. Neighbourhood groups that have grown up through necessity need to be helped to make that step change to formally constituted groups. Community spirt arising from helping with shopping or collecting prescriptions, from social calls to check on health and wellbeing, the daily exercise sessions, socially distanced VE street parties, Neighbourhood WhatsApp groups and quizzes – all have presented the opportunity for people to start talking to their neighbours and develop their community.
We, as a City, can stand proud of our achievements of the past and it has long been said that our resolve and determination has been forged in steel. Although local politicians across all parties will have differing views on how limited resources should be allocated, I am sure we are united in wanting the absolute best for Sheffield’s constituent communities. So, in this new world that we now find ourselves in, it is time to look to the future. Businesses will be changing how they do things, the council needs to review how we deliver services, we need to look at what we all want for our communities. We will not be forgiven if we waste this chance to build on the changes brought about through necessity – let us all get behind developing the absolute best opportunities for our communities!

Sheffield Labour Council Slams Tory “Great Train Robbery”

Sheffield’s Labour Council has blasted the eye-watering rise in ticket prices, which comes in to force today.

Rail fares will go up by an average of 3.4%, the highest increase in five years. Ticket prices have already risen by 27% since 2010, twice the rate of wages

Councillor Jack Scott, Cabinet Member for Transport at Sheffield City Council said:

“This price rise is a total disgrace and will hit hard-working Sheffielders in their pockets hard. For the tens of thousands of Sheffield people who use the trains, this ‘Great Train Robbery’ is an awful way to start 2018.

“Our railways are being run by greedy fat cats on ever higher salaries, when they should be run as a public service, for the public good, with money re-invested in the public interest. Our railway system should be run for the benefit of the many, not to enrich a privileged few.”

“Fares have risen faster wages every year of this clueless government, but the Tories still have the cheek to say there isn’t money to electrify the Midland Mainline, even though it would boost growth by £450 million and help to rebalance our economy.”

“Privatisation has been a disaster for our railways, with higher fares, lower punctuality and a focus on short-term profit rather than long-term investment. Only Labour has the ambition and courage to deliver the railway the public deserves in 2018”

Irina Amelkina of Gleadless, Sheffield works in Nottingham and commutes every day. She said:

“It’s absolutely absurd rail fares are going up yet again. It’s completely unfair that shareholders and executives at the top are making so much whilst the rest of us are being squeezed and losing out. The railways should be nationalised. It’s really galling to have to pay just to see companies make even more money for slow and unreliable services”

The RMT general secretary, Mick Cash, said:

“While workers are struggling, the private train companies are raking it in As we enter the 25th anniversary of railway privatisation legislation, the need for public ownership of rail has never been more popular or necessary.”

Birley councillors join picket line of DWP strike for Eastern Avenue Job Centre

Birley councillors joined the picket line in support of DWP striking to save Eastern Avenue Job Centre.

The strike is in opposition to DWP’s decision to close the Eastern Avenue jobcentre. Closing the jobcentre will remove a vital public service from an already deprived area of Sheffield. It will also force the claimants who use the office, many of whom are disabled or have young children, to make a much longer journey to access vital services.

The campaign against the office closure is getting strong backing from Sheffield MPs and other local politicians as well as good media coverage. Paul Blomfield, MP for Sheffield Central, has asked further questions in parliament to find out from the minister what assessment has been made of the effect of the proposed closure of the jobcentre on the roll-out of universal credit in Sheffield. These follow the numerous questions raised by Louise Haigh, MP for Sheffield Heeley, who has previously tried to press the minister to provide answers around the closure of the site. Meanwhile the leader of Sheffield City Council, Julie Dore, has written to the DWP to make clear her strong opposition to the closure.

Birley Ward support No to Grammar Schools Campaign

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Spot the Birley Ward Councillor Karen McGowan (centre of picture just peeping out from behind a guy with glasses!)

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Birley Ward member Ken Curran amongst supporters of the campaign

It was great to see such fantastic support at the campaign to say no to Grammar Schools that was held outside the Sheffield Town Hall yesterday. Over 600 signature were collected.

Cycling 100 miles for Lord Mayors Charity

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Lord Mayor of Sheffield Birley Ward Councillor Denise Fox’s son Jordan Fox and family friend Ray Mason will be cycling from Sheffield to Skegness on Saturday 9 October to raise funds for the Lord Mayors charities. Jordan says “I only started cycling at the beginning of the year and I got addicted straight away. I wanted to join a club and thanks to the great set of fellow riders at Sitwell cycle club, I joined. My other goal was to complete a 100 mile bike ride. What better way to do this then to help my mum who is the current Lord Mayor of Sheffield raise as much money as she possibly can for her four chosen charities which are close to her heart. The four charities are:
Army Benevolent Fund – supporting soldiers, former soldiers and immediate family of the British army.
St Luke’s – supporting a hospice which helps people through a difficult journey.
Sparkle – supporting disabled children, young people and their families.
Support Dogs – supporting a Sheffield based national charity helping children with epilepsy, physical disabilities and autism.

I hope you all give generously as I am going to kill myself doing this ride. Thanks to Cllr Karen McGowan for generously putting the accommodation up for me. Thanks to Cllr Terry Fox for being the support on the way down. And thanks to Ray Mason for taking me on the route and looking after me or killing me.”

If you would like to donate please go to Jordan’s just giving page on facebook
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jordon-fox-1?utm_campaign=projectpage-share-owner&utm_content=jordon-fox-1&utm_medium=Yimbyprojectpage&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=EdB8W64am

Cllr Denise Fox as Sheffield’s new Lord Mayor

We would like to congratulate Councillor Denise Fox who is now Sheffield’s new Lord Mayor.

 

Denise is the 120th Lord Mayor of Sheffield, and the 17th female, and has been a loyal Labour Councillor for the Birley Ward since 2005.

 

Denise said ‘I will carry out my role as Lord Mayor the 1st citizen of Sheffield to the best of my ability, and I look forward to the year ahead’.

 

Congratulations Denise and good luck in your new role!

Mayor

Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed has a Cunning Plan

Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed has a Cunning Plan
Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed has a Cunning Plan

As Baldrick to Nick Clegg’s duplicitous Blackadder, Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed has a long history of cunning plans. They’re reliably moronic, but the latest is his worst yet.

He was quoted in last Saturday’s Star as saying this:

These figures show the Labour council is one of the softest when it comes to cracking down on council tax dodgers.While turning to bailiffs should always be a last resort, the vast majority of people who do pay their bills have a right to ask why Sheffield’s Labour councillors are failing to take action.

So there it is. The hapless sidekick of the man partnering Old Etonian David Cameron in the most ferocious assault on the vulnerable in living memory is outraged, which if it wasn’t so serious really would be low comedy masquerading as politics.

First, he cheerleads his master’s government in ruthlessly slashing the money for council services and in implementing the punitive Bedroom Tax, both of which hammer the many honest people already struggling to pay their bills due to the ConDems’ austerity. Then, when those in arrears face legal action due to the difficulties he’s had a hand in creating, he complains that they’re not victimised further!

But what’s the pay-off for this cunning plan of epic proportions? To help his master cosy up further to David Cameron, and for the Sheffield Lib Dems to get votes from those local Tories that think being poor is a crime punishable by flogging. It’s like clockwork!

But unfortunately for him, Cllr. Baldrick’s cunning plan is yet another dud. Why? For the same reason his plans never work: the people of Sheffield are wiser than him. They see the actions of the government, and they see how he supports their vindictive assaults on public services. They see how everything he does is in support of his Tory-loving master, Nick Clegg, and they see their joint contempt for those suffering due to their actions. They see, and they’ll remember, and they’ll remind him at the next election.

Perhaps Cllr. Baldrick should consider that the next time he has the cunning plan of attacking those going through hard times.

TUC Austerity Uncovered Tour

thumbs_austerity-unconvered-dudleyThe TUC’s Austerity Uncovered Tour bus is visiting Sheffield on Saturday 22nd June and will be pulling up to talk to local people in Handsworth between 4pm -6pm. The tour will be calling at The Club at Holme Lea (the former Handsworth WMC) and will have members of the Shadow Cabinet alongside TUC Officials on board. The nationwide tour is gathering evidence to show that the Government’s  Austerity Programme isn’t working , but the measures are hurting. So come along and help inform the debate, present your evidence and help support the campaign to convince the Tories and Lib Dems that enough is enough. During the visit, the National Musicians Union are providing entertainment through the Amelia Carter Band who will also be performing in July at the Tramlines festival.

For further information, visit http://austerityuncovered.org/

A Fair Deal For Sheffield

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There are just ten days left for you to add your signature to The People’s Petition for a Fair Deal For Sheffield. Signatures from the online petition will be collated with the thousands of signatures already collected.

On Tuesday May 14th a delegation of Sheffield’s political, faith and community leaders will take the Fair Deal for Sheffield campaign to London. The delegation, including the Bishop of Sheffield and Bishop of Hallam, will hand in the Fair Deal for Sheffield petition to the Prime Minister at Number 10 Downing Street.
The Fair Deal campaign was launched earlier in the year by Sheffield’s faith leaders, the voluntary and community sector, trade unions and local politicians to highlight the unfairness of the Government’s cuts on Sheffield, compared to wealthier areas which are receiving much lower reductions in funding. Thousands of Sheffielders have signed the petition to show their concern and anger about the Government’s unfair cuts, and to call on
the Government to give fair funding to Sheffield and South Yorkshire.

Cllr Julie Dore, who will lead the delegation, said:
“Sheffield has borne the brunt of this Government’s unfair cuts and I think local people believe it is wrong that Sheffield Council is receiving devastating cuts whilst some of the wealthiest areas of the country receive almost no cuts at all.
“I would like to thank everyone who has been involved and hopefully the strength of force behind the campaign which has included people from a wide range of sectors across the city will make the Government sit up and take notice of the impact that the cuts are having in Sheffield, when so far our concerns have fallen on deaf ears.”
Paul Blomfield MP, who raised the campaign in Parliament, said:
“Churches and mosques, community groups and trade unions, have come together with thousands of Sheffielders to raise their voice about the unfairness of the cuts on our city and on people’s lives. You only have to read some of the comments from those who signed the petition. Community services are closing, jobs are going and some of the most vulnerable people are facing real hardship. And it will get worse unless the Government listen to the people of Sheffield, change course and allocate funding fairly. It’s not right that parts of the country, far wealthier than Sheffield, are only seeing minor budget reductions. Unless there’s a change, Sheffield’s cuts will reach £200 per person by 2015 – over 5 times the amount taken away from wealthy areas like Windsor, Guildford, and Wokingham in the south of England.”

The Sheffield delegation who will travel to London to hand in the petition will
be:
Cllr Julie Dore – Leader, Sheffield City Council
The Rt Revd Steven Croft- the Anglican Bishop of Sheffield
The Rt Revd John Rawsthorne – the Catholic Bishop of Hallam
Abtisam Mohammed- Chair, Sheffield Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Network
Sue White – Chief Executive, Voluntary Action Sheffield
Mohammed Aslam – Chairman of the Madina Mosque
And they will be joined by Sheffield Members of Parliament at the hand-in.

The Fair Deal for Sheffield campaign was endorsed by Sheffield City Council at the Full Council meeting on March 1st and has also received the backing of a wide range of local organisations, charities, churches and individuals. Supporters include Voluntary Action Sheffield; the Third Sector Assembly; Sheffield LINK; Church Army; Sheffield Wildlife Trust; Sheffield University Students Union; Sheffield Hallam University Students Union; Yorkshire and the Humber TUC; the trade unions Unite, Unison and the GMB; and the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Shaun Wright.

For more information, visit the Fair Deal For Sheffield Website

http://afairdealforsheffield.com

April 1st – No Joke!

This week has seen a raft of changes that, taken together, represent the the biggest contraction in the welfare state since its foundations in the 1940s.
Millions of families – the majority being working households on low incomes – are seeing significant real reductions in their incomes. This government is committed to further real cuts in income for years to come. Bankers get bonuses, ordinary working families get battered.
The speed with which the government is moving to introduce Universal Credit is bringing considerable risks. The government had promised that the scheme was to be piloted in four areas starting this month. Now it has suddenly announced that three of those areas won’t start until July. It’s difficult to see how any lessons can be learned for a scheme to be implemented in October.
There is a very real risk that the new computer systems and software for Universal Credit will simply not be fit for purpose and, at best, there will be insufficient time to sort out any glitches. Further, the transition to Universal Credit almost certainly leaves the system more vulnerable to fraud.
Direct payment of rent to tenants rather than to landlords is almost certain to increase rent arrears, as families under financial pressure will find it difficult to resist the temptation to use their rent cash as an alternative to a pay-day loan. I don’t know of any council – of any political persuasion – or housing association which hasn’t increased its provision for rent arrears.
It is also inevitable that there will be huge confusion from the separation of housing and council tax benefits. I think people massively under-estimate the number of households and families who come in to and out of eligibility for various benefits during the course of any year. This is only going to increase as the number of temporary and short-term jobs increases.
It’s difficult to believe other than that there will be a very big rise this Autumn in the number of families who will be contacting MPs, councillors and advice bureaux wanting urgent assistance with their benefit problems.
No, April 1st is no joke this year.

Tories In Sheffield On A Different Planet!

George Osbourne demonstrates his take on efficiencies!
George Osbourne demonstrates his take on efficiencies!

Vonny Watts,  Deputy Chair of the Conservatives in Sheffield, shows just how out of touch the Tories are with the majority of people across Sheffield.

Speaking on Radio Sheffield this morning, Vonny asked that we talk of “..efficiencies not cuts, because that’s what they are…” So does Vonny consider the cuts to Sheffield’s budgets as ‘efficiency savings’? Where has Vonny been for the last few months? Has she not heard the cries on anguish from across the City as people and groups see the impact of cuts to their communities and services? Does she really think that the decision to reduce the council’s budget by £140m over the last two years and a further £50m for the forthcoming financial year is based on ‘efficiencies’? 

Her government, propped up by Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems, have brutally cut the sum allocated to Sheffield that means we are having to curtail spending across all services. They have slashed over £7m from the Early Intervention Grant that supported Children’s Centres, Child Care and Youth Activities;  they have cut over £5m of funding for Council Tax supporthitting low income families  and they have introduced the horrendous ‘Bedroom Tax’ that penalises people for wanting to say in the family home they’ve lived in for years!  Staggeringly, inspite of these  attacks on low income families, Vonny went on to proclaim that the Tories are “the compassionate party”!

And lets not forget, these ‘efficiencies’ that Sheffield is facing come at the same time that Vonny’s friends in London are introducing a £100k tax cut for millionaires.  But hey, we’re all in it together!

Big Dave’s Strange Trip North

Prime Minister David Cameron visited a factory in West Yorkshire on Thursday 7th March to give what had been billed as a major speech on the economy prior to the Chancellor’s Budget presentation later in the month.

Mr. Cameron stressed not once but several times during his address to a group of very sober, if not sad, businessmen and women “that there was no alternative to more austerity”. It sounded like the return of Mrs. Thatcher – or Dracula returns – to bleed us all dry. He claimed his policies on the economy were working and referred us to so-called evidence from the Office of Public Responsibility to add weight to his hollow claims. On his return to Downing Street, after his brief encounter with those strange Northern Tribesmen, Big Dave found a letter on his desk from no other person than the Head of the Office of Budget Responsibility which stated that government’s austerity programme had knocked 1.4% off the value of the Gross National Product over the past two years. Whoops! Big Dave’s trip falls flat…

We were treated to a storytelling session when Cameron met the natives of West Yorkshire. In that very expressive way of waving his arms around in order to keep his audience in rapture, or to keep them from falling asleep, Big Dave told his audience that “there were no such things as money trees”. He went on to tell these hard-headed West-Yorkshire folk that you had to work hard if you want to succeed! However down in the Sleazy South money trees flourish all year long. On Friday 8th March 2013 Barclays and RBS revealed 253 staff take home more than £1 million per year. Barclays were hit by a fine of £390 million for rigging the market, yet earlier this week Barclays paid 204 of their employees £1 million each.

I thought one of the principles of the law was that no-one should profit from crime. Apparently it doesn’t include banks: their money grows on trees.