The British Social Attitudes survey indicates the majority of people think the head of a reasonably sized company should earn no more than six times the pay of the shop floor staff. The Chief Executive in Sheffield Council gets paid fourteen times what the lowest paid staff receive.

Years of peer reviewed academic research point to more equal societies giving their citizens better health outcomes, being more socially mobile, encouraging greater success at school and reducing teenage pregnancy, having better community life, more trust and less crime. There are different ways to reduce this gap, a key one being reducing the pay for top earners.

Councillor Rob Murphy comments:

“Reducing the gap between high and low paid has benefits when Council finances are being squeezed so much and we proposed to reduce the pay of senior Council staff in last year’s budget. It also makes sense when you look at the evidence. Once people get above a decent wage, more money doesn’t actually make them happier. And it makes others feel like they have to keep up or they’re failing in life.

We’re calling on the Council to make clear how much more the top paid executive gets than the lowest paid member of staff, both for itself and the major companies that run our services. In the long term we want to see those pay gaps reduce for the benefit of us all.”

NOTES :

1 – The motion council is as follows :

NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR ROBERT MURPHY
That this Council:-

(a) notes the campaign “Act Local = Reduce the Gap” by the Equality Trust and the public concern over pay ratios as expressed in the proposals from all political parties to reduce excessive pay in the public and private sector;

(b) notes the British Social Attitudes survey 2010 indicated the majority of people think the head of a reasonably sized company should earn no more than six times the pay of a typical worker in the company;

(c) notes that years of peer reviewed research point to more equal societies having citizens who: have better health outcomes, are more socially mobile, have greater success at school and lower rates of teenage pregnancy, have better community life, more trust and are less likely to commit crime;

(d) believes that the Council can play a central role in tackling inequality through their own pay policies and also through their influence on private-sector contractors;

(e) therefore requests officers to:-

(i) publish the highest-to-lowest pay ratio for directly employed council staff;

(ii) hold discussions with private sector companies that have major council contracts with a view to publishing, where possible, their highest-to-lowest pay ratios; and

(iii) draft a policy to include these principles within procurement processes.

2 – The British Social Attitudes Survey 2011/12 has just been released and can be accessed via http://www.britsocat.com/Home

Councillor Jillian Creasy contributed to the meeting organised by Justice for All, the national campaign group for access for free legal advice, at an event held at The Circle on 20th January.

The Advice Review is being carried out by the Cabinet Office because of the way the massive cuts in legal aid fall far more heavily on charities and the voluntary sector – such as Sharrow CAB in Central Ward which Councillors Jillian Creasy and Rob Murphy represent.

Councillor Creasy told the Advice Review :

“As a City Councillor, I see how advice services such at Citizens’ Advice Bureaux and the Law Centre help with individual problems, but also contribute to the life of the city by training volunteers, supporting other voluntary organisations and using their expertise to tackle the causes of poverty and debt.”

Notes

The Green Party has two councillors in Sheffield – Rob Murphy and Jillian Creasy, who both represent Central Ward, which has levels of serious deprivation.

Sheffield Green Party opposed the cuts to legal aid proposed by the Government because of the need for everyone to have access to basic information and advice about their legal rights.

Under the Government’s proposals, the voluntary advice sector – Citizens Advice Bureaux, Law Centres and independent advice centres – are set to lose 77% of their legal aid funding.

The motion of Councillors Creasy and Murphy was agreed by Sheffield City Council on 7th September 2011, including the text: that this council: “commits to all possible steps to support the local advice sector, which has established itself as providing excellent service for the citizens of Sheffield; therefore resolves to support the Justice for All campaign for free legal advice, which aims to ensure everyone is treated fairly under the law, and directs the Chief Executive to sign up this Council to the campaign”

Jillian Creasy at Occupy Sheffield

Jillian Creasy spoke at the Rally for Occupy Sheffield, speaking out for Surestart, she said that “Women must fight the cuts!” The full text of her speech follows.

Rampant capitalism is ripping apart the fabric of society, destroying people and planet. Dave & Ed say they want “responsible capitalism”. I want “emasculated capitalism”. “Emasculate” means “castrate, effeminate” – that’s exactly what I mean!

The Coalition cuts, now supported by Labour, will affect women worst. I want to speak up for women – as paid & unpaid workers, as mothers, as elders.

• Paid workers
• - 2/3rd public sector workers are women – will be affected by the pay freeze.
• 50,000 of these (mostly women) earn less then £15k pa.
• Even these lowest paid will have to payer higher pension contributions.
• And in the private sector, ¾ women are not in a pension scheme at all.

• Unpaid workers
• 1 in 4 women in their 50s are caring for an elderly parent, saving the taxpayer and reducing their own earnings and pensions.
• Carers support services and advice services are being slashed: SCC is about to cut another 5% from the grants to voluntary groups; and if legal aid is cut, advice centres will be further harmed.

• Mothers
• The greatest unpaid job of all.
• Women no longer get Income Support if their children are less than 12 years old, and this will drop even further to 7 years old. They have to sign on for JSA (job seekers allowance).
• Surestart is under attack – less support for the most needy children and families.

• Sharrow Surestart
• 15% cuts last year, facing another 10% next year, have cut play and stay sessions, bilingual outreach workers.

• Elders
• Women live longer and have most to lose from cuts to adult social care.
• SCC will cut the adult social care budget by £15m, 2 old people’s homes are under threat, elderly and disabled people facing higher charges.
• Scandal of Southern Cross where care homes were used as pawn in money market.

• But women are fighting back
• The 30th November strike & rallies re public sector pensions & cuts – women were out in force.
• RCN (Royal College of Nursing) and RCGP (Royal College of GPs) (female chair, Clare Gerada) have called for Health and Social Care Bill to be withdrawn, spelling out that it is intended to privatise the NHS.

• Justice for All are fighting the cuts to legal aid and advice centres
• excellent conference in Sheffield yesterday (20th Jan)
•  (female) advice centre managers from across the north of England, lobbying the cabinet office and ministers.
• Sharrow Surestart is reaching out to local people to fight the cuts and fill the gaps.
• Disability Rights movement is growing in strength, locally disabled people are challenging the cuts to adult care services.
• Unions are collecting signatures to stop the closure of care homes.

So, take heart, and let’s emasculate capitalism!

Rob Murphy commented “I hope I am re-elected so that I can continue to represent local people. I believe I am well known for addressing residents’ concerns and problems. I also want to give voters a real alternative to Labour and the Lib Dems, who simply aren’t tackling concerns about jobs, cuts and many other issues. More than 18,000 people voted Green in Sheffield last year, showing that many local residents realise that we are the best option.”

The Greens also announced that former Central ward councillor Bernard Little and recently graduated Sheffield University ex-student Amy Mack will be their candidates for the Broomhill and Crookes wards respectively.

Bernard Little commented :

“I’m really pleased to be the Green candidate again in Broomhill ward. It will be another close 3 party contest with Labour and the Lib Dems. I intend to work hard for Broomhill residents, building on the consistent work Greens have done in the area for more than a decade. “

Amy Mack commented :

“I am committed to working with Rob and Bernard in wards with a high student population to ensure their voice is heard and to help interaction with longer term residents. Students and young people are under represented on Sheffield council.”

Rockingham St is classed as a residential area with 3 large apartment blocks in close proximity to the bar and planning guidance has restricted opening to 0030 in these designated areas. But the members of the City Centre, South and East Planning and Highways Committee chose to ignore officers recommendations to refuse the application and Soyo will now be able to open until 2.30 am from Thursday to Sunday.

Central ward Cllr Rob Murphy comments :

” Residents next door in Smithfield apartments have complained that they cannot sleep with the bass beat reverberating from Soyo. Residents in the housing association flats opposite, Flockton Court, only have double glazing to protect them from the noise unlike more modern apartment blocks. It’s not enough.

Soyo set up in the location knowing that 3 big residential blocks were neighbours in a street classed as “residential”. The decision goes against the views of local residents, council officers, previous committee decisions and the Planning Appeals Board.

16,000 people now live in the city centre, ranging from students and young professionals to low paid workers, disabled and retired. It’s good to live near work and many amenities but recent planning decisions are not protecting residents’ needs.

In my view this astonishing decision and the lack of a right of appeal makes a mockery of the planning process. At the very least, Soyo should have been given temporary permission so further evidence could be gathered rather than abandon residents to their fate.”

Decision to approve HS2 is a mistake says Professor John Whitelegg GPEW spokesperson on Sustainable Development

The case for a new high speed rail link from Euston to Birmingham with the promise of extensions to Manchester and Leeds and ultimately Scotland is based on deeply flawed assumptions that have not been subjected to rigorous, independent audit.  The idea that time savings on rail trips translate into job creation gains is not supported by the evidence.  The assumption that time spent on trains is ‘wasted’ and is not spent working is simply wrong as any inspection of passenger behaviour on any intercity train will show.  The business case depends on this flawed assumption and if the assumption is corrected the case collapses.  

Capacity problems on the West Coast Main Line can be solved by more trains, longer trains, passing loops and intelligent city regional planning.  Going for extra capacity with a new high speed line ignores the impressive development of sophisticated teleconferencing, videoconferences and on-the-move IT solutions.  The demand for rail transport is not an immutable physical law and can be reduced by promoting IT solutions.  High speed rail is not a ‘get out of jail’ free card for carbon emissions and climate change. The proposed HS2 trains would burn 50% more energy mile-for-mile than the Eurostar and HS2 would produce more than twice the emissions of an intercity train.

It is justified on the back of very large increases in all modes of transport and increases in energy use.  At a time when all our city regions lack the kind of reliable, affordable, sophisticated public transport systems we can find in Frankfurt, Zurich and Vienna it is madness to put all our eggs in the ‘faster, further is better’ basket.  The economic, social and environmental gains from spending £3 billion in each of Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and Birmingham far outweigh the gains claimed for HS2.  It is a disaster that we will spend so much money on such a useless project at such a difficult time in our economic life when so much useful work could be done for the same amount in most of our large cities.

Rob Murphy Sheffield & Rotherham Green Party Transport Spokesperson

“The announcement avoids the immediate problems of high fares and overcrowding. A promise of ‘maybe’ in 20 years time will mean little to the ordinary rail passenger in South Yorkshire today. Investment to increase capacity is needed now, and the underlying cause of an expensive and fragmented private rail network must be dealt with. Greens see the bringing of the network back into public ownership as a vital first step.

Sheffield Green Party has always been very supportive of iniatives to re-open Victoria Station to increase rail capacity in Sheffield.  Re-opening Victoria is an important step towards a rail link to Stockbridge and the possible re-opening of the Woodhead tunnel which would provide a fast route to Manchester. If this was joined with a HS2 station then it would bring real connection and capacity improvements to the North, South and West. But the investment in Victoria should be happening now to relieve congestion on Penistone Road and through Hillsborough.”

To the Sheffield Star

On January 11th 2002 the first “enemy combatants” arrived at Guantanamo Bay. In the 10 years since, the Geneva Convention and access to legal representation have been ignored. 171 prisoners are still there, despite Barack Obama’s promises, including British resident Shaker Aamer, who arrived on February 14th 2002. 14 British citizens or residents have been released without charge and awarded out of court compensation. Shaker Aamer was cleared for release in 2007 but observers see little prospect of Obama releasing anyone before the election in November.

The continuing detention of the remaining detainees is a human tragedy. We urge Willam Hague to make the strongest representations to the Obama administration to release Shaker Aamer before his torture continues into a second decade.

To the Sheffield Telegraph

January 11th marked the 10th anniversary of the arrival of the first “enemy combatants” at Guantanamo Bay. To date, 171 still languish there, despite Barack Obama’s promise to close it.  Sheffield Amnesty International and Green Party members have been active in campaigning for its closure, and the trial or release of the detainees held there.

The Sheffield Guantanamo Campaign held well supported monthly vigils for several years. Ex-detainee Moazzam Begg’s father spoke with courage and dignity before a Sheffield audience about his campaign to secure the release of his son. Omar Deghayes family visited Sheffield and spoke of their pain and deep concern for the brother/son they feared they may never see again.

Happily, they were amongst the 14 British citizens/residents since released without charge. Both have since visited Sheffield to acknowledge the support they received, and to continue campaigning for the detainees left behind at Guantanamo. British residents Shaker Aamer and Ahmed Belbacha are still locked up there. Both were cleared for release in 2007, but observers see little prospect of Obama releasing anyone before the Presidential election in November.

The continuing detention of the remaining detainees is a human tragedy. We call upon the government to request the return of Ahmed Belbacha to the UK. And we urge William Hague to make the strongest representations to the Obama administration to release Shaker Aamer before his terrible ordeal enters its second decade on February 14th.