Local Election Candidate for Southey

Eamonn Ward

I live just outside the ward in a terraced house off Leppings Lane. I am the Election Agent and Secretary for Sheffield Green Party. I was the Campaign Manager for the Green Party in Yorkshire & the Humber in the European Elections in 2009.

Our local communities are under threat and I support the “Living Streets” campaign for residential areas where people can reach a post office, chemist, bank and a food shop within a 15 minute walk of where they live.

More supermarkets opening in and close to Southey ward will mean the inevitable loss of local shops and add to traffic problems on key routes. I submitted an objection to the big Sainbury’s supermaket which will be built soon on the Fletchers Bakery site.

The BNP is a divisive, bigoted, sectarian, nasty party, with no practical solutions to the economic crisis, mass unemployment, climate chaos or the corruption of parliament. It has a sick history of scapegoating and vilifying black, Jewish, gay and Muslim people. I support the work of Unite Against Fascism whose work in the ward ensures that voters know the truth about the BNP and what they stand for. I am pleased that the BNP are not standing in this council election and have no candidates across the city.

Sheffield council and budget cuts

While Labour and the Lib Dems on Sheffield Council fight each other over small differences our city suffers. Green Councillors have offered real alternatives for residents eg :

• Opposition to the Highways PFI on the grounds of it’s huge, rising cost.
• Help for local people most affected by the proposed change to fortnightly bin collections.

Green councillors fought to stop the cuts from government unfairly affecting the most vulnerable. Our council budget for 2012/13 tried to cut backroom functions and the wages of top executives.

We wanted to :

• support frontline services like Citizen’s Advice and the Youth Service
• support children, elderly and disabled people
• raise standards in private-rented housing
• stop cuts to teams fighting anti-social behaviour

But we were voted down by Labour and the Lib Dems