Sheffield Labour leader Fran Belbin is now u-turning on her previous commitment to ensure a stable council for Sheffield. This reversal follows agreement of a statement between Sheffield Green and Labour groups on Wednesday 4th November.
Last week, Sheffield Labour Group and Green Group began constructive negotiations to continue the joint working arrangement in Sheffield.
Talks conducted in good faith led to a Joint Statement agreed by both local parties, which was then pulled at the last minute by Labour bosses in London.
The Sheffield Labour Group then withdrew its motion to set up a minority administration and voted down a last-minute wrecking amendment by the Liberal Democrat Group. Constructive talks then continued over the week and into the weekend.
On Sunday, it became clear that the goalposts were being moved again, and on Monday, Cllr Belbin produced a new version of the Joint Statement, written by the Labour Party’s NEC. This was very disappointing as the new statement did not reflect the constructive and thoughtful discussions between local groups. Despite this, the Green Group agreed to continue working together on a form of words that would reflect shared principles.
It is now clear that the national Labour Party vetoed the joint working arrangement. Sheffield Greens refuse to submit to national Labour and will continue to speak out against violations of human rights and international law and the complicity of the Labour government.
We want to thank everyone in Sheffield who encourages reconciliation and cooperation in the spirit of our hard-won committee system, and everyone who has sent messages of support over the last few weeks. We also want to thank all those who voted Green at the last local election, when we won more votes in Sheffield than any other party. Sheffield Greens remain committed to cooperation and local democracy. Unfortunately, it seems that decisions for Sheffield Labour are made in London, and political games are prioritised over local needs.
Sheffield deserves leadership with a backbone, not a permission slip from London.
