Andrew Cooper | Sheffield Green Party

Sheffield Green Councillors have called on the Labour Government to lift the 2 child cap on child benefit in a motion debated at Council on Wednesday. (1)

Greens seconded a motion by Independent Councillor Qais Al- Ahdal who represents the Darnall Ward. Without support from the Greens the lone Independent Councillor would not have been able to submit a motion to the Council.

Broomhill and Sharrow Vale Green Councillor Maleiki Haybe in seconding the motion said,

“I am really pleased to be able to support Councillor Qais Al- Ahdal in his motion. It is consistent with Green Party policy and so it is easy for our group to support it.

“During the General Election the Green Party were clear that we wanted to scrap the 2 Child benefit cap as we know that this would immediately take 250,000 children out of poverty. We challenged the Labour Party to make that same commitment but they wouldn’t.

“The cost of scrapping the cap is around £3.4 Billion per year or about 3% of the total national benefit budget. The benefit of the policy is that it helps the families concerned but also that money generally gets spent in the local economy helping make communities more sustainable.”

“What is disappointing, since the General Election, is that not a single Labour MP from Sheffield voted to support an amendment to the recent King’s Speech which would have removed the two-child benefit limit to Universal Credit. If Labour are not about addressing poverty then what is their purpose? They used to be a progressive party that represented people on lower incomes. Not any longer it seems.”

References

Agenda for Sheffield City Full Council 4/9/24 Agenda Template (sheffield.gov.uk)

Green councillors in Sheffield are calling for pensioners’ Winter Fuel Allowance to remain. This comes after the new Labour Government announced it will be scrapped next year.

Speaking at the 4th September Full Council meeting, Green Councillors Marieanne Elliot and Paul Turpin, expressed their concerns that the new Government are imposing renewed austerity on those who can least afford it.

Cllr Elliot said:

“We’ve all heard the new Government claim that the financial situation left behind by the last Government was irresponsible. But it is astounding that, out of all the choices, they have chosen to cut ten million pensioners’ winter fuel payments. A payment that has brought significant relief to millions, including very many of our own council tenants in Sheffield. It helps keep people healthy, safe and out of hospital. It could be said that cutting this important social benefit is also very irresponsible. Why are big polluters and financial institutions still not being asked to pay their fair share whilst pensioners are left out in the cold? ”

Cllr Turpin commented:

“A possible saving of £1.3 billion from this cut is less than the amount of pension credit going unclaimed by Britain’s older generation who are entitled to it. I very much welcome the extension of a further 6 months to the Household Support Fund, which is of great assistance to those in desperate circumstances. This is no answer, however, to the need to keep people out of such a situation by ensuring they can pay their heating bills in the first place.”

The Green group of Councillors have written to Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves asking her to reconsider the decision to cut the £200/£300 Winter Fuel Allowance that has been paid to all pensioners since 1997.

They wrote

“We desperately need the government to act urgently on home insulation schemes. This is the best way of keeping everyone safe, warm and out of poverty. Instead of cutting the Winter Fuel Allowance, an alternative would be to use it to give pensioners the option to finance the installation of insulation measures and solar panels to reduce their energy bills permanently. That sort of initiative would be the actions of an imaginative and progressive government, not one that is just continuing austerity.”

Councillors in the South LAC (Local Area Committee) have worked with the council’s Cost of Living team on a new pilot initiative to create a dedicated advice worker post to help address cost of living issues.

Working with local food banks and community groups, councillors identified a huge need for advice services, in addition to food provision.

The new council-run advice service for South Sheffield delivers regular outreach sessions at community centres, food banks and libraries. The advice workers have helped hundreds of people with income maximisation, for example applying for crisis grants such as the Household Support Fund and helping people understand what benefits they may be entitled to. They have also secured reduced water bills for those who are eligible and helped people to manage payments and complete forms.

The idea came from Gleadless Valley Councillor Paul Turpin and was championed by all Councillors on the Committee and supported by the South LAC team.

The new service has helped people save £76,757.44 in 6 months, across 4 wards* in the South Sheffield area. It cost £40,426 to fund the post for 1 year.

At full council on 4th September, councillors will vote to determine whether the council should consider making the service available throughout the city.

Cllr Turpin said:

“All LACs had a budget to spend on cost of living and in the South LAC we all shared the view that a council-run advice service would be the best use of the money available.”

Gleadless Valley colleague, Councillor Marieanne Elliot commented:

“Face-to-face advice from a trained professional provides people with immediate help with living costs and can also help to bring about positive longer term changes. In the South LAC we have trialled this and it has proved to be very effective. I hope this approach can be adopted by the Council as part of an anti-poverty strategy so that everyone in Sheffield can access face-to-face advice in their communities.”

Cllr Turpin added

“This is a service that for every £1 spent in one year, £4 will be returned that year, and then another £4 the next and the next. It should be an easy choice for the Council to make.”

References

*Beauchief & Greenhill, Gleadless Valley, Graves Park and Nether Edge & Sharrow are the 4 wards in the South LAC.

Cllrs Alexi Dimond, Paul Turpin and Marieanne Elliot

Gleadless Valley Councillors reacted to the decision to reset the Gleadless Valley Masterplan, made at the meeting of the Strategy and Resources Committee on Thursday 29th August. A report to the committee said that the regeneration project was “no longer deliverable within the allocated Council budget” and a new approach and delivery plan was agreed.

Cllr Alexi Dimond said:

“The Council has now admitted that the original Masterplan that was promised can’t be delivered and has committed to a new ‘whole council approach’. This will finally see senior officers taking responsibility for progressing the project – which is what councillors have demanded. The council now needs to demonstrate that it is committed to Gleadless Valley residents, as promises have been broken because the council announced a timeline with no means to deliver. We are pleased that the council has now committed to residents and local partners being included on the new board which is to be set up and must ensure that there isn’t a ‘top down’ approach.”

Cllr Paul Turpin said:

“I’m really angry about how the Masterplan has failed but I do hope this will unlock its potential. We will keep fighting for the residents and it is vital local councillors are included in the new system and that democratic accountability is at the heart of how we move forward.

It’s also vital that local people are involved at every step, alongside their local elected representatives. As ward councillors who care about the area, we are all committed to ensuring that the refreshed plan will retain at least the same level of social housing that people can afford and that no one will be asked to move before new housing is built. We will also demand that people’s priorities such as warm, efficient homes, clean and safe green spaces and communal areas, effective waste management and better local services and shops are prioritised.

Cllr Marieanne Elliot said:

“The Masterplan was approved in March 2022, but with no plan for delivery, or staff in place to deliver it. Residents were told that their homes would be demolished and they are, understandably, very upset as they have been left in limbo. This was irresponsible and should have been handled much better.

People feel that their homes have been neglected by the council during this time so we are pushing for repairs to be done and there is now a dedicated fast-track repairs team to deal with repair work. If any Gleadless Valley resident has an outstanding repair please contact us and we will try to help.”

References

The Gleadless Valley Masterplan was announced in 2017 and eventually approved in 2022, under the former Cabinet regime.
The estimated costs of all the work required has since doubled.
A cross-party Gleadless Valley Members’ Board has included councillors from each party as well as all three ward councillors. It has discussed progress on many projects in Gleadless Valley, including play space, wildlife, shopping centres, engagement with schools, repairs and maintenance, jobs and skills, food projects and establishing sites for new homes in place of abandoned care homes.

Sheffield Green Councillors have called for an end to divisive rhetoric about asylum seekers by mainstream politicians to stop the racist violence we have seen on the streets of many towns and cities in the country.

A motion that will be heard at Sheffield’s next Council meeting from the Green Group says that the recent violence and intimidation by racist rioters had terrified many people of colour, especially women. It has made people feel unsafe in their home city. It goes on to say that the threat of serious violence impacted negatively on businesses in the local economy with many Sheffield businesses shutting up shop for fear of property damage and looting.

Greens have asked for the recommendations of the Khan Review into Social Cohesion to be implemented in full. Dame Sara Khan, a former independent adviser for social cohesion and resilience was commissioned by the Conservative Prime Minister to address some of the significant issues with social cohesion in our communities. She concluded that successive governments have failed the British people and left local authorities struggling to deal with extremist challenges; (1)

Green Councillor Angela Argenzio, who is herself a migrant from Italy said,

“ mainstream politicians and media have fuelled the recent violence and the ‘Stop the Boats’ narrative has contributed to division and has unfairly stigmatised migrants and asylum seekers;

“We have got to change the narrative on asylum seekers and refugees and recognise that migrants have always contributed to our society as workers, taxpayers and citizens and that segregation of asylum-seekers into different systems for homelessness, destitution and work creates further division and a lack of cohesion in society.

Green Party Councillor Maleiki Haybe said,

“I would like to thank the people of Sheffield who turned out in their thousands to demonstrate their opposition to the racist rioters and who made clear that the majority of people did not share their poisonous opinions.

“I believe that the majority of people in Sheffield want an asylum system that is fair, well managed and humane. There have been some positive signs recently such as the scrapping of the Rwanda deportation scheme and Bibby Stockholm barge but we need to do a lot more.

“The policy of Austerity by successive Governments has fuelled resentment and is the root cause of much of the recent unrest. The underfunding of our health and care services and the lack of social housing is not the fault of refugees but of decades of under investment by successive Labour and Conservative Governments.”

References

1 – Conservatives left UK wide open to far-right violence, says former adviser | UK security and counter-terrorism | The Guardian

Age UK is running a petition against the Labour Government’s new proposal to cut the Winter Fuel Allowance for pensioners.
The petition now has over 100,000 signatures, which means it should be debated in Parliament.

The Labour Government should be ashamed to introduce this cut, which helps pensioners with the cost of fuel, even if people on pension credit will still be protected. There are many pensioners on similar levels of income who only just miss out on pension credit. There are also many who would qualify if they knew how to apply. The DWP estimates that £1.7 billion of pension credit is going unclaimed every year by people who are entitled to it.

At the same time, we desperately need the government to act urgently on home insulation schemes. This is the best way of keeping everyone safe, warm and out of poverty. Instead of cutting the Winter Fuel Allowance, it would have made more sense to give pensioners the option to use it to help finance the installation of insulation measures and solar panels to reduce their energy bills. That sort of initiative would be the actions of an imaginative and progressive government, not one that is just continuing austerity.

Cllr Douglas Johnson
Leader of the Green Group
Sheffield City Council

Sheffield Green Party councillors condemn the far right Islamophobic and xenophobic violence in South Yorkshire and across the country over the weekend. Green Councillors have extended their solidarity to people seeking safety and all our affected communities.

We also wish to express our gratitude to the officers of South Yorkshire Police and other forces who put themselves in harm’s way to prevent what could have been a far greater tragedy in Rotherham. We wish a full and speedy recovery to all the officers who sustained injuries during the attack on the hotel.

There now needs to be a full investigation into how what can only be described as a lynch mob was able to gain entry to the hotel and attempt to set it on fire, despite SYP having at least 2 days’ notice of the far right’s predictable and preventable attack. The police must do everything they can to ensure this does not happen again.

We also call on the government to end the hostile environment for people seeking safety in the UK and end the practice of housing vulnerable people in unsuitable accommodation such as remote hotels, barges or former prisons. People who are fleeing war and persecution must be provided with safety and dignity.

The government must also act against the billionaire owners of social media, who allow hate and disinformation to spread on their platforms, impoverish and divide our communities, while they themselves avoid tax.

If anyone has any information regarding the violence over the weekend please contact the police on 101, quoting incident number 239 of 4 August 2024. If a crime is in progress or a life is at risk, always dial 999.

You can also report information to SYP, including CCTV, dashcam and doorbell footage, via the Major Incident Public Portal: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/14SY24C05-PO1.

If you wish to submit information anonymously, please contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on the freephone number 0800 555 111.

Greens have called for the £138 million allocated to support Doncaster Sheffield Airport to be redirected to help people improve the energy efficiency of their homes. This would give people cheaper fuel bills with less carbon emissions.

The motion to Sheffield’s July Council meeting highlighted the proximity of other regional airports. Greens said supporting airport expansion would lead to more flights and more carbon emissions. (1)

A paper on the UK’s Net Zero Aviation ambitions, produced by the Royal Society in February 2023, said that there was,

“no single, clear, sustainable alternative to jet fuel able to support flying on a scale equivalent to present day use” (2)

Green Councillors called on the Prime Minister to support policies to lift the implicit subsidy to the aviation industry. They asked for aviation fuel to be taxed fairly so the funding raised could support long-distance rail travel.

Councillor Paul Turpin said

“Using public funding to support the expansion of aviation is incompatible with our local, regional and national climate goals. Sustainable Aviation Fuels are simply not possible in the quantities needed to maintain the existing level of flights we have today, that is very clear from the evidence.

“The millions Labour plan to use to subsidise a reopened Doncaster Sheffield Airport would be better spent investing in insulating local peoples homes. Many people are not able to afford to jet off on a foreign holiday.

“We are requesting that the Leader of Sheffield City Council tells Mayor Coppard our view that Doncaster Sheffield Airport should not reopen. We believe that the £5.3 million funding should be reallocated from supporting airport expansion to a scheme to make homes warmer.”

Cllr Douglas Johnson, who was the Green Party’s candidate for mayor of South Yorkshire, added,

“The wasted £138 million for promoting an airport could instead go to clean, green, safe public transport.

“In a climate emergency, promoting air travel is irresponsible towards our children’s generation. They will have to live with more unpredictable and dangerous climate change. We all know aviation is a major contributor to global climate change.”

“Public transport is the priority, especially buses. We need an expanded transport network. Walking, cycling, bus and tram should be the first choices for travel for everyone.”

References

(1) Airports near Sheffield. https://www.amrc.co.uk/files/wp_images/Travel-to-Sheffield.pdf
(2) Royal Society Report on Net Zero Aviation. UK net zero aviation ambitions must resolve resource and research questions around alternatives to jet fuel | Royal Society

Cllrs Douglas Jiohnson and Angela Argenzio

A successful defence of their councillor seats in May’s Local Elections mean Sheffield Greens keep their central roles in running Sheffield City Council.

At the council’s AGM, Leader of the Green councillor group, Councillor Douglas Johnson retained his role as Chair of the Housing Committee. Councillor Angela Argenzio kept her position as Chair of the Adult Health and Social Care Committee. The group of 14 retains seats on all the council’s committees, giving a Green voice in the room for every council decision.

In the 2024 local elections, Greens overtook the Liberal Democrats for the first time in their share of the popular vote across the whole city. The Greens are now the main challengers to Labour in Sheffield. New Councillor Peter Gilbert took the Greens first seat from the Liberal Democrats in Ecclesall Ward. In Nether Edge and Sharrow ward, the Greens’ Cllr Maroof Raouf saw off a heavy challenge from Labour.

In addition to success in the Local Elections, Douglas Johnson came second in Sheffield in the race to become Mayor of South Yorkshire.

Councillor Douglas Johnson said,

“I thank the voters right across Sheffield and South Yorkshire for their support for the Greens. We hope to repay that trust over the forthcoming year.

“Local people know we are a positive force on the Council and that we work hard to improve our local and global environment.

“I am really pleased that the Green Party’s share of the vote across the whole of Sheffield has now overtaken the Lib Dems – even though we still only get half their number of council seats.

“What we really need is a fair voting system that properly takes into account people’s votes and elects Councillors and MPs according to the proportion of the votes they receive. We have an electoral system, where Councillors, MPs and Governments can get elected with much less than 50% of the vote and get 100% of the power. This does not reflect the wishes or views of the electorate. The election of Governments with minority support is a significant cause of many of the problems our country faces today, from the failure of Brexit to under funded public services”

Councillor Angela Argenzio said,

“We will continue to work collaboratively with all parties across the political divides. Our approach, as Greens, is not to be tribal politicians. We work together to reach the best outcomes that we can for the people we represent.

“As a Council that is in no overall control, we have helped promote a better political culture. One that is less confrontational, more open to new ideas, and forward thinking.

“No Council is perfect and there will always be political differences. However we will always seek to be respectful and straightforward in how we express those differences.”

References

Sheffield City Council’s 84 councillors are now: Labour 36, LibDem 27, Green 14, Sheffield Community Councillor Group 6, Independent 1
Vote share was: Labour 39.8%, Green 22.0%, LibDem 21.7%
Greens received 28,561 votes across Sheffield.
The Green councillors elected were: Douglas Johnson (City Ward), Brian Holmshaw (Broomhill & Sharrow Vale), Maroof Raouf (Nether Edge & Sharrow), Alexi Dimond (Gleadless Valley), Christine Gilligan Kubo (Hillsborough) and Peter Gilbert (Ecclesall). Full results here

A proposal made by Sheffield Green Councillors in 2019 to “re-introduce the FreeBee bus service, with a low emission, circulating bus in the city centre;” was launched today as Sheffield Connect.

The Green Group on Sheffield City Council made the proposals as part of their 2019 Budget Amendment. Sadly, this was voted down by Labour at the time when they had a majority on the Council.

Councillor Brian Holmshaw, Broomhall and Sharrow Vale Councillor said,

“We are really pleased that the Free Bus Service around the City Centre, now rebranded Sheffield Connect has been launched. It will be completely free from Monday 8th April and will be a low emission, electric bus service.

“When we originally proposed this back in March 2019. It was opposed by the Sheffield Labour Group, but we have continued to press for its reintroduction. Now that Labour no longer has a majority on the Council it is much easier to get good ideas, like this one progressed.”

Councillor Ruth Mersereau, City Ward Councillor said.

“This bus service will make it easier for people to get around the City Centre. It provides a link between Sheffield Station and key parts of the City at no cost to passengers. This will help make the city more accessible to people who don’t own a car or who would prefer not to use one for City Centre journeys. It is good for the environment, for local businesses and for people’s pockets. The service is also a good way to connect to other buses. The increased frequency will help with those connections, making overall journey times shorter.”

Sheffield Connect service details

Sheffield Connect has two routes. The existing city centre loop (renamed SC1) will use 3 new EV buses at an enhanced service frequency (of 7-8 mins Monday – Saturday, every 10 mins Sunday) and also extended hours of operation from 7am-7pm Mon-Sat and Sunday 9.30am-4pm. The route is Sheffield, Interchange – Fitzalan Square – High Street – Leopold Street/Orchard Lane – City Hall – West Street – Carver Street – Rockingham Street – Cumberland Street/Moor Market – Eyre Street – Paternoster Row/Sheffield Station – Sheffield, Interchange.

There will be trial of a second City Connect route (service SC2). It will be a circular route going almost to Shalesmoor/Kelham Island. It will use a new EV bus at a 20-min frequency, also operating between 7am -7pm Mon-Sat and Sunday 9.30am-4pm. There will be a second circular route launched on 8th April, to go between Sheffield Interchange, The Moor, Arundel Gate, Bridge Street (West Bar) and Haymarket. This route will operate up to every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes.

Author: Andrew Cooper

“Two child benefit cap needs to be lifted” say Greens

“Save the Winter Fuel Allowance for pensioners” say Greens

Innovative pilot to help tackle poverty in Sheffield

“Local people must be at the heart of the revamped Gleadless Valley Masterplan” say Greens

“Divisive rhetoric by Politicians on Asylum Seekers has to end if we are to stop racist attacks” say Greens

Letter to the Star – Labour cuts to Winter Fuel Payments

Statement – Greens condemn far right violence and call for investigation

Insulate homes instead of reopening Airport

Greens stay on Council’s Rainbow Administration

Green proposal for city bus begins.