Dear readers — We hope you had a great weekend and are enjoying the slightly cooler temperatures that this week has brought so far. The continuing heatwave and its impact has been a hot topic of conversation over the last few weeks. There have been fires in the Peak District and many are looking nervously at the water levels in our reservoirs again. Yorkshire Water reported good news on that front last week, but several other news items told a very different story, with the firm revealing a litany of failures, being downgraded by the Environment Agency and still paying its CEO an eye-watering salary. With our incoming PM talking about renationalising utility companies, is the writing on the wall for Yorkshire Water? That’s today’s big story.
As well as that we have news of the Moor Market’s reopening, and an evening of spellbinding contemporary folk music at Sheffield General Cemetery.
In case you missed it
On Saturday, Alim Kheraj looked into one of Sheffield’s biggest mysteries: whatever happened to the city’s Gay Quarter? Launched with great fanfare back in 2018, over the last eight years the quarter struggled to establish itself and is now back where it started with just one dedicated LBGTQ+ venue, the long-standing Dempsey’s. Alim spoke to Dempseys’ co-owners Colin Humphreys and Keiron Lowry, as well as other queer venues in the city, about why the quarter didn't succeed and if there is any chance of it coming back. You can read that piece here.
On Tuesday, our regular contributor David Bocking returned for a piece about “screaming devil birds” — or swifts, as they are more commonly known. Fifty years ago the skies over Sheffield were full of them, but changes to roof design have led to parts of the city becoming “swift deserts”. Thankfully, activists from the Sheffield Swift Network are fighting back.
And on Thursday, Holly Williams got the assignment we all wanted with her not-so definitive list of the best beer gardens in Sheffield. Holly’s top six (The Gardeners Rest, The Brothers Arms, The Crown Inn, The Stag’s Head, The University Arms and The Millowners Arms) went down really well with readers, but unsurprisingly many of you had suggestions of your own.
These included the Wisewood Inn (“a lovely big south-facing garden, with views over the Loxley river and Stannington”), The Rutland Arms (“a smaller, but beautifully verdant garden that is a real treat in the sunshine), Shakespeare’s (“a sizeable garden which has several little nooks that can feel intimate even when the place as a whole gets busy”), and The Cricket Inn at Totley (“a big open field with lots of space for kids to play, with a cricket pitch in the middle and views up onto Totley Moor and Blacka Moor”).
Honourable mentions also go to the Sheaf View (“laying on the sloped grass bank with a pint is unbeatable”), The Fat Cat and Kelham Island Tavern (“both offer ample shelter from sun or rain, good greenery and charmingly eclectic decor”), and The Abbey at Woodseats (“the sound of crown green bowling is as summery and relaxing as the cricket”). We could go on but all of this does really prove that when it comes to beer gardens, Sheffield’s cup truly does runneth over.
Swifts, beer gardens and gay quarters: last week was certainly a varied one on The Tribune. It also showed the quality of freelance writers we now have working with us. However, we can only commission great writers because of the way we are funded by you, our readers. If you want us to continue publishing the best writing Sheffield has to offer, please subscribe today.
The big picture: England’s dreaming 🏴
Hundreds of football fans descended on Devonshire Green on Saturday night to watch England beat Norway 2-1 in the World Cup quarter final. Thanks to Errol Edwards for this brilliant photo from the night. You can see many more of Errol’s photos from the event on his Facebook page.
The big story: Is the writing on the wall for Yorkshire Water?
Top line: When Yorkshire Water proudly said they were unlikely to impose another hosepipe ban this summer, they might have hoped for a pat on the back. Not a bit of it. In the last week the firm revealed they have been downgraded by the Environment Agency and seen its CEO criticised for taking a £600,000 bonus. Is the writing on the wall for Yorkshire Water?
No hosepipe ban: First the good news. Compared to this time last year, the county is in a “much better position”, Yorkshire Water says. In July 2025, reservoirs were only a little over half full, compared to 75% full this year. The firm said this is due to a combination of a very wet start to the year, repairs to reduce leaks and the installation of smart meters, which help detect them wherever they did arise.
Major failures: Now, the bad. Yorkshire Water’s latest financial report, which covers the period from April 2025 to March 2026, details a litany of major failures including increased incidents of pollution and declining customer satisfaction.
- The report found that incidents of pollution had risen by more than 70% over the last year from 151 in March 2025 to 260 in April 2026, while customer satisfaction also plummeted after bills rose by 30% and hosepipe restrictions were introduced.
- At the same time, the Yorkshire Post revealed that the company will later this year be downgraded to a rare one star rating by the Environment Agency over its poor environmental performance. Only crisis hit Thames Water has the same rating.
- In Sheffield, Yorkshire Water blamed faulty plumbing for pollution at Tongue Gutter in Parson Cross, but also confirmed to BBC Sheffield that a combined sewage overflow near the stream had discharged into the river following heavy rainfall on 26 June.
'Fat cat' pay: Given the firm’s poor performance, you might expect that to be reflected in its CEO’s pay. Think again. Chief executive Nicola Shaw actually got a £43,000 pay rise, taking her total remuneration from £689,000 to £732,000. She also revealed to the Yorkshire Post that she had taken a further £660,000 payment from Yorkshire Water’s parent company Kelda Holdings, taking her total package well over £1 million. West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin described Shaw’s pay as “outrageous”. “This system is broken,” she told the BBC. “The report, however they spin it, is shocking for our region.”
Public ownership? As we reported last week, the man almost certain to become our next PM Andy Burnham has big plans for the privatised water companies. Burnham has previously said he favours renationalising debt ridden Thames Water, and in a major speech last week said he wanted his new No.10 North office to lead on bringing “essential utilities” such as water, energy and housing back into public ownership.
Our take: When water was privatised in 1989, it was meant to herald a new era of private sector investment in the water network. However, things haven’t really worked out like that. There is a strong argument that essential utilities like water should be publicly controlled rather than run in the interests of shareholders and it’s perhaps telling that England and Wales are the only countries with a fully privatised water and sewage system. But bringing water back into public ownership (along with energy) would be a mammoth — and costly — undertaking.
Your Tribune briefing 🗞️
🪳 No, this is not a drill, the Moor Market has finally reopened! The market opened its doors for the first time in 16 days this morning, after being shut down at the end of last month due to an infestation of German cockroaches. The council previously said the market needed to be cockroach free for 48 hours before it could open again, leading to two previous reopenings being postponed after the pests returned. At the grand reopening this morning, traders told The Star it was “great to be back” and urged customers to return to the market to support them. The question now is whether the 80 independent traders will receive compensation for loss of trade during the closure. For the moment, we’re just thankful that Hungry Buddha is open again
🚨 A 28-year-old man has been arrested in Rotherham on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe. The former Conservative MP turned Reform UK spokesperson was found dead in her home in Devon on Thursday, with a murder investigation being launched the same day. The man, who was arrested at a property on Byrley Road in the Kimberworth Park area on Saturday evening, remains in custody. Devon and Cornwall Police say there is no indication that her death was either politically motivated or linked to terrorism. In a video that first appeared on the Sun’s website, a man is seen leaving the Bryley Road property at 7am on Thursday with what appears to be a stick. The suspect’s neighbours say he “lived alone and was rarely seen”.
📚 The Observer published an interesting interview with the team behind And Other Stories, a small press publisher based in Sheffield and run from a “tiny cubbyhole” at the central library. The publisher, which specialises in translated fiction, has just won the International Booker Prize for the second year running. This is especially impressive given And Other Stories has just four full-time members of staff, including Stefan and Tara Tobler, and that no other publisher has ever won consecutive International Bookers before. You can read our own piece about And Other Stories from last year here.
Editor’s note: We are including the lost passport declaration below at the request of Sheffield-based refugee service Spring.
I, Falah Oudah, born on 10/02/1967 formally declare the loss of my Iraqi passport document number (G1664446), in the Sheffield city centre area near Lloyd bank. Anyone with information please contact: falah.saleeem67@gmail.com or 07888 465971.
The weekly Whitworth ✍️
Cartoonist James Whitworth with his take on the never-ending heatwave and Holly Williams’ piece from last week about the best beer gardens in Sheffield.
Home of the week 🏡
This three bedroomed Oughtibridge “eco-house” is set across four floors with three bathrooms and a ground floor toilet, plus a roof terrace. It is also located a stone’s throw from the River Don, several pubs and the Michelin-starred restaurant JÖRO. It is on the market for £299,950.
Things to do 📅
Plants 🌷 This evening, join the Sheffield Botanical Gardens Trust for a talk about the intrepid plant hunters who brought plants to the UK from around the world. The hour-long public guided tour will start at 6pm at the entrance to the Dorothy Fox Education Centre, at the top of the slope from the Thompson Road gates, off Ecclesall Road. There’s no need to book. You can just turn up. The talk is free but the trust does encourage people to make a £3 donation.
Tour ⚽ On Wednesday, stroll through Sheffield city centre taking in historic sites and some of the many blue plaques that celebrate Sheffield’s football history. In this interactive walking tour, you’ll learn about world firsts including: the first football club (Sheffield FC), the world’s first ever knockout football tournament (The Youdan Cup), the first rules of football, and the origins of women’s football. The 90-minute tour begins at the Millennium Gallery at 2pm. Tickets are £12.
Music 🪕 On Thursday, visit Sheffield General Cemetery’s atmospheric Samuel Worth Chapel for a spellbinding evening of contemporary folk. KYTH are Druid-drone wyrd folk (that’s a new one) exploring perspectives of the more-than-human-world while Ric Booth is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer whose work blends folk, electronic ambient, post rock, contemporary classical, and experimental music. Tickets are £12 and doors open at 7.30pm.
If someone forwarded you this newsletter, click here to sign up to get quality local journalism in your inbox.
If you’d like to sponsor editions of The Tribune and reach over 30,000 readers, you can get in touch or visit our advertising page below for more information
