‘It’s now government policy to ignore the people of Sheffield’

Good afternoon readers — and welcome to this week’s Monday briefing.

If you were around in Sheffield in 2021, you might remember the It’s Our City! campaign. It eventually led to a referendum, where Sheffield residents made a clear decision to change the way the city was governed. No longer would a small group within the council run the whole show — something campaigners blamed for the tree-felling fiasco. Instead, things would be run in a more inclusive and collaborative manner (or a slower and less effective one, according to those on the other side of the argument).

Our council has been run under the new system for three years now, but all that suddenly looks set to change, with a bombshell announcement from the government that they were scrapping the “committee system” altogether. In response, all three of the largest local parties have denounced the ruling, with the local Labour group insisting “we are not going back” despite the dictates from the national party. So what does this all mean in a city that roundly voted for a change? That’s today’s big story.

As well as that, we have the dark side of wild swimming, a major intervention in the welfare bill debate by a city MP, and a beautiful home in Millhouses. 

In case you missed it

For our weekend read, Faye Bramley visited Sheffield’s Migration Matters festival as it celebrated its 10th anniversary last week. Amid increasing anti-migrant rhetoric, lots of you really appreciated the piece. “Lovely article, thank you,” wrote Bridget Ingle, while Andy R wrote: “A very interesting and heartwarming story, thanks.” You can read that piece here.

We also sent out two more newsletters to our paying members last week. On Tuesday, freelancer Holly Williams talked to Persephonica founder Dino Sofos about breaking the media mould and moving out of London. And on Thursday, Victoria investigated “hidden exclusions” in Sheffield, and the measures schools take to avoid the complex process of officially expelling a student, with schools organising student-swaps, parent-led withdrawals and isolations.

As of this academic year, according to a recent Sheffield council report, there are 160 secondary school-age children, 25 primary school students and five children from special schools who are currently expelled. These figures, the report acknowledges, suggest there are “deeper systemic challenges” in our city “not seen to the same extent elsewhere,” demonstrating the need for “urgent, coordinated action to reverse it.” However, those numbers only represent official exclusions, a parent advocate explains. “What you are seeing is not the bulk of the exclusions,” she insists. “The number of hidden exclusions is absolutely outrageous.”

The big picture: End of an era 🎸

The Leadmill closed its doors for the final time on Saturday, hosting a farewell party ahead of the current occupants’ eviction. The celebrations started with Pete McKee hosting his Youth Club Disco, which saw DJ sets from McKee himself, as well as guests Richard Hawley and Lee Radforth, with arcade games and a pop-up Granelli’s sweet shop adding to the nostalgia.

The big story: ‘It’s now government policy to ignore the people of Sheffield’

Top line: Back in 2021, Sheffield had a referendum: how did it want its council to be run? The result was pretty decisive — 65% voted to switch to a committee system that includes a wider representation of councillors in decision making. But last week, in a surprise announcement, the government announced it will be scrapping this system across the country.

Strong leader vs committee system: Local government structure doesn’t normally get pulses racing, but it’s important in Sheffield. At the moment, councils can choose how they make decisions, either mainly by a small group of councillors loyal to a leader, or mainly by committees made up of multiple political parties.

• Most councils in England operate on a so-called “leader and cabinet” model in which most decisions are taken by a leader chosen by all councillors, and a cabinet who are appointed by the leader to manage specific policy briefs. As a result, decisions are generally all made by members of the largest party. The model was rolled out to all councils in England by the last Labour government in the early 2000s.
• Sheffield City Council, however, now operates on a “modern committee system”, in which decisions are taken by policy committees made up of members of different political parties. In 2021, the city voted 65% to 35% to change from the leader and cabinet model to the modern committee system in a referendum.

Why change? When it was introduced in the early 2000s, the then Labour government said the leader and cabinet model would increase accountability and efficiency. However, here in Sheffield, the system ended up being criticised as one reason that the Sheffield tree scandal happened, with a small group of powerful councillors able to ignore criticism. This in turn led to the city-wide referendum in 2021 on how our city was governed.

“Confusing”: Announcing the government’s new policy, local government minister Jim McMahon said having different systems can be “confusing to the taxpayer, particularly in the case of the committee system, which can be unclear, duplicative, and wasteful, leading to slower, less efficient decision-making”. 

However, It’s Our City! the group that successfully campaigned for the leader and cabinet system to be scrapped said the leader and cabinet system led to the “disastrous decisions made by Sheffield City Council to cut down healthy street trees and attempt to put citizens in prison for protesting”. They continued:

The government’s announcement rides roughshod over the settled will of Sheffielders, and our democratic right to decide the way our council works. To press on would be a profound breach of democratic trust in the face of the settled will of citizens and communities in Sheffield.

‘We’re not going back’: The news was greeted with universal condemnation at Sheffield Town Hall. The Sheffield Labour Group said Sheffield City Council’s culture has “changed significantly” since the committee system was brought in, adding: “we are not going to go back”. Lib Dem leader Martin Smith said ministers were proposing to overrule a decision made “overwhelmingly” by Sheffield just four years ago while Green group leader Angela Argenzio said “it appears that it is now government policy to ignore the will of local people”.

Council leader Tom Hunt issued a statement on behalf of the authority asking for urgent talks with the government about the proposed changes. He said:

“The culture in Sheffield City Council has been transformed over the last few years, and we are determined to continue on that journey. We are committed to continuing this collaborative and inclusive approach, ensuring that all voices are heard. This news comes as a surprise and we were not consulted.”

Our take: When the committee system was introduced, many were sceptical that the different parties would be able to work together effectively. But since then it seems to have bedded in with remarkably few problems. With all three local parties calling for a rethink, and a clear democratic mandate for the new system, the government should reconsider.

Your Tribune briefing 🗞️

🗳️ Reform UK have won their first seat on Sheffield Council, with John Booker taking a seat in the Stocksbridge and Upper Don ward vacated by the Sheffield Community Councillors’ Julie Grocutt. Booker won with 1,789 votes (32.9%), 192 ahead of Lib Dem candidate Stuart Andrew Shepherd, who got 1,597 votes (29.3%). Labour’s Josiah Tomasz Lenton got 1,324 votes to take third place (24.4%). Booker, who has served on the council before as a UKIP member for West Ecclesfield, said he was “over the moon” to win the seat. “I’m happy that we’ve now got an alternative voice in Sheffield City Council which it needed for a long time,” he added. We will have the first big interview with Mr Booker later this week.

🧑‍🦽 Sheffield Hallam MP Olivia Blake has urged her fellow Labour MPs to hold their nerve and continue to oppose the government’s changes to disability benefits despite Keir Starmer’s concessions. Blake, who is one of only nine MPs in the House of Commons to declare a disability, said it felt like the proposed changes had been “plucked from the air” and that they risked creating an “unethical two-tier system” in which new claimants were treated unfairly. Last week, more than 120 Labour MPs had said they would oppose the bill, although some, including Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh, now say they will support it. The vote will take place on Tuesday.

🏊 Wild swimmers at Agden reservoir are turning the once-serene spot into a tourist honey trap reminiscent of Brighton beach, locals have claimed. Residents say that since Covid, their lives have been turned into a “living nightmare” as visitors flock to the site to sunbathe, streak and even “s**t everywhere”. One resident even complained that swimmers had knocked on their door to ask if they can use their WiFi, and that the influx of people had led them to consider moving. So, is this true or typical local paper sensationalism? If you know, please get in touch.

This week’s weather 🌥️

Our weather forecast comes from dedicated Sheffield weather service Steel City Skies, who say this week will gradually turn fresher after a very hot start to the week.

Monday 🌤 Hot with plenty of sunshine, keen southwest winds and the outside chance of an afternoon thunderstorm. Highs of 32C.

Tuesday ⛅ Bright or sunny spells and variable cloud. Possible scattered showers later on. Still rather warm, with highs of 25C.

Wednesday 🌦 A few scattered, mainly light, showers dotted around in the cloudier spells, along with drier periods too. Highs a fresher 22C.

Thursday 🌦 Again the risk of showers, though many will stay dry and fine. east-northeast winds and highs of 24C.

Friday 🌦 Still the chance of a shower or two, otherwise still bright and largely fine with highs around 22C.

Outlook: High pressure may relent back westwards during the weekend, bringing a more changeable spell with showers more widespread. Low confidence!

To see the full forecast and keep up to date with any changes to the outlook, follow Steel City Skies on Facebook.

The weekly Whitworth ✍️

Cartoonist James Whitworth with his take on our story from last Thursday about the huge increase in school exclusions in Sheffield.

Home of the week 🏡

This lovely three-bedroom Victorian terrace is situated on a quiet road in Millhouses with no through traffic and is just a stone’s throw from both the River Sheaf and Millhouses Park. It is on the market for 325,000.

Things to do 📆

Art 🖼️ On now at the Persistence Works is Dee Dar, an exhibition of work from the collection of Sheffield entrepreneur James O’Hara (the founder of Tramlines, Day Fever and Crossed Wires). The exhibition features 40 works, many of which are by artists who have connections to Sheffield like John Hoyland, Conor Rogers and Ryan Mosley. The exhibition is open on Saturday from 11am-5pm and weekdays by appointment (email rachael@artspace.org.uk to book).

Theatre 🎭 Starting on Tuesday at The Lyceum is The Last Laugh, a brand new play which reimagines the lives of three of Britain's all-time greatest comedy heroes: Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse. Filled with great gags, touching stories and three sublime performances, The Last Laugh is nostalgic and poignant and guaranteed to be Sheffield’s best comedy night out. Tickets are £15-£45 and the show runs until Saturday.

Talk ⚒️ On Thursday at Tapton Hill Congregational Church, Peter Machan will be giving a talk about his book The Last of the Little Mesters. The talk will cover the self-employed men and women who were still working in the cutlery and silverware trades in the 1970s and 1980s and what made their trade unique. The one-hour talk is free but donations are welcome. To book your place email suzannenockels@gmail.com or call 07837 427585.