Oliver Coppard is racing to get our buses under control
Plus, Sheffield retains its real ale crown
Good afternoon readers — and welcome to our Monday briefing.
Buses have become a bad joke in Sheffield — but could a better service finally be coming? This morning The Tribune was invited down to South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority offices for a briefing on the future of the bus system. The Mayor had some big news to share: he’s completed an assessment that concludes we need to overhaul the network, and bring in “franchising”. But what does that mean, and when might it happen? That’s our big story below.
As well as that, Sheffield retains its claim to being the real ale capital of the world and The Crucible opens at The Crucible.
Refer friends and win prizes! Over the last few days, quite a few readers have won a month or even three months of free subscription to the Tribune, but there are still very few tote bags flying out of Tribune towers (a.k.a. the Union Street coworking space in the city centre). To get your hands on one, all you need to do is encourage 10 of your friends and family to join our free email list using your individual referral link — or three or five people if discount membership is more your speed. We’d love to see some people aim for the top prize, however, so we can see The Tribune logo hanging off more shoulders around the city.
Catch up and coming up
For our weekend read, Dan Hayes travelled from one side of the city to the other in his quest to find out if there’s a future for the working men’s club. Over in Manor, things weren’t looking so rosy but there’s cause for optimism in Crookes, where a manager has managed to drag Crookes Social Club away from the brink of failure and into a new profitable lease of life. You can read that piece here.
Last week we sent out two great newsletters to our 2,063 paying members. In the first, Dan met Twasin Rahman, a 22-year-old student who moved 9,000 miles based on his years-long devotion to the Arctic Monkeys. And in the second, Victoria Munro revealed that the council is once again considering whether to ban stripping in Sheffield, and spoke to sex workers who feel their voices have been ignored in the debate. An extract from that second piece is below.
To both Rosie and Gemma, this apparent hibernation is proof that the campaigners who fought to shut down the club never really cared about their safety or happiness. “Where were any of those women when it came to helping the women they made lose their jobs?” Rosie asks. “They were not helping us get new ones.” Gemma suggests they only ever viewed the club’s performers as pawns in their “moral crusade to cleanse the world” of stripping. “They took away our work space and left us, they’re wolves in sheep’s clothing,” she says. “They don’t actually care what happens to us at all.”
This week we’ll send out two more, including one about the Sheffield scientists who claim the best treatment for mental health conditions like depression is exercise and sugar pills. To fund a new way of doing journalism based on paying members rather than clickbait and stories about celebrities, please subscribe using the button below. It costs just £1.34 a week or 23p a day if you pay for 12 months up front (£70).
Editor’s note: February was another great month for growth, with 102 new members signing up to The Tribune. Welcome to you all! You, along with the rest of our more than 2,000 members, are now cordially invited to our next event: a screening of the miners’ strike film Still The Enemy Within at the Showroom cinema next Saturday afternoon. After the screening, there will be an interview with journalist and filmmaker Mike Simons before we all adjourn to the café bar for a chance to enjoy a drink, discuss the film, and meet other members of the Tribune tribe. There’s still time to get your invite if this sounds like a good time — just become a member of The Tribune today.
The big picture: Spring has sprung 🌷
Spring is definitely on the way, as this photo by Emma Bothamley of Sheffield from Meersbrook Park proves. March is also the beginning of the month-long Festival of the Outdoors. For a full list of all the events taking place, click here.
This week’s weather 🌥
Our weather forecast comes from dedicated Sheffield weather service Steel City Skies, who say this week will bring a rather bland and static pattern with low pressure struggling to make inroads to the south west due to highs blocking to our north east.
Monday ⛅️ An early frost gives way to a dry day with cloud thickening late on. Freshening ESE winds and highs of 9°C.
Tuesday 🌥️ Chance of a shower early and late, otherwise mainly dry with bright spells. Light winds and highs of 10°C.
Wednesday 🌥️ Sees our winds start to switch round to the SE, with isolated showers and bright spells. Highs of 10°C.
Thursday 🌥️ Very similar with large cloud amounts and a cool easterly breeze. Some brightness likely; highs again of 10°C.
Friday 🌥️ The stubborn pattern sticks with often cloudy conditions and fleeting brightness. Chilly E winds with highs of… yup, 10°C!
Outlook: No big changes into the weekend with the cool, bland but often dry conditions persisting ☁️ A lot of cloud, low risk of drizzle but also a few brighter spells, too.
To see the full forecast and keep up to date with any changes to the outlook, follow Steel City Skies on Facebook.
The big story: Oliver Coppard is racing to get our buses under control
Top Line: This morning, Oliver Coppard, the South Yorkshire Mayor, held a press conference to announce the imminent start of a new era for our buses. He’s chomping at the bit to see them “franchised” — a change that would give him far more control over the system and hopefully save the tax-payer money — and hopes to have the central government’s final agreement for this change before the end of this year.
What does ‘franchising’ a bus mean? If you don’t love transport infrastructure as much as your correspondent, you might only really associate the word “franchise” with McDonalds, or maybe Marvel movies. In public transport terms, it means something a little different. Here’s a quick explainer:
Under the current, non-franchised system, for-profit bus companies like First and Stagecoach run services where and when they want. If a service is unprofitable, it will get axed, unless public funding steps in to fill the breach.
Franchising is a different system, with significantly more public control. The Combined Authority would decide the routes, prices and timetable. Private companies would then be invited to bid to run the network (or a section of the network) and would be paid a set fee — with ticket revenue going back to the Combined Authority.
That means the Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA), run by Coppard, could “cross-subsidise” routes — with more profitable sections of the network being used to prop up less popular routes that are still a lifeline to a minority of passengers.
It’s not to be confused with full-blown public ownership, although the MCA would own the depots and fleet, so it’s also not a million miles away.
An accelerated timeline: Coppard called today’s conference because the MCA has just got a lengthy — and very costly — step on the road to franchising done and dusted. South Yorkshire’s Franchising Assessment, which sets out why the MCA think it’s the best option, is now complete.
Now, the central government will want to see this assessment independently audited, which is expected to take around three months. After that, there will need to be a public consultation with the region’s residents, which should take another three months. Then all that’s left is for the government to give the final confirmation.
All being well, Coppard is hoping to get the decision tied up by the end of the year. The process to get to public consultation has cost around £3m, something Coppard blames on the amount of administrative hoops the government insisted the Combined Authority jump through, and the full transition to franchising is likely to cost around £25m.
Having been supplied this diagram by SYMCA, it would be churlish not to use it:
Bus banter: Despite his eagerness to get going, journalists were left waiting 20 minutes for Coppard to arrive at the press conference. Cue gags from BBC’s Lucy Ashton about whether the mayor was stuck at a stop somewhere, waiting for a late bus to turn up.
Not a galloping surprise: Coppard has hardly been coy about thinking franchising is the best way forward — his 2022 manifesto set out taking back control of the buses as a priority. In a press conference this morning, he spelled out his reasons:
“South Yorkshire’s bus market is broken”, Coppard claimed, highlighting data showing a collapse in both miles covered and passengers transported. Bus usage is around 20% below pre-Covid levels, which has tipped a lot of routes that were previously breaking even into unprofitability.
As a result, the amount of public money being sunk into the bus network is ballooning — having trebled since 2018/19. That’s unsustainable, Coppard argues, not least with South Yorkshire receiving less than a third of the funding for buses (per head) given to the West Midlands. Franchising would be more affordable than the current situation, he believes.
South Yorkshire’s geography — with large towns separated by areas of green space — makes it harder to run profitable routes here than in other more densely urban areas, Coppard argues. Certainly, Sheffield doesn’t receive as many commuters from its satellite towns as, for example, central Manchester or Birmingham.
And that’s holding the economy back — Coppard highlighted the example of South Yorkshire’s investment zone around the AMRC, which only 1% of the region’s residents can reach by 30 minutes on public transport. “People cannot stay near and go far”, Coppard told us.
But there are potential roadblocks:
It’s set to be a big year electorally. If Coppard gets approval to take on police and crime commissioner powers, he’ll be up for election in May. Then, of course, there’s a general election at some stage. Elections always create major policy drag, where electioneering absorbs all political energy.
When Greater Manchester attempted to move to franchising, they were taken to court by two of the big companies, alleging that due process hadn’t been followed. The same could, in theory, happen here. When The Tribune asked Coppard, he seemed bullish. “It’s a concern [but] I wouldn’t say I’m really concerned,” he said.
His optimism on this point is not unfounded. The GM case found in favour of Andy Burnham’s team, which might put other bus companies off the idea of undertaking expensive legal action.
In other mayoral news: Michael Gove announced that South Yorkshire will be getting a “level 4” devolution deal from government (currently we’re at “level 3”). The big change is that we’ll get a “single pot” of funding for transport, as opposed to lots of smaller pots. “It’s a big step, and it’s a good step, but I don’t think it’s enough”, Coppard told The Tribune. “The big question is the amount of funding, not whether […] it’s in one pot or lots of different pots.” When we did a profile of Coppard last year (free to read here) he was surprisingly complimentary about Gove’s work on devolution — it does seem like one of the few areas of government policy that’s making tractable progress.
Bottom line: When we recently covered the troubles ailing the Sheffield Connect bus, we concluded that “public control can’t come soon enough”. Franchising will allow the Mayor to do more than pouring money into failing routes — it’s a big step towards a network that’s actually sustainable in the long run. But wrapping things up by the end of the year is a real stretch, and the bus companies may be minded to take legal action. It might be wise to expect delays.
Need more on this topic? Read our longer deep-dive into the tram and bus networks from last year here (full piece is members only).
This piece was updated at 09.35 on the 5th March to include revised figures for the cost of franchising.
The Weekly Whitworth ✍️
Our cartoonist James Whitworth with his own take on this week’s big story.
Our media picks 🔗
Sheffield brewing is driving tourism and regeneration 🍻 Sheffield has retained its position as the so-called real ale capital of the world, with the city’s thriving brewing industry driving tourism and regeneration, according to a new report. However, while the report says the region’s breweries have been “resilient and adaptable”, they are currently in “survival mode”, with no capacity to expand. To read the full report, click here.
Musical 'reminds us of what we've lost' 🎭 The reviews are in for the West End transfer of Standing at the Sky’s Edge — and they are amazing. The show had its full opening night on Wednesday, with critics praising the show’s “universal themes”. One of the most glowing was in What’s On Stage, which described the production as “a shining tribute to the combined power of both popular music and stage storytelling, and subsidised and commercial theatre. Unmissable."
How long covid takes a toll on relationships and intimacy 🦠 A beautiful piece in the Washington Post focuses on an Oughtibridge couple whose lives have been dramatically altered by long Covid. Before the pandemic, Fran Haddock and her partner Dan Kenny lived their lives outdoors and enjoyed walking and foraging in the Peak District. However, Haddock now rarely leaves her bed and experiences debilitating fatigue so severe that she can’t walk more than a few steps.
Home of the week 🏡
This lovely three bedroomed stone terrace in Nether Green has retained loads of its period features and is just a few minutes’ walk from Endcliffe Park. It is on the market for £325,000.
Tribune Tips: If you want to tell us about a story or give us some information, please email editor@sheffieldtribune.co.uk. We are always happy to speak to people off the record in the first poll instance, and we will treat your information with confidence and sensitivity.
Things to do 📆
Theatre 🎭 On now at The Crucible is Arthur Miller’s enduring masterpiece The Crucible. Inspired by the infamous Salem witch trials of the 1690s, the play follows a group of young girls at the centre of a panic over alleged witchcraft. The girls draw the people of the town into a world of secrets, lies and manipulation. The play runs until 30 March and tickets are £15-37.
Learn 🐜 On Tuesday, join Sheffield Museums’ curator of natural science Alistair McLean on this free nature walk at Greno Woods to learn about wood ant nests, in association with Sorby Natural History Society. The 90-minute walk will meet at the Grenoside Wood Car Park, off Woodhead Road, at 10am. The talk will involve walking on the paths of the woods, which are sometimes steep, uneven and may be muddy, so boots and walking gear are advised.
Food and drink 🍻 On Tuesday, join one of Sheffield’s leading music venues Sidney&Matilda at the launch party for their brand new bar. Organisers say the party, which will take place from 5pm until late, will feature great drinks deals, with the first 50 people through the door getting a free glass of prosecco. Even if you can’t make it down until later, Triple Point Helles Lager will be just £3.50 for the entire evening. Music on the night will come from local legend DJ Peter Rabbit, of Funky Drummer and BassOff fame.
Not wanting to jump ahead, but I'm wondering whether SYMCA (or any other local authority) would be allowed to set up its own (non-profit) bus company and bid for a franchise, thus remunicipalising the buses. After deregulation in the 1980s, SYCC-owned South Yorkshire Transport held on for a while as almost sole operator. The Government of the day tried to put a stop to this using a law that they'd thoughtfully provided themselves with that prevented one company from becoming dominant over a significant area of the country. If memory serves, this failed, because it was ludicrous to suggest that South Yorkshire amounted to a significant area. Eventually the dominance of First and Stagecoach that meant SYT could not compete. Privatisation was after all never meant to produce effects so obviously loony left as competition, diversity or meeting local needs.
There was always something perverse about deregulation of local public transport. In 1897, Sheffield Corporation, having purchased the private tramway company's undertaking, immediately made plans to electrify and quadruple the network. Ald. W. E. Clegg was able to boast that in the first year of municipal ownership, '8,453,078 passengers have been carried, as against 6,566,038 in the previous year—the last of the company management. There is a surplus of over £8,000. The employees are smartly uniformed, have better wages and shorter hours. Whichever way the figures are looked at, the same satisfactory results appear. Though there are more cars, the receipts per car per week are higher. With one exception, we believe that every week of the year has seen higher profits than the corresponding week of the previous year. Thus the public are better served, the employees better treated, and the receipts larger. A profit, of over £8,000, an increase of nearly 2,000,000 in the number of passengers, greater facilities, reduced fares, better conditions of labour for the employees, are circumstances which go far to justify an experiment in what is sometimes described as "municipal Socialism.'''
Re: the question of livery. Having just read about the Twitter poll (I don't use it - life's too short) that voted for green, there was an experiment with green-painted trams in Sheffield, the hand-lining required for the blue/cream/gold livery being expensive. It was not well-received, but it was a rather dull green. The darker green used for the renovated sewer gas lamps could be quite attractive. Chesterfield used to be dark green, and always looked rather smart, as well as not showing the dirt so much.