S35_2o21

On 02/04/2023 at 10:28, srtaylo0 said:

This is a question I’m asking myself and I guess I ask every election. 
 

I have taken a look at Sheffield councils yearly plans (google it). There’s lots of great sentiment but what actual positive change has there been in the last 2 years or so ?  
 

I can see great plans for a nice park at the castle area of town. 

The local parks near me seem in a decent state. 
The litter bins on the roads seem to be being emptied. 
 

These are I guess quite small things but then I don’t really use services such as social care and social housing. So not able to comment. 
 

But then I look at some big ticket items. 
 

The city centre. In my work I visit other cities Nottingham. Manchester. Their city centres are vibrant places. Ours is well it’s grim. 
 

spending money wisely. 
errrmmm containers. 
 

Trust. 
errr trees ? 
 

Public Transport. 
All I hear is people saying it’s not great. On the rare occurrence I have caught a bus - on two occasions I was waiting longer than I was supposed to be. 
 

closing roads. 
I actually cycle little London road. I did before it had barriers. It’s quieter and nicer to cycle now but in totality is still an interesting route into the city.  
I also think if closing roads was about making positive inroads into pollution. Then my uneducated stance is that it’s made things worse. Abbeydale road is a nightmare to drive.  Journeys are slower and sitting traffic causes more pollution. The simple fact is there are too many cars on the road. I believe there needs to be carrots and sticks to make journeys more green and quicker. I only see sticks. 
 

like I say my view is limited - so I’d love to see some positives.  

Of course budgets are vastly limited but other cities seem to be doing better. 
 

what do  you think ? 

 

The other question could be, what would the other parties do that is any different? Why should people vote for the Lib Dems or the Green party? I get regular leaflets from the Lib Dems that don't really tell me what they will do for Sheffield or my neighbourhood. 

1 hour ago, busdriver1 said:

There is a basic problem with the local government in this country in that only the figureheads actually get elected. The ones that do all the actual work and make decisions and give "unbiased advice" never get elected or held to account. Until that is resolved you are just voting for more of the same no matter what party you vote for.

The Committee meetings are all on the Council's website to watch. These will show that officers present reports, which are scrutinised by the Committee members. This scrutiny does include some questioning of the advice in the reports.  If the Committee doesn't agree, the report isn't approved. 

3 hours ago, bassett one said:

all the right to buy cash was supposed to go to building better council housing ,wheres the cash gone?

I believe Council's were allowed to keep a certain percentage of the capital receipt. This may have been as low as 25%.  The remaining funds were sent to central government. 

Whether the Treasury chose to spend the remaining 75% of the capital receipt on replacing the social housing which was lost, I doubt it. 

13 hours ago, soopah said:

There was an article the other day about how the now defunct cameras in Manchester have been helping out the police as ANPR cameras, but the crux of the article was "that no public consultation was required as to the future use of the cameras once the funding to install them was aquired"
Meaning that once they are installed, whether the scheme is still active or not they've basically got free reign of what to use the cameras for.
More surveillance by stealth

Surely this is subject to a legal challenge though, due to GDPR stipulations. I am no expert but I thought that data had to be captured for a specific purpose and only used for that purpose. The potential of 'mission creep' for this kind of technology is scary. 

Hopefully those pesky lawyers will challenge this. 

14 hours ago, HeHasRisen said:

Probably not, the request to the DVLA will be "does this vehicle need to be charged under the terms of a category C (think thats the term?) CAZ"?

 

It wont be bothered with lack of VED, MOT and/or insurance, thats still a job for the feds.

We are waiting to see if we get a PCN for crossing the Dartford bridge over the NY period. Our car was previously a motability vehicle. We bought the car in October and the forms were completed to change the use with the DVLA. We tried to pay the toll for crossing the bridge, but we couldn't as the car is still listed as exempt. So now we are waiting to see if we get a PCN. It's now nearly 3 months later and no sign of a PCN. I'm guessing that the DVLA are as snowed under with these kinds of requests.  

On 20/03/2023 at 07:59, geared said:

Looking in the £400-500 region for most clutch jobs.  Can try and save a few quid using cheaper parts, but it's a false economy really.

If the car has a dual-mass flywheel, they usually want changing near 100,000.

 

I got 120,000 miles out my last clutch though, which I thought was pretty decent.

I had a clutch fitted in a 09 1.6 mini cooper. It cost in the region of that. I think the flywheel was replaced as well. 

1 hour ago, Organgrinder said:

And you so, that's 3 of us.

At least, I manage to post and add to the debate, whereas you 2, along with others try to stifle debate with supposedly clever remarks.

Anything to add about the shipping containers?

I thought not.

 

 

 

Was your comment about the shipping containers? I doubt it. The usual 'public sector bad, private sector good' stuff that we hear frequently. There's never any nuance, or alternative ideas proposed. Just more anti-public sector rhetoric. 

16 minutes ago, Organgrinder said:

Any money wasted is a loss to taxpayers without splitting hairs,  re - which taxpayers.

We have had bad government, local and central for years and it's time we  put a stop to it.

 

 

What would we replace Government with? 

14 hours ago, The_DADDY said:

Thank you for that francypants. Yes I won't deny its exhausting at times but I have to say its massively rewarding. Their mum could do more but sadly won't. I get that she wants her life but the kids struggle to understand that. They think they've done something wrong bless em and as things stand I'll probably have the kids with me for life. I reckon with a regular short break say a few days every 6 months or so would definitely help me recharge those batteries so I can carry on doing my bit. 

Thank you again francypants 🙏

Good luck with the assessment. I'm sure there's options out there that are right for the young person. Did you get assistance from Children's services? 

I know it might be difficult to think about the future but it might be worth thinking it all through. 

On 26/02/2023 at 09:35, Weazel2006 said:

Ive got life wrong in every possible way. Very scared and dont know what im doing at all.

Have you managed to get some advice and help with your situation?

On 15/02/2023 at 22:00, The_DADDY said:

Has anyone heard of such a thing? 

Do councils/outside organisations offer a respite service where the young adults can be looked after to allow a parent to get a break, have a rest kind of thing? I've been looking recently but nothing really relevant comes up. Tried to ring the council but their phone 'system' is infuriating so I'm turning to the good folk of Sheffield Forum. 

 

Additional... I love banter, a joke, a bit of gentle trolling but on this thread I'd prefer a few serious replies too.

Ta..

Are they under 18 or over? Are you in receipt of other Council/NHS funded support? I would keep persevering with getting hold of the Council's social care teams so that they can help with this. 

16 minutes ago, Anna B said:

News about the Bus Gate on Sheffield's Arundel Gate has made it onto Facebook. 

The subsequent comments were universally uncomplimentary to our Council. 

We're famous for all the wrong reasons again....

It's the Sheffield Online Facebook page. Most articles relating to anything that the Council does sparks negative comments on that page. 

Just now, blackydog said:

You don't like libraries. How can you not like a library? You might not use it much, but not like?

Libraries are there for you and everyone else if you need them. They offer services that some people may not be able to afford otherwise. The royal family offer nothing, whatever they do is done for themselves, always has been, always will be.

That's your opinion. I dont' use any social care at all, ever. So, using your arguement, I shouldn't pay for it. I also don't use any schools. 

However, as I believe that taxes are raised to ensure money can be spent to provider public services, I willing pay what the government (local and central) tell me I should. 

1 hour ago, blackydog said:

It will help to pay for this ****e.

 

Sheffield City Council has approved the sum of £296,000 to be spent on events celebrating the forthcoming coronation of King Charles III.

This includes an allocation of £5,000 to each of the 7 Local Area Committees across the city for local community celebrations.

Information about applying for grants and other information (such as applying for road closures for street parties etc.) will be available on the city council website

https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/.../south-east-local-area...

alternatively you can call South East LAC on 0114 474 3646 or email on at SoutheastLAC@sheffield.gov.uk

In this instance, as with others, the Council is damned if they do and damned if they don't. £300k is tiny in comparison with the whole Council expenditure, and some communities will use it for activities on the day, which is really important. 

On 17/02/2023 at 17:26, HeHasRisen said:

A below inflation increase is amazing tbh. God bless the 5% cap.

Not really. Services will be cut as inflationary pressures will affect the cost of delivery. 

23 hours ago, Craig76 said:

Hi everyone, we sadly  had to have our 16 year old cat put down a couple of weeks ago. I have lots of food, treats, milk etc that I'd really like to give to a cat shelter or something similar. Does anyone know of anywhere in Sheffield ( im in S6) that would like it? Thanks in advance..craig

Pets at Home have a donation bin at the Kilner Way shop. I'm not sure which charities the donations go to. 

3 hours ago, Axe said:

When the Tory party came to power in 2010 only 6% of  UK energy was generated from renewable sources.  After nearly 13 years of Tory governments over 40% of UK energy comes from renewable sources.  Regarding nuclear power the Tory government has made a decision to have new nuclear power stations which something the Labour government did not do when they were in power for 13 years.

A major issue with the energy use in the country is on domestic heating. We have some huge numbers of ageing housing stock. In 2014, George Osbourne also cut the 'green' charges from Energy bills. Those charges were funding insulation programmes which were benefitting individual households, and presumably the building contractors who were employed on them.

The Tory party have attempted to develop a subsidy scheme to encourage owner occupiers to upgrade their homes, both of these schemes have failed. 

5 minutes ago, HeHasRisen said:

Have they?

 

Pretty sure they have come out and said their 6 new bus gates have sod all to do with the aspirational 15 minute city idea?

This statement refers to conjestion measures: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/2332/joint_statement_from_oxfordshire_county_council_and_oxford_city_council_on_oxford_s_traffic_filters

On 14/02/2023 at 16:30, nikki-red said:

The Nurse won’t have been doing a 24 hour shift. 
It goes against the Working Time Directive and would therefore be illegal.

You have to have at least 11 hours continuous rest between each 12 hour shift..

 

I believe it's common in the care sector for an employer to ask an employee to waive their rights to the WTD. Many care providers would struggle to fill shift requirements if this constraint was in place. 

18 hours ago, Ghozer said:

Funny, as they only sold it off like 2 years ago...

Deal was completed in April 2021....

I believe the previous owners of the Moor (not sure whether this is all the shop units or the pavement areas) were Scottish Widows. 

13 hours ago, top4718 said:

People have lived in the city for decades with no issues and would continue to do so.

 

It's meant to sound great, that's how they sell it to the gullible.

Don't think anyone has said you'll be trapped, you just won't be fully free without paying penalties, anyone that's happy with that needs sectioning.

In terms of the link between air pollution and the impact on health, there have been numerous studies which indicate that Sheffield has an issue with shorter life expectancy and other health indicators. Prior to the Tory government of 2010, Sheffield benefitted from a lot of Government support to try and improve health outcomes for individuals. 

In terms of the 15 min City model, this depends on how this is implemented. Oxfordshire Council have chosen to link this with  congestion reducing measures. The OP of this thread hasn't provided a link to the proposal for Sheffield, so we don't know what the Council are considering. 

34 minutes ago, XPertByExperien said:

Like I said last week, back in the mid 90s I worked at the Oxfam on King St, when the old Castle Markets were closed on a Thursday, that end of Town was pretty much dead, as was the Charity shop.

 

 

The Moor is quite vibrant now, certainly with the redeveloped section. A lot of the shops have moved from Fargate (Next etc).

The Debenhams unit is huge, not sure who will take that on. The end by MF looks as grim as ever though. 

I think the outdoor market is a reason for people to visit. Hopefully the Council do take this action to protect this part of the city centre. 

12 hours ago, top4718 said:

Protest in Sheffield against the CAZ on Saturday at 12noon outside the City Hall, if you care about your childrens and grandchildrens future attend and make your presence felt, this needs stopping before it starts.

I think if people care about the health of their children and grandchildren, the CAZ should be supported. 

11 hours ago, wendyG said:

Protest against  CAZ tax and 15 min cities this Sat 25th Feb, Pinstone st, 12pm, if you .care about your city and freedom be there.

I'm still not sure why a 15min city is such a bad thing. To me, I think it sounds great. 

On 20/02/2023 at 17:53, bassett one said:

the council is deciding whether to take on the legal rights of the moor outdoor market owners ,i think they are being treated awfull,i think the owners should give them new stalls and leave them in situ ,what do others think?

I assume this is because the owners are trying to change the operating days of the market stalls? I spoke to the owner of the jacket potato stall last week about it.

I guess SCC still has the freehold for the site so can enforce the 'market charter'. Unless someone enforces this, the owners (New River?), can basically do what the heck they want to. 

If the Council don't do this, then this would be detrimental to the market, and the viability of the Moor as a whole. 

19 hours ago, Baron99 said:

That will be the IBI tax.

 

 A relitive of mine owns a property out in Spain & he also finds it dirt cheap compared with his place over here but then he & his wife are coming from the perspective of having higher median UK salaries  of about £8k or £9k above the Spanish median salaries. 

 

Also the IBI is calculated on several factors, not only the size of the property but such factors as the condition & location of the property to name but three. 

 

Apparently, you're average Spaniard will complain about the amount of IBI they have to pay. 

 

It's all relative but I know what you mean.  I can't remember the last time I saw a council worker sweep the road outside my house?  Tell a lie, it was just a couple of weeks before the last council elections. 

Does the IBI tax also part fund other statutory responsibilities that are devolved to local authorities?

Sounds the IBI is a modernised version of what the Council tax could be, if successive (mainly Tory) governments actually reviewed the funding stream properly. 

5 hours ago, Prettytom said:

 

I’d be interested to know which bits you’d cut. 
 

Do remember that this year’s council tax is going up by significantly less than inflation.

 

Here you are. What would you cut?

 

https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/your-city-council/budgets-and-spending/council-tax-2022-2023.pdf

People on this forum aren't interested in facts, or finding out more about how the Council spends it's money or makes decisions. It's far easier to moan about 'them'.