Sheffield City Council & Local Elections 2015

[biotechpete]

Do you have any evidence for that claim?

 

I'm pretty enlightened and I wouldn't vote Lib-Dem if they offered me a free lifetime supply of vodka and licquorice.

 

I guess that many of the more enlightened folks, will remember the lies from 2010. Especially as many degree holders are enlightened and many new degree holders were lied to.

 

I predict a long, bleak and well deserved spell in the wilderness for the Lib Dems.

 

Surely it's a subjective concept without need for justification. Some evidence on here already; Tim is voting Lib Dem and you like liquorice.

 

I'm afraid that I have always considered your political views to be among the least imaginative on here Sibon. Not as much as Mecky, mind you, but take from that what you will.

 

It's a shame you have chosen to bring out the tuition fee debate too. Personally I give Clegg credit for his apology, unlike any normal politician. Although I very much regret the outcome if the tuition fee pledge, but I also accept in an enlightened way that this is a reality of coalition politics; which wouldn't have happened in a Lib Dem majority government. It's not a local issue either which rather speaks to my opinion about you and your cheap shots at the Lib Dems at any opportunity.

[Celtic Knot]

Someone a few weeks ago posted a link to a newspaper article explaining how the local Green council had failed to deliver on anything and people were a bit miffed, you would have expected it to translate across to this vote but obviously not.

 

Lots of people keep spreading untruths about Brighton Council, which does not have an overall majority of Greens so they can only ever do things with the support of other parties. I am impressed with what they have done on issues of inequality for instance.

 

When elected, they promised more openness and democracy. They began with arguably the most important and difficult decisions – those on the city council budget.

Budget planning transparency

 

They’ve begun publishing annual budget proposals earlier and with more detail so that they can be scrutinised by everyone, ahead of time, and making this transparent to all – other political parties, citizens and the media.

Budget planning engagement. Sheffield could learn a lot from this.

 

Continuing their desire to be more open and inclusive, they hold regular meetings during the budget setting process with other political parties, unions and community representatives.

 

Living Wage for council employees

 

They’ve introduced a Living Wage for council employees. The council pays at least a Living Wage of £7.45 of an hour to all in-house employees and requires a Living Wage option from all bidders for council contracts. All the council’s Home Care contractors have adopted the Living Wage and we hope to roll this out to other providers. As a result we have won formal Living Wage Foundation accreditation. Sheffield has contracted out lots of its services to companies that don't pay a living wage.

 

Reducing senior management spend

 

Brighton council now spends less on senior management than it has in a decade.

Reducing ratio between the highest and lowest paid

 

They’ve brought down the ratio between the highest and lowest paid council staff to just over 10:1 by significantly reducing the Chief Executive’s salary and increasing the lowest pay grades.

Neighbourhood Governance pilots

 

They introduced pilots for Neighbourhood Governance schemes, which support communities to take local decisions with local budgets. The two pilots – in the areas of Hollingdean & Stanmer, Whitehawk and Bristol Estate – are progressing well and the forums are currently exploring options to become self-funding. In Sheffield we've scrapped Community Assemblies and now voters feel they have no say on local issues.

[Hot As Sun]

Libdems. Not because I like them particularly, but because they're currently the only realistic counter to Labour in Sheffield.

[smiggs]

Surely it's a subjective concept without need for justification. Some evidence on here already; Tim is voting Lib Dem and you like liquorice.

.

 

Subjecting people to personal insults doesn't further your political cause i.e. to say most people who don't agree with you are not enlightened is not a persuasive argument.

[Hot As Sun]

 

It's a shame you have chosen to bring out the tuition fee debate too. Personally I give Clegg credit for his apology, unlike any normal politician. Although I very much regret the outcome if the tuition fee pledge, but I also accept in an enlightened way that this is a reality of coalition politics; which wouldn't have happened in a Lib Dem majority government. It's not a local issue either which rather speaks to my opinion about you and your cheap shots at the Lib Dems at any opportunity.

 

Those who make a big deal of the tuition fee thing and then go on to vote Labour are utter, utter idiots. Labour introduced tuition fees and don't have any intention to abolish them.

[WalkleyIan]

Need to factor in that local elections this year are held on the same day as general elections and that would tend to give much higher turn out.

 

Its often said that a high turnout in council elections favours Labour, but this year it could equally well favour UKIP.

 

Pollsters claim that a significant part of the UKIP vote is coming from voters who previously felt there was nothing worth turning out for. I cant see many people turning out vote in GE2015 then not casting a vote in the council elections.

[horribleblob]

Isn't that the same down Cambridge and most other places darn sarrff?

 

Not exactly. Cambridge has two MPs - one LibDem and one Tory.

 

The city council, however, is almost entirely a combination of Labour and LibDem.

[Mecky]

Not exactly. Cambridge has two MPs - one LibDem and one Tory.

 

The city council, however, is almost entirely a combination of Labour and LibDem.

 

For example. The point I was making is that people vote one way or another because that's what they've always regardless of their political persuasion. The tories will not lose the ward of Uxbridge and South Ruislip even if they put a pig up for canditure .... in fact they have with Boris Johnson. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2754148/Boris-Johnson-sees-challenge-three-rivals-selected-fight-safe-Tory-seat-year-s-general-election.html

[biotechpete]

Subjecting people to personal insults doesn't further your political cause i.e. to say most people who don't agree with you are not enlightened is not a persuasive argument.

 

It wasn't aimed at anyone, so not a personal insult and it wasn't meant to further a cause or be persuasive. There's little hope of persuading anyone on here to vote any other way than that which they have stated. It was simply a statement of opinion. I.e. surprise, surprise, I tend to agree with people who vote a similar way to me.

Edited January 14, 2015 by biotechpete

[LeMaquis]

Isn't that the same down Cambridge and most other places darn sarrff?

 

In the last 30 years Cambridge has had Tory, Labour and Lib-Dem MPs.

 

Your attempt to choose somewhere that is always Tory could have been better researched.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_(UK_Parliament_constituency)