The new leader of Sheffield City Council has called on colleagues to “talk Sheffield up” as he celebrated a list of new developments taking place in the city.
Coun Tom Hunt made the call at a meeting of Sheffield City Council where he spoke about “hugely positive developments” such as the plan for the Cole Brothers store which will “breathe new life back into the much-loved building on Barkers Pool, the Heart of the City developments including the opening of Pounds Park, the significant progress at West Bar and plans for Castlegate”.
He said that developers want to be part of the city. Other schemes he listed included the £100m investment in leisure and entertainment venues across the city at a time when they are closing elsewhere, a new low-carbon neighbourhood to be built at Attercliffe Waterside, Family Hubs that are one-stop shops to support children and young people and the city’s inclusion in Prince William’s Homewards project to reduce homelessness.
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Coun Hunt said: “Sheffield is changing for the better, with support from our members from across this chamber it will continue to get better. It’s time to talk Sheffield up, not talk it down.”
LibDem councillors said they share the Labour leadership’s pride in the city but prefer to act as “critical friends” and Green members stressed the need for collaborative action on issues such as tackling racism and climate change. LibDem leader Coun Shaffaq Mohammed said that the aim of his party’s amendment to the motion was to stress the need to continue to learn the lessons of the hard-hitting Lowcock Report into the city street trees scandal.
Meanwhile, Coun Brian Holmshaw, put forward a Green Party amendment, stressed the need for cross-party collaboration, saying that the Green Party had attempted that on a motion also agreed that reaffirmed the council’s commitment to Sheffield being a City of Sanctuary for refugees and asylum seekers.
The motion was unanimously passed by councillors, including parts of both amendments.
