The new leader of Sheffield City Council has called on colleagues to 鈥渢alk Sheffield up鈥 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 鈥渉ugely positive developments鈥 such as the plan for the Cole Brothers store which will 鈥渂reathe 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鈥.
He said that developers want to be part of the city. Other schemes he listed included the 拢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鈥檚 inclusion in Prince William鈥檚 Homewards project to reduce homelessness.
Read more: works starts on 拢300m Sheffield scheme
Coun Hunt said: 鈥淪heffield is changing for the better, with support from our members from across this chamber it will continue to get better. It鈥檚 time to talk Sheffield up, not talk it down.鈥
LibDem councillors said they share the Labour leadership鈥檚 pride in the city but prefer to act as 鈥渃ritical friends鈥 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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.
