Wi-fi plan for Sheffield City Centre announced

Sheffield City Council has revealed it is looking for a provider to
offer a free Wi-Fi service across the city’s Business
Improvement District (BID).

Under current plans, a contract would be awarded to an internet provider in
June, with the Wi-Fi service expected to be rolled in December this year.

The scheme, set to be approved by the Council’s cabinet next Wednesday
(18 January), would allow a provider to offer high-speed free connection in exchange for use of street
assets used to provide wireless communication services.

Councillor Leigh Bramall, cabinet member for business and economy at
Sheffield City Council, said: “This offer has the potential to place
Sheffield amongst the best connected cities in the country.

“Our ambition is to create the conditions that allow a super-fast,
digitally-connected and vibrant city to thrive. Our economy will benefit
and Sheffield will become more connected for people using the city
centre.

“But we’ll only appoint a provider on our terms – someone who will provide the service at no cost to the public or ourselves.

“We’ve tested the market and believe that a provider will be able to
offer the service we want for Sheffield in exchange for exclusive use of
council-owned street assets such as lampposts.”

The Sheffield Lib Dem opposition, who initially suggested the scheme, have also welcomed the news.

Councillor Richard Shaw said: “We’re really pleased to see the Labour Council have finally got a move on with this project after
we suggested it last year.”

“If this scheme is successful we hope that
they will be ambitious and look to roll out similar schemes in parks and
local district shopping centres.”

Under the proposed terms a provider
would offer a free-of-charge service, potentially including council-owned public
buildings such as the Winter Garden.

There are a number of free Wi-Fi
schemes operating in Sheffield, mainly in pubs and cafe chains, but these do not cover the open spaces
across the city.

‘Nothing agreed yet’ on Central Library five-star hotel plan

Sheffield City Council have told a public Town Hall meeting that all options remain open regarding a controversial plan to lease the Central Library and Graves Gallery building to Chinese developers.

The proposals, first brought to the council by
Sichuan Guodong last November, would see the current building become the city’s first five-star hotel, with the library relocated to a new site in the city centre.

The council have stated that they would seek the remaining of the Graves Gallery in the 1930s building, with a view to moving the art collection to the ground floor.

Sichuan Guodong have been given twelve months to assess the viability of a hotel in the Grade II listed building.

Addressing at times anxious members of the public, Councillor Jack Scott, 
Cabinet Member for Community Services and Libraries, said:

“We at the beginning of a very long journey. It is, also, a journey that may not progress at all.”

“We’ve not signed up to do anything for definite, both parties can pull away from this discussion at any time during the twelve month period. ”

Acknowledging that the recent outcry over the handling of a mass tree felling operation had damaged Sheffielders’ trust in the authority, Councillor Scott said the series of meetings served as a way of rebuilding ties with the people of the city.

It was also revealed during the meeting that the short-term costs of urgent repairs to the Central Library building are expected to total £2.2million, and that long-term costs of making the existing site ‘fit for the future’ would be in the region of £30million.

The announcement of the plans has not gone without its critics since November, with many questioning the need for another hotel, and pleading for the council to take its time over a decision.

Rebecca Gransbury, a local book seller who often uses the library, started a petition
calling for the building to remain a library that now has over 10,000 signatures – double the 5,000 required for it to be presented to the council.

Speaking at the meeting after the councillors, she said:

“I don’t think it’s the council’s fault, but there’s not enough information at the moment. We need to have more of these meetings.”

“It’s all a bit one sided – we hear about a lot of the problems of the current library building, but we don’t hear much about the positives – it has a lot. The problem is, really, we can’t balance out the information with any concrete information about the new library.”

The revealing of the plans comes after Sheffield City Council and the Chinese
Sichuan Guodong Construction Group

last August signed a 60-year investment deal totalling £1billion, with £220million to be invested in the next three years.

Sheffield cancer charity collection boxes stolen

A number of collection boxes containing donations for Cavendish Cancer Care have been stolen in a series of thefts around Sheffield.

The two most recent thefts took place at Dore Dental Care on Causeway Head Road and Scott’s Pantry on Glossop Road.

Victoria Wood from the fundraising team at Cavendish Cancer Care said: “We are only a small charity and we really do rely on the generosity of members of the public to be able to continue providing our invaluable services to people affected by cancer.“

"We urge anyone with any information to come forward.”

Anyone with information regarding the thefts in the past few months is being asked to call the police non-emergency number on 101.

Members of the public can also donate £5 to Cavendish Cancer Care by texting ‘CAVC25 £5’ to 70070.

Sheffield MP Clegg returns to Lib Dem frontbenches

Former Deputy Prime Minister and Sheffield Hallam MP Nick Clegg is returning to the Liberal Democrat front bench as the party’s European Union spokesman.

His role will shadow that of David Davis, who was appointed Secretary of State for British exit from the European Union in new PM Theresa May’s cabinet.

Clegg was a Member of the European Parliament and a trade negotiator in the European Commission under former chancellor Leon Brittan.

The former party leader is kicking off his role by announcing his ‘Brexit Challenge’ project.

In the coming weeks and months Clegg will publish a series of papers detailing the potential challenges posed to the nation in lieu of the public’s vote to leave the union.

Writing in the i newspaper, Nick Clegg said:

“Theresa May says Brexit means Brexit but no one actually knows what that means.”

“With no meaningful opposition from the Labour Party, no exit plan from the Government, Whitehall unprepared for the Brexit negotiations, and above all, Theresa May’s refusal to seek a mandate from the people for what is in effect a new government, there is a real risk that she and her Brexit ministers won’t be subject to the scrutiny and accountability which voters deserve.

“Whatever your views on Brexit, it is in everyone’s interest to make sure what happens next is debated openly and scrutinised properly.“

Liberal Democrat Leader Tim Farron said:

“There is no-one better placed in British politics to hold the Government to account over Brexit than Nick.”

“Now that Theresa May’s Brexit government is a reality, I’ve asked Nick to take on a formal role in holding them to account.”

“Over the next months I expect him to be the leading voice in this debate, taking them to task and flushing out what Brexit will really mean for Britain.”

The Liberal Democrat party have previously said that, if elected, they would seek to negotiate continued membership of the EU for the UK.

Sheffield Lib Dems raise New Retail Quarter concerns

The Sheffield Liberal Democrats have welcomed the news the progress being made on the New Retail Quarter project, but have raised concerns over the way decisions on investment are being made.

A cabinet report, set to be approved by the Labour cabinet on Wednesday, requests that the Council triple the amount of investment from the current £61 million to £187million.

The concerns come as the report will not be able to be ‘called-in’ for further scrutiny like other important Council decisions.

Councillor Martin Smith, shadow cabinet spokesperson for business and economy said:

“We support the New Retail Quarter project and we welcome the recent announcement from HSBC about retaining a major presence in Sheffield to keep quality jobs in Sheffield.

However, this project is very unusual as the Council wants to act as a speculative investor and property developer to build shops and office space which is not currently let.

Although we welcome any progress on the retail quarter project, we believe the Labour Council should be more open with people about the risks they are taking with your money.”

The planned New Retail Quarter occupies the site of the ill-fated ‘Sevenstone’ retail project, which fell through amidst the late 2000s economic crisis.

Nick Clegg calls for snap General Election

Former deputy Prime Minister and Sheffield Hallam MP Nick Clegg has called for a general election in light of Andrea Leadsom’s withdrawal from the Conservative leadership contest.

Home Secretary Theresa May, who is expected to be Prime Minister by Wednesday evening, is not expected to call an election until Britain’s exit from the European Union has been negotiated.

Writing in The Guardian, the ex-Liberal Democrats leader said:

“The EU referendum has exploded constitutional, political and economic conventions.“

"Our country is in a tailspin.”

“An election of a new parliament in which MPs act responsibly to manage our historic divorce from the EU is the only way to forge some order out of the present chaos.”

His comments echo those of party leader Tim Farron, who said it was "simply inconceivable” that Theresa May could be made Prime Minister “without even having won an election in her own party, let alone the country.”

The Lib Dems have pledged to stand of a platform of re-entering the country into the EU bloc at the next general election.

Lib Dems propose closer council relationship with local business

The Sheffield Liberal Democrats have released new proposals that suggest the council should hold an annual meeting with local businesses.

The meetings would give the opportunity for local businesses to report on the state of business in Sheffield and to present their ideas on what Sheffield City Council needs to do to support business, enterprise and innovation in the city.

Following local job loss announcements in the public and private sector, the Lib Dem opposition are hoping the Labour administration will get behind the idea at Wednesday’s full council meeting.

Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, Leader of the Lib Dem group on Sheffield City Council, said:

“Sheffield’s been through a lot recently, but now is the time for positive action from politicians to help our city get back on its feet.

“We spend so much time in the council chamber talking to ourselves, when we could be using that time to consult with local business people and come up with ideas of how to help bring more enterprise to Sheffield and importantly, more opportunities for Sheffield people.”

Unwelcome employment news has wracked Sheffield in recent weeks, with HSBC Pennine Centre and the government Department for Business, Innovation and Skills both announcing the moving of jobs away from the city.

Sheffield to lose Department for Business, Innovation and Skills offices


Around 250 civil servants at a government department in Sheffield are to
be relocated to London by 2018, the government has confirmed.

The Department for Business, Innovation and
Skills (BIS) has said that the cost-cutting measure

will save £350m by the end of the decade.

image

Staff currently based at the St Paul’s Place office

will be offered financial aid should they choose to move to the capital.

However, the decision has been blasted as irresponsible by many local politicians.

Nick Clegg, MP for Sheffield Hallam, said: “Relocating jobs from Sheffield to London is
absolute madness. It’s terrible for those facing redundancy, terrible
for Sheffield and terrible value for the UK taxpayer. These proposals
were never on the cards during the Coalition and should never have seen
the light of day.”

Taking a more sanguine view, Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed of the Liberal Democrats has said he is confident that the city will be able to recover from recent job losses. “Sheffield
is facing a very challenging time right now with job losses around the
city. We’ve faced trying times in the past but Sheffielders are strong
and we will bounce back, with new ideas and strong leadership.”

Today’s announcement comes only a week after HSBC announced 600 IT jobs were to be cut from their Sheffield office.

It has since emerged that soon-to-be-redundant staff at the Pennine Centre are being obligated to train their replacements in China and India via video-link.

University of Sheffield launches ambulance services report

A report reviewing the level of care given by ambulance services has been launched at the University of Sheffield.

Leading researchers from the University’s School of Health and
Related Research (ScHARR) contributed to the review
conducted by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

The
volume of 999 calls for ambulances has more than doubled in the last 10
years, and in 2014-15, a record nine million calls were received in
England.

At the same time, there have also been parallel increases in
other parts of the emergency care system, with rising numbers of NHS 111
calls, Accident and Emergency department attendances and unplanned
admissions to hospitals.

Janette Turner, Reader in Emergency and Urgent Care Research at
ScHARR, conducted a study used in the review examining why demand on the
ambulance service has dramatically increased.

She said: “It is well known that demand for emergency services is increasing,”

“We know some of the reasons for this increased demand, reflecting wider pressures on health and care services.

“These include people living longer with the number of people over 75
attending Emergency Departments tripling over the last 20 years.”

She added: “Other factors include health needs such as chronic
conditions, socioeconomic factors such as isolation and loneliness, lack
of social support and deprivation and the supply of local services.

“There is little research overall in this area and the relationship between these and demand for services is not yet known.”

A number of studies conducted by leading academics
from ScHARR are amongst 40 papers featured in the themed review of
research funded by the NIHR in the last 10 years.

Suzanne Mason, Professor of Emergency Medicine at ScHARR, contributed
her findings evaluating the impact of Emergency Care Practitioners in
different UK health settings on patient pathways.

She said: “In the past, ambulances transported all patients to hospital. Now
some ambulances treat up to half of all 999 cases at the scene,”

“The change in the nature of work has been driven by rising demand
and changes in technologies and remit, beyond immediate life-threatening
conditions.

“At the same time, new specialist roles have developed requiring
particular training and knowledge including advanced practitioners, who
can assess and treat patients with minor injuries or conditions on the
spot without necessarily referring them to other services.”

More than 70 researchers, health care professionals and patients
attended the launch of the report at Firth Hall yesterday.