Sheffield City Council elections: the leader of the Green Party is seeking re-election

Neither Cllr Tom Hunt, the leader of the council, nor Cllr Shaffaq Mohammed, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, have to stand this year – but Cllr Douglas Johnson from the Green Party does.

Cllr Johnson, the leader of his group, was able to win comfortably in 2021 and now he is aiming to do that again, keeping the City ward a Green ward.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I’m a councillor for City ward, I was elected in 2016 and again in 2021.

“I chair the council’s housing policy committee and lead the Green group of councillors. I am a member of the charity trustee sub-committee, the Sheffield health and wellbeing board, the Yorkshire regional flood and coastal committee and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority overview and scrutiny committee.

“I previously supported the Green councillors, including Jillian Creasy, Bernard Little and Rob Murphy. I became involved with the Green Party because it was an opportunity to use my skills to make people’s lives better.

“I worked for advice centres, stopping people from losing their homes and promoting anti-discrimination laws.

“Successes included cases against the Royal Bank of Scotland, Northumbria Police and the Scout Association, as well as legal action to reverse the cuts to 265,000 concessionary bus, tram and train passes in 2014.”

The Liberal Democrats are sending Shelley Cockayne.

She said: “Being a Sheffielder, born and bred, I am proud of our city, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for improvement. I’ve seen Sheffield flounder over the years, held back by a lack of business acumen, vision, investment and the years of Tory cuts. I don’t want Sheffield to ‘make do’, I want us to thrive.

“I am standing for election as councillor for City ward to bring my energy and passion for our city to create a city of hope and prosperity. I want to improve our neighbourhoods and services, holding our contractors to account, particularly making sure we get the best from the Streets Ahead and waste management contracts, improving standards and increasing our sustainability credentials.

“Being a campaigner for democracy, small businesses, the environment, communities, I hope that I can bring all this energy to represent City Ward and serve our city”.

The Labour Party will send Thomas Evens to challenge Cllr Johnson.

He said: “We need a fresh voice for City ward. From Neepsend and Kelham Island to Highfield and the city centre, we are at the heart of Sheffield. Together with a Labour mayor and MP, we will harness the full potential of the city. Sheffield Labour is under new leadership, with an ambitious plan for our city.

“I’ll help give every child the best start in life. I’ll help with the cost of living, doing all I can to put more money in your pocket. I’ll work to bring back buses under public control as we have with the tram.

“In this set of local elections, people have an opportunity to vote for a better, brighter future for our communities. I’ll bang the drum for our high streets and green spaces, so everyone can have pride in our area, and support our local businesses.”

The people living in the city will also have a choice to vote for Ashish Bhandari from the Conservatives and Maddie Rooney from the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.