What's worrying about a new survey of businesses in the Sheffield region is that the city council falls so far behind the other local authorities in keeping its business customers satisfied. Red tape, sluggish response rates and poor infrastructure - most notably transport - are the major business bugbears.

With a new political leadership in power, the time is ripe for a change of culture in the administration to avoid the city's laudable investment and economic regeneration plans being hobbled by petty bureaucracy.

Shaping up to take on new challenges
WITH so many new buildings rising around the county, it has become a bit too easy to take them for granted, even leading to complaints about the drab uniformity of some of the new office and apartment blocks appearing on our skylines.

However, there are some real nuggets emerging from the construction sites and they have rightly earned a place in this year's shortlist of designs for the Royal Institute of British Architects Yorkshire White Rose Awards.

The buildings not only reflect the exceptionally high standards of design work and imagination behind some of the plans which are remoulding the county, they also mirror the confidence that this region has shown towards its changing fortunes and the fresh challenges regularly thrown in the way of those behind the region's regeneration.

Sluggish weather
INFLATION, petrol shortages, heavy rain and now something else to add misery to a grim British summer... slugs! Gardeners are being warned to expect an invasion of the slimy pests as wet and mild weather encourages the right conditions for an epidemic. Suddenly, a trip to some exotic foreign location seems like the only answer to all the gloom - but you can bet the flight will be delayed!


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