'Time to let charity cancer vehicles in Sheffield's bus lanes - whatever the council's embarrassing reasons for not doing so'
Easy decisions that are simply the right thing to do, are shunned
I believe that this city should do everything in its power to support Sheffielders through their darkest times.
All of us are touched by cancer in our lifetimes, either directly or through the battle of loved ones. It is natural to want to help in situations where most of us can do very little. I wouldn't even call it compassion, it is just human nature.
This basic drive to do simple things is where Sheffield Council, and those with power within the walls of the Town Hall, do our city such an injustice.
When I am asked, and it is fairly often, why our council is so disconnected from its people the answer isn't difficult.
Easy decisions that are simply the right thing to do, are shunned.
Difficult decisions that would transform our city have been danced around and avoided for decades.
Put those two together and it is more than enough to make confidence in Sheffield City Council hit rock bottom.
The condition of Graves Gallery and Central Library illustrate the latter. This city has made no serious, transformational bid for national money for the city centre or art projects for more than half of my lifetime ... and I am not in the first flush of youth.
Now there is an amazing plan (not the first) on the table but their hand has been forced by a building which, as they do, crumbles around them because action wasn't taken until beyond desperate.
The former? Let's talk about the wonderful Firefly and Weston Park Cancer Charity minibuses. Driven by volunteers for charities, they collect cancer patients from their home and deliver them directly to the treatments they need if they are to live.
They are not allowed to use bus lanes. It is ridiculous, it is embarrassing and it is time to stop it - now.
I cannot state this any clearer. I believe that one person among the top ranks of the council could make this decision, send one email and it would be done.
When we are told anything else - it just does not ring true. The council doesn't even seem able to grab an easy PR win when it slaps them in the face, let alone help ill people.
So what is the Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee Councillor Alexi Dimond saying?
In a nutshell, the council has been in touch with Firefly but their vehicles don't fit the rules for bus lanes or parking.
Aha, are we to assume from that statement that our council has no influence over the rules of bus lanes and no control over parking services?
Quite the admission from the local authority which not only takes all key decisions on both of those, but also all of the cash straight into their coffers.
So, if I understand this right and I am happy to be corrected, the Firefly vehicles don’t meet the council's own criteria and so the council can't help them.
Sheffielders with cancer sit in gridlock because the council won't change the rules that they made, or just make a tiny exception.
Even if services have been contracted out - and we all have our own views on how successful that has been - the council is still ultimately responsible. There is no getting away from it ... no matter what they say.
You may remember the row in 2023 when the Clean Air Zone threw the council's gas-guzzling Jaguar XJ Sovereign into the spotlight, if it were to cover all vehicles.
Well, I don't think any of us were in any doubt then that the council had the power to control its own fines then - from which they make millions and millions.
So where are chief executive Kate Joseph and council leader Fran Belbin when it comes to cancer patients battling to their radiotherapy and chemo treatments? How much of their time would it take to end this nonsense?
I would add the name of the Strategic Leadership Team responsible but, despite their huge salaries, the definitions of their roles are not clear enough for any normal Sheffielder to figure out who has responsibility for bus lanes.
It is time this council stepped up for its own city.
Do the right thing. Stop creating red tape and then trying to hide behind it. If simple things like allowing Firefly to use bus lanes can't be solved, what chance do we stand?
At The Star, we will continue to watch the handling of this example with great interest. The clock is ticking and the smokescreens aren't working.
In the meantime, I would encourage all of us to show our support for both Firefly and Weston Park. If you have time, they are always looking for volunteers. If you have a couple of pounds spare, they are always in need of donations.
Perhaps those at the Town Hall are too busy volunteering with charities like these to find time to sort the issues that matter so much to the folk whose lives they are supposed to make better. I won't hold my breath on that one.