Don't vote for them

Around 2014 I put my views on the Sheffield Council in a letter to The Star and I suggested that if you weren't happy with the council, you should change your vote. It seemed to make more sense than writing to The Star every week and complaining.
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I changed my vote and as a result, I feel fully justified in continuing to complain about the council.

Let’s also do away with the myth that we live in a democracy. Our councillors are a bit like successive governments. They reel us in with their promises and once in, democracy goes out of the window and they just do what they want.

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I have been prompted by two recent letters in The Star from people on Shiregreen complaining about the mess, and the letter from Susan Richardson about where she lives in Lodge Moor.

I have often complained about the illegal parking around my local school and the problems that it causes to residents.

The area has more rubbish on the streets than a council rubbish tip. Even the litter-strewn grounds of the school are an eyesore. The school was recently closed for two weeks, you would think someone would have cleared up the mess in the school grounds.

Do you think it is the residents, who have to live with the mess, who are dropping all this litter? The whole area I live in at times looks like someone’s emptied a bin lorry on the verges, or what’s left of them. If you live in one of the nicer, quieter, parts of Shiregreen, then you are lucky.

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I once called them back streets because they were away from the main roads. Coun Peter Price admonished me in The Star and said they were “B” roads.

I would have been more impressed if he had done something about the mess. If you are not happy with the service from the council, for the money you are paying in council tax, do what I did and don’t vote for them.

S Collins

Sheffield, S5

Spotless Fir Vale?

I was very interested to read the comments of Mark Parry, environmental enforcement manager at Sheffield Council, regarding the dropping of litter in Weston Park.

Mr Parry was quoted as saying people dropping litter will be fined £80, which will soon rise to £100.

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Could I please point him and his team in the direction of Fir Vale.

I drive through the area going to, and returning from work, and litter is strewn across pavements at all times.

I am sure Sheffield council could ‘clean up’ with their fine system, and with the amount of litter dropped there, it might even bring the council tax down.

Looking forward to seeing a spotless Fir Vale in future.

David Green

Elm Lane, Sheffield, S5

Roads are looking good

I should like to say thank you for the beautifully newly resurfaced roads around Crookes.

They look good and feel great to drive and walk on.

Rosemary Anderson

Aldred Road, Crookes, S10

Get some fire in your belly

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As suspected, I note the EU ‘bully boys’ are still at it. All the latest UK offered Northern Irish/Republican border issues are being cast aside as being unworkable.

Who says they won’t work? None other than Frenchman Barnier and his team. How do they know without trying? Pity he and they weren’t around in 1939. They used to say Everest couldn’t be conquered, but it was.

My God, they must be really, really desperate for our cash. I’ve said it before, whatever offers the UK makes, all will be thrown in the long grass eventually.

It’s now either time to get some ‘fire in your belly’, Mrs May, and walk away from these corrupt ‘bully boys’ or get someone in like Jacob Rees-Mogg to do the job, someone who would do it “at a stroke”. Then watch who comes bleating.

Terry Palmer

South Lea Avenue, Hoyland, Barnsley, S74

We are able to remove them

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The Sheffield local council electorate can be forgiven for not having a crystal ball with which to identify future actions of the majority SCC Labour party councillors before they voted them into office at the last elections.

Was there any mention in their local pre-election manifesto of the mass felling of a reported 17,000 trees, both healthy and diseased, being done allegedly on behalf of, and for the good of the local community?

SCC can be likened to the 3 Ds – please take your pick.

Demagogue – SCC Labour controlled council can hardly be likened to this definition, as it means a political leader who wins support by appealing to popular feelings – hardly the case in the tree- felling saga.

Democrat – a person/leader favouring government by all of the people, usually through elected representatives. SCC Labour councillors cannot be likened to this as they were elected by their local constituents to represent their best interests, and also those of all non-Labour voters in the elections.

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In reality, these councillors are following their own agenda and have adopted an intransigent stance over their contrived tree “preservation” and felling policy.

In spite of growing concerns among their electorate and adverse local and national media coverage which can be perceived by many people to be bringing the city of Sheffield into disrepute and ridicule – our elected Labour councillors continue their self-imposed decimation of Sheffield’s greenery.

Dictator – a ruler with unrestricted authority, a domineering person. SCC Labour councillors certainly qualify for this category.

The South Yorkshire Police Force has been drawn into this controversy in order to keep the peace. As the Chief Constable rightly said, they should not have to be getting involved in an issue which can and should be capable of resolution between the citizens of Sheffield and their elected councillors.

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I suggest that SCC and individual councillors would regain the respect and confidence of their electorate, if they could have handled this matter in a better way – by all means cull diseased and dying trees but leave the healthy ones alone.

They should remember that the people elected them into office and they can remove them just as easily – it will not take too many lost seats for Labour to lose overall control of the council – and enable a possible Green/Lib Dem coalition to present a change of tree preservation/felling policy to the people of Sheffield.

Cyril Olsen

Busk Meadow, Sheffield, S5