Sheffield civic leaders reveal their Christmas wish list for the city for the future

Council and police chiefs along with other community leaders were asked for their hopes for the Steel City for next year and beyond.

Here’s what they had to say.

Abi Thompson, Dean at Sheffield Cathedral

Seeing the great gathering of people along Fargate for the Christmas market has helped me remember what a vibrant place Sheffield is. I’m wishing that 2022 would be a year of real celebration for this city. A time to emerge from all that has been so difficult and frightening over the past few years, and laugh and celebrate and enjoy all that Sheffield has to offer. I’m praying that new ideas and projects would help to revive the places in Sheffield that have suffered during the pandemic. There needs to be opportunities for people to have space to reflect on all that has happened as well – I hope Sheffield Cathedral will be a place of sanctuary for those who need some space to think...

Matthew Wakefield - Chief Executive Officer of the Emergency Services Museum

My Christmas wish for Sheffield would be for the City to become a well visited tourist destination following on from this past year. Sheffield should be recognised more for being a tourist destination and be proud of itself. Sheffield has a good number of museums, galleries and visitor attractions along with its vast open green spaces, the current developments around the West Bar area of Sheffield should see this side of the City revived and thrive as it once did.

Patrick Maleady, manager of Pitsmoor Adventure Playground

For 2022, I wish for Sheffield and its people and institutions, to go from strength to strength in every area. I wish for peace of mind, heart and spirit for all residents-old and new-who have faced, heartbreak, sickness, trauma and loss. I hope that Sheffield will be properly funded by Central Government, in order to alleviate the stresses and accruing debt being foisted upon our Council from the years of Government underfunding of the North and for play services and youth provisions to be fully funded I wish that the prevailing generosity, goodwill and kindness of Sheffield people will prevail.

Professor Aimee Ambrose, professor of energy policy at Sheffield Hallam University.

I hope that in 2022 we can find more time for the nature that sustained us and gave us hope at the height of the pandemic. We’re in a dual crisis- a climate and nature emergency, both of which threaten our future. I wish for our city to stand out as a city taking a stand against climate change and as a city famous for its green spaces and for being welcoming, that we can find ways to share our home with the natural world. I wish for more wildflower planting, more bird and bat boxes, bee bricks and insect hotels in existing and new building. I wish for more people to let their gardens go a bit wild and find beauty in the unkempt beauty and the abundance of wildlife it attracts.

Angela Foulkes, Chief Executive and Principal, The Sheffield College

That the Government Levelling Up Fund really benefits the city, encourages people to visit Sheffield and improves the everyday life of our local communities.

As the Chief Executive and Principal of The Sheffield College, I welcome the increased focus on skills and on further education in the current Skills and Post-16 Education Bill but would encourage further changes to the funding systems. Specifically, we need parity of funding so that we can sustain our work and we need three-year funding agreements so that we can plan our future and we are not having to be as reactive.

Alan Billings, South Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner

In 2022 we shall start to see more police officers on the streets than in the recent past. The government is putting back those it cut and I am adding a further 220.

We now have a real chance to get on top of anti-social behaviour and serious crime - especially that associated with drug dealing gangs - and to reduce the violence against women and girls.

“I also want to see more positive activities for young people in the evenings and at weekends to keep them away from criminality. So my wish for 2022 is: Crime down, feeling safe up.

Louisa Harrison-Walker, executive director of Sheffield Chamber.

For Sheffield to celebrate and shout louder about the world class organisations and institutions that are based here. Sheffield is a name known around the world for its high quality products, but so much of what we do, the services we provide and the assets we have here fly under the radar. Now people are reflecting on what it means to be able to work flexibly from anywhere, we have a huge opportunity to attract talent and investment to our region. We all know our City with a national park in its borders is so special and unique - they don’t call us the greenest city in the UK for nothing, the opportunity for Sheffield right now is huge so my wish is to see it maximized.