Cost of holding Sheffield Council meetings at Ponds Forge hits nearly £43,000

The local authority decided to use the leisure centre, run by Sheffield City Trust, for the monthly meeting – which brings together all 84 councillors, officers and members of the public – so attendees could do social distancing.

All council meetings were held online during the Covid-19 pandemic but the Government forced councils to return to in-person meetings in spring.

While other council meetings have been able to take place in the Town Hall, all four full council meetings since May have been held at Ponds Forge and each one has cost between £9,329 and £12,542.

The council – which is the main funder of Sheffield City Trust – still has no estimate for when the meetings will return to the Town Hall.

A spokesperson for the council confirmed that the location of future meetings was being reviewed and an update will be provided as soon as any changes are agreed.

The authority considered Sheffield City Hall, Hallam University, Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United football grounds, St Mary’s Church, the Salvation Army, the English Institute of Sport and the Quaker Meeting House but said they were unsuitable.

It said to accommodate 100 people who would be social distancing at two meters it would need 1000m2 of space and City Hall, for example, could only accommodate 54 people.

The costs include hire of the sports hall, skyline suite and meeting room; sports hall bleacher seating; carpeting for the sports hall; three black drapes for walls; hire of tables, chairs and linen; venue staffing to set-up and take down; five stewards / security; provision of three-phase power and hard wired internet; cameras and stage hire; and webcasting set up.

Speaking on the issue earlier this year, council leader Terry Fox said Ponds Forge was “without question” the most suitable venue.

He said: “Our priority has been to continue holding our meetings in the safest possible way, while retaining transparency and making sure we can move forward with decisions for the benefit of everyone in the city, and this has been crucial throughout the pandemic.”