"Failed to stand up for Sheffield": Greens hit back after Labour confirms plans to "destroy" joint council leadership
Ending the Labour-Green leadership because of “top down demands from London” is a “really troubling attack on local democracy,” Sheffield Green councillors say
Sheffield’s Green councillor group have responded to Labour’s plans to "rip up" the joint leadership of Sheffield Council, calling it an "attack on local democracy."
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The leader of Sheffield City Council Fran Belbin confirmed she will propose a Labour minority administration at a full council meeting this Wednesday (November 4).
This follows Sheffield Greens standing by their party's motion that defines Zionism as Racism and promotes a one-state solution in Israel-Palestine, approved at the Green party conference a month ago.
A spokesperson for the local Green councillors said: “It is so sad to hear that Sheffield Labour have failed to stand up for Sheffield."
They claim Sheffield Labour are throwing away the joint working agreement because of top-down demands from London.
"Labour’s ultimatum was never really about the conduct of Green councillors in Sheffield, who are wholeheartedly committed to this city.
"It came from Labour HQ in London and is a really troubling attack on local democracy.
"Local people have just been used as pawns in a cynical political game being played by Labour at a national level."
Representing the 19 Green councillors in Sheffield, the spokesperson said: "We have offered to work through this. We are willing to keep talking and, from our perspective, the door remains open.
"It seems clear, however, that the decision about Sheffield Council was not a decision the Sheffield Labour Leader was allowed to make in the interests of Sheffield residents.
Sheffield Green councillors said that during the joint leadership they have "put their responsibilities to the people of Sheffield first," despite disagreeing with Labour.
They said: "Over the last few years, we have disagreed with many Labour policies, such as cutting vital support for disabled people and pensioners, their acts of climate vandalism and obsession with fossil fuels and airports, cutting funding for warm homes, arming Israel’s genocide in Gaza and jailing people for supporting Palestinians by protesting peacefully."
On the idea of creating a minority administration, the Greens said Labour has "a very weak mandate to run the council alone."
"Greens won more votes than any other party in Sheffield this May – with 47,886 people voting for a Green councillor.
"Labour, by contrast, did very badly; they lost 13 seats, and only narrowly defended 3 of their seats up for election.
Sheffield Greens confirmed where they stand on the motion and said: "We do not, and will not, conflate Zionism with Judaism, or anti-Zionism with antisemitism.
"We are an anti-racist party and we stand with all of Sheffield’s communities, as we always have.
"We will continue to speak up for Palestinians and against Labour’s complicity in the genocide.
"Labour owns the consequences and they alone will have to explain to the people of Sheffield why they’ve put party politics over local residents."