New Sheffield councillors take up their seats following May 2 elections

Sheffield City Council election returning officer Kate Josephs announcing the Firth Park ward result on May 3, 2024, when two seats were up for election. The successful Labour candidates on the right of the picture are Nikki Belfield and Fran Belbin. Picture: Julia Armstrong, LDRS

New members of Sheffield City Council have been introduced to the council’s annual meeting following the May 2 elections.

Twelve new members were introduced to the annual meeting, chaired by incoming Lord Mayor Coun Jayne Dunn, yesterday, May 15. All were announced by members of their own party, apart from new Darnall Independent member Coun Qais Al-Ahdal, who was presented by Green Party member Coun Maroof Raouf.

The others are:

Rebecca Atkinson, Liberal Democrat, Dore and Totley ward;

Independent Qais Al-Ahdal, who won the Darnall ward from Labour in the May 2024 Sheffield City Council elections, listening as returning officer Kate Josephs declares the result at the English Institute of Sport. Picture: Julia Armstrong, LDRS

Rob Bannister, Labour, Graves Park;

Nikki Belfield, Labour and Co-operative, Firth Park;

Elle Dodd, Labour and Co-operative, Manor Castle;

Mia Drazaic, Labour, Park and Arbourthorne;

Peter Gilbert, who won Ecclesall ward for the Green Party at the Sheffield City Council May 2024 elections. Picture: Julia Armstrong, LDRS

Matthew Dwyer, Labour, Birley;

Peter Gilbert, Green Party, Ecclesall;

Mark Rusling, Labour and Co-operative, Shiregreen and Brightside;

Gareth Slater, Labour, Southey;

Mark Whittaker, Labour, Stocksbridge and Upper Don;

John Wright, Labour and Co-operative, Walkley.

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The 84-member council remains under no overall control following the election, when 29 seats were contested. One-third of seats were contested as usual and there was also a casual vacancy in Firth Park.

Labour, who now have 36 seats, the next biggest party the LibDems, who have 27 councillors, and the Green Party, with 14, are continuing to run the authority on a cooperative basis.

Key roles and seats on all committees and outside bodies are allocated to parties on a proportional basis. Labour will chair four committees, Liberal Democrats three and the Green Party two.

The Sheffield Community Councillors group, who broke away from Labour following the elections last May, now have six members and there is one Independent.