The 10 Sheffield councillors who are standing down before May 2 election

Bryan Lodge, who represents Birley for Sheffield Community Councillors, is a past chair of the finance committee, with key responsibilities for budget setting. He was beset by demands to resign over his central role in the street tree scandal when he was a Labour councillor.

Mr Lodge is one of eight long-standing Labour members to depart for the Community Councillors group after last year’s election. He had previously announced he was going at this election.

Peter Price held Shiregreen and Brightside for Labour for 52 years. He was recently suspended from the party whip in the council as part of an investigation over alleged anti-semitic tweets related to the Gaza conflict.

He apologised during his last full council meeting last month, saying that he had not intended to be anti-semitic but was horrified by what is happening to the people of Gaza.

Mr Price has been a prominent figure on the council for decades and has served as lord mayor and deputy council leader. He has also taken a keen interest in the city’s sporting life.

Controversial

Mazher Iqbal, who is standing down from Labour in Darnall, was first elected to the council in 2006. During his time as co-chair of the transport, regeneration and climate policy committee he got into a heated row with the Greens over the controversial south-west Sheffield bus corridor.

After businesses campaigned against possible no-parking red routes being introduced on London, Abbeydale and Ecclesall Roads, he said the idea was “off the table” before any decision had been voted on.

Colin Ross, outgoing Dore and Totley ward LibDem councillor, is Sheffield lord mayor. His role as first citizen takes him and lady mayoress, his wife Susan, out and about representing the city.

His predecessor as lord mayor, Sioned-Mair Richards, is also standing down. She represents Manor Park for Labour.

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During her mayoral year, she presented politician Richard Caborn with his Freedom of the City and presided over the twinning of the city with Khmelnytskyi in Ukraine.

She was also accused of censorship by pro-Palestine campaigners over her handling of a full council debate.

Problems

Ian Auckland has represented the ward of Graves Park for the LibDems for 28 years. He is well known for championing issues related to the city’s biggest park, such as the sale of Cobnar Cottage.

He recently chaired the council’s charity trustee sub-committee, which tackled the decision to save the Rose Garden Cafe at Graves Park and problems related to the Tramlines music festival at Hillsborough Park.

Socialist Sophie Wilson, who has represented Park and Arbourthorne ward since 2017, is stepping down as an Independent. She left the Labour Party in 2022.

Ms Wilson said on her departure from Labour: “I have seen the values of fairness and honesty traded for spineless political opportunism, as likely to pander to racism than it is to challenge it.”

Sheffield’s only current Conservative councillor Lewis Chinchen is stepping down from the Stocksbridge and Upper Don ward. He has worked alongside Conservative MP Miriam Cates in her Penistone and Stocksbridge constituency.

Bernard Little is leaving as a Green councillor for Walkley. A Green activist since 1977, he previously represented Central ward for the party.

Abtisam Mohamed stood down in Firth Park ward as she is Labour’s candidate in the general election in Sheffield Central, where current MP Paul Blomfield is retiring.