Reading the same old woes

Who is in charge here, the Council, their appointed contractors (direct and sub), Sheffield business directors, or the people of Sheffield who these bodies are supposed to be working for? At the moment it seems the tails are wagging the dogs. We are told that trees are to be felled, bus times and routes are to be changed, the HS2 must have it’s stopping point in the centre of Sheffield, all without full and proper consultation with the people who will be the ones directly affected by these changes. The electorate is then left to gain support for opposing any of these changes through complaints and through petitions.

Where have the elected representatives of the electorate (the councillors) gone to? Somewhere, the hierarchy of decision making and authority to impose the decisions has got lost. Councillors are supposed to represent the Sheffield people, not themselves.

I implore Sheffield people to start asking their elected councillors why we now have these ongoing situations.

Like many Sheffielders I would like to know why my voice is not being heard and which councillors are responsible for agreeing to substantial changes to services or decisions made directly by contractors.

If the councillors involved do not represent what Sheffield people want, then they should be sacked and replaced by others that do want to represent us and these changes need to be made as soon as possible. Please note, I am a lifetime Labour supporter, but if necessary, I would now vote for an independent councillor if they were willing to listen and support my area.

The same goes for the contractors and business leaders. If they think they are in a position of strength that allows them to impose services that Sheffielders do not want, or make decisions without proper consultation, then they should go the same route and non-representative councillors. Sack them. After the latest and ongoing debacle with the changes to bus times and routes, I would be amazed to find that the bus companies involved were still employed by Sheffield Council once the present contracts run out. If they are, then, like many Sheffielders, I will be campaigning for an investigation. At present, I am not too sure what part the SYPTE plays in the decisions of contract appointment or support for service changes, but they too must also be held to account.

From now on, lets hold our councillors to account. I ask The Star to begin printing the names of the councillors sitting on committees and attending meetings where decisions regarding services may be changed, trees may be cut down or HS2 station location is discussed and agreed.

I know that I am fed up with reading the same headlines over and over again and I am sure that many other Sheffielders feel the same. Let’s get Sheffield back in the hands of Sheffield people.

Dennis Pinder