Manor Castle Green Party

New home!

2010-04-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

This blog is moving!
You can now find it at
http://manorcastlegreens.sheffieldgreenparty.org.uk/

Meet your Parliamentary Candidates

2010-04-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

If you want to ask your General Election candidates a question you will have an opportunity on Tuesday 27th April at St Mark's Broomhill (7 for 7.30pm). Jillian Creasy will be speaking for the Greens and I believe all the other candidates have been invited. There are lots of other hustings- (see the calendar on Sheffield Green Party website) but this is the only one I know of where all the Sheffield Central Candidates will be involved.

In all my years as standing in the local elections (and I have stood in every one since 1994-see all the results here) I have never been invited to debate with my fellow candidates to give people the opportunity to decide who they should vote for. Surely there is an organisation in Manor Castle Ward that could host a debate? Churches, mosques, societies etc need to get involved with democracy and quiz the would be councillors about their policies. This year I will be standing against the former leader of Sheffield Council Jan Wilson. I know Jan is a hard working local counsellor, for whom I have a lot of respect- but I do have fundamental differences with her on policies, and the people of Manor Castle should be able to understand those differences before they cast their vote.The two big parties are currently bombarding us with General Election leaflets, but very few of them contain any policies! The Green Party can't afford to compete with that volume- we just don't have the finance. But the literature we do give out will contain our policies so that you know what you are voting for, and it will also be easily found on our website.

So if you are involved with a local religious group or community organisation, why not organise a hustings? You will need to act quickly though as there are only 27 days to go before the election!

2010-04-06T02:07:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/clean-up-lobbying

I've just emailed my prospective parliamentary candidates to demand that they supports real transparency in lobbying to help clean up politics and asking them to sign Sheffield Green Party's Clean Campaign Pledge.

Whether it's tobacco advertising, arms deals, GM food, or airport expansion, companies pay people to try to influence government. We've got a right to know what they're doing, especially when its our prospective MPs who are working as lobbyists.

Please email your candidates now and ask them to commit to lobbying transparancy, it only takes two minutes: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/clean-up-lobbying

Election campaign begins...

2010-04-04T14:52:00.001-07:00

Sorry I have been so quiet lately. I have been getting http://sheffieldgreenparty.org.uk ready for the election. I am pleased to say it's nearly ready. Please have a look and give Sam and I some feedback. All we need now is for Gordon Brown to give us a date! I have also been officially accepted as the local election candidate for Manor Castle Ward. We know this election is on May 6th which is why everyone thinks Gordon Brown will call the General Election on the same day. So you are likely to have 2 votes on May 6th. Please vote for Jillian Creasy in the General Election and Graham Wroe in the local election.

If you would like to help with the election campaign there are many different ways you can do this- here are a few ideas.
*Join the Facebook group and tell all your friends about us.
*Put up a poster- you can print one off here or contact me for a ready printed one.
*Make a donation to help us compete with the massive resources of the 3 main parties.
*Volunteer to leaflet your street or area- contact me very soon if you would like to do this.
*Help us canvass- we are constantly out and about knocking on peoples doors, talking to them about problems in their area and asking them to vote Green. If you are interested in doing this we can give you "on the job" training, and you can work with an experienced canvasser until you feel confident to have a go by yourself.
But probably the best way you can help is to talk to your friends and neighbours about why you are voting Green. Help us to overcome our stereotype of being a "single issue party" and tell people "I'm voting Green because I don't want the creeping privatisation of the NHS to continue" or "I'm voting Green because I want our troops brought home as soon as possible" or "I'm voting Green because we need to create a million new jobs to build a sustainable future".

Sheffield City College is now graced with 3 wind turbines, to go with the pv solar panels on the tower that have been working for a while. The next stage of the development is now underway with the demolition of D and E blocks and the old bridge across Granville Road, that will create space for the landscaping and new pond. Further details about the new building here.

Conference highlight

2010-03-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

Apart from my emergency motion, which was passed unanimously,this speech was one of my highlights of conference.

Here is the text of my Emergency Motion on the Yarlswood hunger strike, which is still continuing.

This conference notes the on going hunger strike at Yarlswood Detention Centre and the demands of the hunger strikers, including

*Access to appropriate medical treatment.
*an end the detention of children and their mothers, rape survivors and other torture victims,
*an end to the detention of physically, mentally sick people and pregnant women.
*an end to the separation of children from their mothers.

This conference is appalled at the way the hunger strikers have been treated, being locked outside without outdoor clothing, and in corridors without toilet facilities. Some women have been beaten by the guards.

This conference calls on for the immediate release of the Yarlswood 4 (Aminata Camara from Guinea, Sheree Wilson from Jamaica, Shellyann Stupart from Jamaica, Gladys Obiyan from Nigeria), who have been put in prison even though no charges have been made against them.

This Conference resolves to send a message of support to WomenBehindTheWire@ncadc.org.uk and a copy of this motion to the Rt Hon Phil Woolas Minister of State for Borders and Immigration.

Here is a little more background to this if you haven't seen it in the press.

Aminata, Sheree, Shellyann, and Gladys, were resident in Yarl's Wood IRC on Monday 8th Feb, when an absolute and unwarranted response to a peaceful hunger strike by Serco staff, led to eight hours of chaos. Many of the detainees were injured, Aminata, Sheree, Shellyann, and Gladys, were removed from association and transferred to Bedford police station, where they remained overnight. They were then transferred to Colnbrook STHC, where they were this morning.

Gladys Obiyan, alleges that in the police station on Tuesday morning, when they were about to be moved, the police roughed her up.

At 01:15 this morning they were told they were being moved to prison, HMP Holloway and HMP Bronzefield, when they asked why they could not be returned to the detention estate, they were told there were no bed spaces available, this is blatantly untrue. women in Yarl's Wood this morning confirmed there were plenty of empty bed spaces.

All the women are deeply disturbed at the prospect of being put in prison.

None of the women have been charged with any offences or were in any way involved in any actions at Yarl's Wood that were other than peaceful.

UK citizens cannot be remanded to prison, except they have been brought before a judge and the judge orders it so.

Aminata, Sheree, Shellyann, and Gladys, have not and will not be brought before a judge, they are being remanded to prison on the whim of Phil Woolas MP
Minister of State for Borders and Immigration.

What You Can do to Help:
The detained women are asking you to Email/fax/phone/write Phil Woolas MP, requesting that Aminata, Sheree, Shellyann, and Gladys, are returned to Yarl's Wood immediately or released into the community. Download model letter , which you can copy/amend/write your own version, there are no Home Office reference numbers available as the women were moved from Yarl's Wood, with out their belongings.

Rt. Hon Phil Woolas MP
Minister of State Borders and Immigration
3rd Floor, Peel Buildings, 2 Marsham St
London SW1 4DF
Telephone: 020 7035 0195
Fax: 0870 336 9034
Email: Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Emails: UKBApublicenquiries@UKBA.gsi.gov.uk
CITTO@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Please let the campaign know of faxes/emails sent:
WomenBehindTheWire@ncadc.org.uk

Why you should vote Green!

2010-03-03T14:19:00.000-08:00

New video from Caroline Lucas-enjoy.

EMT at it again

2010-02-08T11:52:00.000-08:00

East Midland Trains are continuing to upset and bully the people of Sheffield with their ridiculous tactics of denying people access to the bridge across the station. They seem determined to alienate as many people as possible.

Following article is on page 2 of tonight's Sheffield Star.

08 February 2010

By Nick Ward

FURIOUS campaigners have slammed railway bosses for stopping people without tickets crossing the Sheffield station footbridge.

The move, on Friday evening, comes just months after campaigners won their fight against an application to install ticket barriers to stop anyone without a ticket using the bridge.

Stagecoach, which owns East Midlands Trains, applied to install barriers to improve security and stop fare dodging but faced a massive protest when the plans were announced in 2008.

Sheffield Council's planning board rejected the scheme in November.

Protesters were angry the barriers would prevent residents from using the station footbridge as a route between the city centre and Norfolk Park.

Members of campaign group Residents Against Station Closure say they are furious after the bridge was closed to anyone without a ticket on Friday evening.

Protester Graham Wroe said: "The six members of a city planning board unanimously voted to reject the scheme after receiving nearly 1,250 objections - and slammed the station operator for pursuing the plans despite such overwhelming opposition.

"But now EMT are continuing to disrupt pedestrians journeys, forcing people to use the unlit and dangerous covered bridge which has no disabled access, or take an extremely long detour to get round.

"On some previous occasions when EMT have carried out ticket checks they have issued pedestrians with tickets to enable them to cross the bridge. On this occasion they failed to do this and forced everybody to walk round.

"We are calling a meeting of Residents Against Station Closure on Monday February 15 at 7pm at Victoria Methodist Church, Stafford Road, to discuss our response."

Fellow campaigner Mark Halsey has written to East Midlands Trains saying: "I wish to complain at being stopped on the footbridge at Sheffield station this evening.

"This is despite the fact that Sheffield City Council, when you applied to install barriers, made it clear that while you are entitled to run a penalty fare scheme, this only applies to the platforms on which your trains operate and that you can at no time prevent pedestrians from using the footbridge over the station.

"I would like an explanation as to why your staff and company think that the civil law doesn't apply to them."

East Midlands Trains said the ticket checks were part of an ongoing plan to prevent people trying to travel without a ticket and have been carried out for a number of months at Sheffield station. These ticket checks are also carried out in other stations across the East Midlands Trains network.

Loads of good comments on the website
http://www.thestar.co.uk/headlines/Outrage-as-residents-hit-by.6051230.jp
and a very supportive editorial
Don't alienate Sheffield folk.
EAST Midlands Trains are right to be concerned over fare dodgers, who deprive the company of vital revenue which, in turn, threatens its role as employer to thousands of people. But it is not acceptable that their campaign to stop people travelling without a ticket should result in pedestrians being prevented from using a footbridge at Sheffield railway station, which is what happened the other evening when the rail company ..carried out a ticket check operation.
An application for ticket barriers at either end of the footbridge, in effect restricting its use only to train passengers, has already been thrown out by Sheffield City Council, which felt the apparatus was out of keeping with the character of the railway station.
In reality, though, this decision would have been driven equally by sympathy for the campaign against the loss of the footbridge to general use.
For the rail company to unilaterally close off a well used and much appreciated thoroughfare which not only links a major part of Sheffield with the city centre but also joins Hallam University with its bespoke tram stop, is to ignore the feelings of the public at large. The irony is that they no doubt sympathise with the company in its plight against fare dodgers.
We would appeal to them to find an alternative way to achieve their goal without alienating Sheffield people.

British Human Rights under threat

2010-01-19T14:52:00.000-08:00

I was pleased to find this clip from an excellent panel at the Brighton Conference last year. It's a shame it doesn't include my question at the end about the way we treat asylum seekers in this country. Am now looking forward to going to London in February, the last Green conference before the General Election!

Greens can win!

2010-01-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

Very encouraging article in today's Independent, showing that the Greens are now favourites to win Brighton Pavillion at the next General Election.

"The Green Party is on course to make a historic electoral breakthrough by winning the Labour-held seat of Brighton Pavilion at the forthcoming general election. A poll of voting intentions carried out by ICM Research shows that the Greens, who had their best-ever result in the constituency in 2005, hold an eight-point lead over their nearest rivals, the Conservatives, with the Greens on 35 per cent, the Tories on 27, Labour on 25 and the Liberal Democrats on 11 per cent."

Having worked hard to get the Green Party electable for 3 decades, I will be overjoyed to see Geen MP's in Westminster! Go for it Brighton!

Snow people against Climate Change!

2010-01-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

How do I stop the pesky squirrel stealing the birds nuts?

Gaza and Veolia

2010-01-03T13:09:00.000-08:00

I have just sent the following letter to Paul Scriven, leader of Sheffield City Council. It will be interesting to see the response...I will keep you informed.

Dear Mr Scriven,

Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip killed 1,300 people (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=82769&sectionid=351020202). Israel has admitted that it illegally used white phosphorous during its assault and Professor Richard Falk said the Israeli Defence Force's actions 'warrant the characterisation of a crime against humanity’ (Guardian, 3.1.09, p.28). I am very pleased that the Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg, has said that the Prime Minister 'must condemn unambiguously Israel's tactics' and 'halt Britain's arms exports to Israel'.

At a local level, I understand that the council has set up a cross-party working group to look into the conflict in Gaza and the broader issue of illegal occupation in Gaza and the West Bank. I encourage you to adopt a robust stance in condemnation of Israel's actions.

Veolia have a stake in the Jerusalem Light Rail Project (JLRT) which will link the city to illegal Israeli settlements 'such as Pisgat Ze'ev, French Hill, Neve Ya'akov and Gilo in occupied east Jerusalem. Once built, the rail system will help to cement Israel's hold on occupied east Jerusalem and tie the settlements even more firmly into the State of Israel.’ (From http://www.bigcampaign.org/index.php?page=veolia). Veolia state that ‘legal assessment has proved that this will involve no abusive expropriation’ and that a Veolia-commissioned opinion poll 'demonstrates that a large majority of the local Palestinian population support the project' (Jean-Dominique Mallet, CEO, Veolia Environmental Services UK). It therefore seems strange that the Palestinian Authority has taken Veolia to court in France, that Mahmoud Abbas asked the former French President to intervene in the matter and that Dutch bank ASN disinvested from Veolia over its part in the JLRT.

I am sure Sheffield's ratepayers would be horrified to learn that their taxes support a firm involved in contravening human rights and international law (Mr Mallet concedes that areas served by the JLRT 'are considered by the international community as "illegal settlements"'). I therefore urge you to insist Veolia disinvest from the project or face losing their contract in Sheffield.

Thank you very much for your time, I look forward to your reply,

Yours Sincerely

Graham Wroe

Seasons Greetings from the Border Agency

2009-12-15T13:38:00.000-08:00

This card gets my vote for the most inappropriate of the season- unless you dear readers, can show me something worse! I wonder if anyone at the Borders Agency realises that the baby Jesus was a refugee, fleeing from the murdering dictator Herod. The line that really gets me is "We have a tougher enforcement regime within the UK deporting a record number of foreign National prisoners". If Mary, Joseph and Jesus came to seek sanctuary today they would most likely be locked up in Yarlswood for several months and then booted back to Palestine. Talking of Yarlswood, last week Santa tried to deliver presents to the many children that are currently locked up there. Instead of going down the chimney he rang in advance and knocked on the front door. Unfortunately they would not let him in, and called the police instead as they thought Santa was a security risk! Read the full story here. So here's wishing everybody at the Border Agency a very happy Christmas, and hoping that some of this "peace and goodwill to all" may be catching.

Does the Penalty Fares Scheme mean we can't use the Footbridge?..........NO!

2009-12-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

The next RASC meeting is this Monday 7.12.09 at 7pm at Victoria Methodist Church, Stafford Road. Please see below for a round up of the press coverage and interesting article on the new Penalty Fares Scheme.

Does the Penalty Fares Scheme mean we can't use the Footbridge?..........NO!

The Penalty Fares Scheme which will come into effect at Sheffield Station on 7th December will allow Ticket Inspectors to charge a penalty fare to passengers travelling on or alighting from trains operated by East Midlands Trains. The other Operators at the station, Northern Rail, Cross Country Trains and First Trans Pennine Group, are not involved in this scheme.

Ticket Inspectors are able to check tickets of passengers travelling on trains operated by other companies but they cannot charge them a penalty fare.

EMT cannot use this scheme to block access to the footbridge for people passing through the station as, in the Department for Transport Regulations (4.10) on Penalty Fare Schemes , people are only required to have a ticket if they are in a Compulsory Ticket Area. (CTA) There are no CTAs at Sheffield Station and in an email response to a recent enquiry, East Midlands Trains confirmed " No stations within the East Midlands scheme will be designated a CTA"

RASC members will be monitoring what happens at the station during rush hours when this new scheme is introduced. Do continue to inform us if EMT make your passage across the bridge difficult.

Star Poll.

77% thought the "Councillors were right to throw out the ticket barrier plans". 23% thought they were wrong.

Victory!

2009-11-23T13:57:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't yet heard the news, the Planning Board today unanimously rejected East Midlands Trains proposal to install barriers at the station. Further more , EMT were advised that they shouldn't bother appealing against this decision. I think a celebratory drink is in order! Thank you everyone who has played a part in this campaign.Together we have won a victory for common sense and ordinary Sheffielders over the money grabbing corporate interests of EMT who want to privatise our public space.

We have won this battle, but the war may not be over. EMT are threatening to continue with the "human barriers". RASC will not stop campaigning until EMT stop preventing people from crossing the bridge. The next meeting of RASC will be at Victoria Methodist Church, Stafford Road, on Monday December 7th at 7pm. Hope to see you there.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/8374527.stm

Planning Board Meeting

2009-11-14T15:01:00.000-08:00

The Planning Board will be meeting on Monday November 23rd at 2pm to discuss East Midlands Trains plans to install barriers at the station and prevent pedestrians walking through.Residents Against Station Closure will be meeting outside at 1.15pm. Please bring banners and anything that will make a loud noise.There will be speeches from many of the key objectors to the plans, and you can then attend the meeting and support our speakers. The Council officers have recommended rejecting EMT's proposals- you can see the documents regarding this here.
http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/council-meetings/planningboards/citycentresouthandeast/agendas-2009/agenda-23rd-november-2009

However, this means we have won a battle, not the war! We have to keep the pressure on to ensure we keep our safe accessible route to the city centre.

Support the Survival Pact

2009-11-14T14:58:00.000-08:00

President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives recently said that a weak deal at the climate change talks in Copenhagen next month could mean the end of his country. Literal extinction for an entire nation.

Climate change is causing the seas to rise and cover his islands -- in Africa, Southeast Asia and elsewhere in the world, it's threatening the survival of whole nations, cities, and villages. Please support President Nasheed and people in the most vulnerable countries around the world by signing the Survival Pact.

I signed -- will you?

Click here: http://350.org/survival-pact

Copenhagen Kids

2009-10-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

This video speaks for itself! Thank you Not Stupid!

UKIP and BNP deny climate change

2009-10-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

Credit where credit is due- am very pleased to see my MEP Linda McAvan standing up to the absolute nonsense preached by Geoffrey Bloom of UKIP and Nick Griffin of the BNP in the Euro Parliament.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2lLbAeDEdo&NR=1
See what Jim Jay said about it here
http://jimjay.blogspot.com/

Rasc Objection

2009-10-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

Here is the objection to the barriers sent on behalf of Residents against station closure. Although the deadline has now been reached you can still send your own objection. We still await the date of the Planning Board, when we want as many people as possible to come and demonstrate outside and then attend the meeting. There have been some great objections, and if you've got several days to spare you can read them all on the Council website- there are well over 1000. Noteable ones are from SYPTE, Sheffield College, Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind, Sheffield Pensioners Action Group, Civic Trust, Howells Solicitors, Equal Rights, Manor and Castle Development Trust, Friends of Sheaf Valley Park, Victoria Methodist Church, all the Sheffield MP's and leaders of political parties on the Council. With this sort of opposition I don't see how the application can be passed. Bring on the Planning Board!

Residents Against Station Closure (RASC)/ Objection to Application 09/02887/LBC .
East Midlands Trains Application to erect barriers and associated equipment at Sheffield Station 18.10.09.

Introduction
Residents Against Station Closure (RASC), is a Sheffield residents and citizens campaign with wide representation and involvement of individuals and organisations across our city.
It was set up in May 2008 to fight East Midlands Trains plan to close the footbridge by installing barriers at the front and rear of Sheffield station.
Since then there has been a popular and unanimous objection to the loss of access and more than 4000 people have signed petitions voicing their opposition.
We emphasise that we are in favour of people paying for travelling on the railways and are against fare evasion. But we argue in the case of Sheffield there are more appropriate ways of achieving this objective.
One standard solution does not fit all situations, especially when in our case barriers would be at either end of a bridge that is not only used by rail passengers but by large numbers of the general public , moving between the city centre, the Super Tram and the communities around the station.

Our grounds for objection are:
1“Improvements”
· East Midlands Trains argue in their application that, 3.0 “The main thrust behind the project is the T.O.C.s desire to improve the existing booking hall and ticketing facilities”. They also say, “The works…… have been design(ed) to …..reflect the historic character of the existing building”.
· We would argue that far from improving the booking hall and the character of the building, their proposals would have a significant negative impact by introducing barriers, screens, video and other materials that would detract from the fabric and nature of the building.
· Their proposals would also have a serious adverse impact on space and circulation within the building, especially the main concourse area. These affects would detract from the everyday use and appreciation of the building by large numbers of people. This is particularly important given that the sympathetic reshaping at Sheffield by The City Council, Network rail and SYPTE, has been on the basis of it being an open station, in the spirit of many major station hubs in Europe.

2.An inaccurate and misleading application
· The application is factually incorrect and misleading. Their description of the “Existing Situation” covered under section 2 of their application stops at 1956. It therefore disregards the major environmental improvements which were implemented at massive public expense and with the full cooperation of Midland Mainline, the previous operators at the station. (See Note 1)
· In section 3.0 in their application, they state’ “E.M.T. also have an obligation to install ATGs, at Sheffield Station under their franchise agreement” This is not the case. The Franchise document allows them the option to meet their obligation to revenue protection at Derby, St Pancras and Sheffield stations, if they
a) Operate staffed ticket barriers at those locations during the Peak, or
b) provide reasonable additional revenue protection measures on trains serving those stations *(note 2)
They were asked by the Working Group in November 2008, given the hugely detrimental affect of their proposal on the City, to assess alternative approaches to revenue protection. They refused to do so.

· Also in section 3 - page 7, Pedestrian Access, they state, “ Lift access is available via a subway further down the platforms” No such subway exists at Sheffield Station.
· Fig. 4 page 4 and Fig.5 page 5 both say they are, “View taken from stairwell to platforms”. They are not. They are views from the stair well to the main concourse.
We believe much of this application has been created by individuals who have had little or no contact with Sheffield. It lacks any sense of ‘local knowledge”. The resulting scheme is insensitive to Sheffield’s station and unique situation, and consequently lacks credibility.
In our view such errors underline the lack of seriousness with which this application has been made, such that it calls into question their whole case and if for no other reason, justifies rejection of their application on the basis of it being incorrect.

3. “Consultation”
East Midlands Trains claim to have consulted a range of groups and organisations about their intentions and plans.
The Oxford Dictionary definition of Consultation is "seek information or advice from someone, seek permission or approval"
All groups listed in the application as “consultees”, with the exception of Supertram, which is a sister company to EMT, as it is part of STAGECOACH group, have rejected the proposal.
· Sheffield City Council has had 3 unanimous votes in Full Council opposing the plan
· SYPTE, Transport 4 All, and the Access Liaison Group have all lodged objections on the website
· The Chief Executive of Passenger Focus, the national consultative body said in Rail Pro magazine January 2009. “Clearly it is not going to work in Sheffield and they should just drop it, get it out of the franchise. It was daft”
· Passenger Focus also wrote to EMT in December 2008 commenting....
“ In the specific case of Sheffield, we remain concerned that the installation of
ticket gates on the overbridge will impede the flow of passengers between the
tram stop and the bus interchange and City Centre.” Paul Fullwood Passenger
Link Manager

· RASC has repeatedly rejected the EMT plan and when the Customer Services Director of EMT attended an Area Panel meeting on 3rd June 2008 he was faced with 100 angry residents, the minutes confirm he was left in no doubt that residents do not want the footbridge to close but none the less, resident groups are still quoted as consultees.
In our view EMT did not enter into consultation with Sheffield in any listening or constructive spirit. Their view appears to be that consultation consists of telling people what you plan to do and ignoring their objections.

4. “Justification”
East Midlands Trains have sought to justify their application on the grounds of
Revenue protection, safety and security. In so doing they have accepted that their proposed changes are major ones. However we would argue that in none of these areas have they substantiated their case.
· Revenue Protection
E.M.T. argue that the erection of barriers and associated equipment reduce fare evasion and increase their income. Nowhere in their application do they provide evidence to justify their case. Over the last 12 months R.A.S.C. has asked E.M.T. to provide this evidence. They have failed to do so and have turned down our reasonable requests for the facts, on the basis that they didn’t have the capacity to respond.
Elsewhere EMT has claimed an up to 10% increase in revenue where barriers are installed. But documented research has not been presented. Railway industry experts in a variety of articles / papers, ( for example see – “An Open and Shut Case” – Richard Mallins in the Rail Professional May 2008) have disputed such claims. They draw a distinction between Greater London rail operations and the rest of the country. They argue that Train Operating Companies have no way of knowing what the real difference over time maybe and whilst there maybe some increase in the short term this would not be the case over the long term.
From their own statements E.M.T. do not consider revenue loss is a problem on their Sheffield-London route, where on board inspection is effective. They have said their problem is on the Liverpool to Norwich route where inspectors were having difficulty checking tickets due to crowded conditions. There has been recent confirmation that additional rolling stock has been approved for this route which will address this issue

Such is the ineffectiveness of barriers that elsewhere Virgin who operate the West Coast line have removed barriers from stations such as Coventry.
· Safety.
Analysis of British Transport Police data indicates, Sheffield station is both safe and secure, with low instances of crime and trouble. A recent book by Anna Minton, “Ground Control”, argues that far from increasing safety and security such measures as those proposed by EMT lead to greater public anxiety, not less. It is the open nature of Sheffield station that makes it safer and more secure, with platform access only being prevented during the night when there are no trains.
Many objectors have confirmed that the open nature of the station and the fact that it is busy, contribute to feelings of personal safety at the station.
From their application EMT are more concerned about their own security than about safety of travellers. In section 1.0, Introduction, the only reference to safety is in the context of enabling the “ATG’s to operate safely”. They are creating a problem, the operation of barriers, which they then have to deal with by also installing, “localised CCTV and lighting in these areas.” This is emphasised at 3.0 on P.6. Here they say they wish to “install new CCTV cameras to provide safer coverage of passengers”, not – for passengers.
Where the management of special events is concerned, “EMT can open the gates to allow passengers to disperse.” Thus they recognise that barriers do not make things safer for the public but worse, otherwise they wouldn’t need to open them to deal with such movements. Therefore the present situation is by definition safer.

If barriers were to be installed then there is a further situation in which safety would be worse. If a fare avoiding traveller left a train at Sheffield then short of vaulting the barriers they would have to ‘escape’ at either end of the platforms. This would take them onto the tracks and to one or other of the tunnels, creating a potentially dangerous situation for them as well as other train users.
In their Conclusion they assert that “new automatic ticket gates will improve the safety of passengers”. This would not be the case.
· Security
As with safety, security is not an issue at Sheffield station. Vandalism and anti social behaviour are clearly a problem on the poorly lit public right of way footbridge, at the south end of Sheffield station, which many more people would be forced to use if barriers were erected at either end of the main bridge.
But the main station, platforms, concourse and public spaces are a vindication of the regeneration work. The environment is open, non threatening and without graffiti. And this is complemented by the new open spaces immediately in front of the main façade, with both the inner and outer stations benefiting from a background police presence. This also includes the entrance space between the tram stop and the station. The EMT application, P.6, describes this as an “otherwise isolated area”. Yet The S.Y.P.T.E. pedestrian survey found over 1800 people a day using the bridge as a link between the city centre, Park Hill, Sheffield College, the tram stop and a range of schools, and businesses in the area. Nowhere in their application does EMT provide evidence of pedestrian or passenger movement in the station. It is the easy movement of such a volume that underwrites both security and safety, not barriers, CCTV and videos.
Passenger Focus carry out quarterly reviews collecting passengers’ views on a wide range of travel related issues. On the issues of Safety Security and overall satisfaction with the station, the responses collected in Sheffield have consistently out- performed public responses for similar Stations. **( Note 3)
* Disability
In addition to the negative impact on the building itself, the measures proposed by EMT would also make conditions for disabled people worse. The creation of screens and barriers in the main concourse area would reduce the circulation space for people in wheel chairs or otherwise physically disabled, especially the passageway near the lift. The design would also generate congestion where the route from the wide gates crosses that from the left hand gates to the bottom of the stairs, potentially generating safety risks.
This will also be the case at the rear entrance to the station where circulation space will be reduced. Here, EMT propose to “install one video help point to improve the communication between staff and customers”. Video will not improve the situation for disabled people where clearly a lower staffing level is intended. It will leave them more vulnerable.
EMT claim on p.7 that, “Anyone with a disability will be able to apply for a pass if they wish to do so but we will not deny access to anyone who is clearly vulnerable.” On the basis of peoples direct experience of ‘human barriers’ in Sheffield and of machine barriers elsewhere we would dispute both the capacity of barriers to effectively and speedily accommodate disabled people and the ability and sensitivity of EMT barrier staff to recognise disabled and vulnerable people outside the self evident cases of people in wheel chairs.
Barriers will create serious disadvantages for wheelchair users but it will probably create even greater problems for those with hearing, sight /speech impairments, learning disabilities, dyslexia, autism and mental health difficulties. Nowhere in the application are these elements of disability or the problems of multiple disability mentioned.

5. Transfer of a Public Facility to Private control

Our final objection is in many ways the one most deeply felt by many of the individuals and groups, which oppose this application, which would result in the closure of the footbridge, The lifts, footbridge and other improvements were constructed with a great deal of public money after great thought and detailed planning, to be a key transport interchange and thus to serve the needs of a wide range of users. **(Note 1)
The idea, embodied in this application is that the narrow un quantified and unsubstantiated commercial interests of a single business, should be considered more important than the clearly demonstrated benefits enjoyed by the whole City of Sheffield.

In conclusion.
We strongly urge the Board to reject this application because:
The documentation has many inaccuracies and does not reflect the actual situation at the station.
Far from introducing improvements it involves a serious degradation of the facilities we currently enjoy.
The proposals would have a significant negative impact both on the listed building itself but also on public space and circulation, equally important elements of the building.
The proposed changes allied with the demonstrated culture of EMT would make things worse for disabled people.
The “consultation” has been badly carried out and the huge level of opposition has been ignored
The justifications referred in terms of revenue protection, security and safety are either not evidenced or factually wrong.
The station footbridge is a highly valued and well used public resource which should not be sacrificed to a narrow commercial interest.

Keith Hayman (Chair) on behalf of Residents Against Station Closure (RASC)
and the RASC Committee. – Geraldine Roberts (Vice Chair), Graham Wroe(Press and Media Officer), Douglas Bell (Secretary), Vivien Ratcliffe and Roz Glencoe (Events Organisers) and Jeanne Belmont(Treasurer)

Note 1
See attached- Data on funding of major improvements at Sheffield station- Sheffield City Council Presentation to Joint City/EMT Working Group 12 September 2008
Note 2
See East Midlands Franchise Agreement, dated 21 June 2007 Section 11.8
Note 3
Passenger Focus Survey Quarterly Data 2003-2008

Massive response to station barriers application

2009-10-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

I sent this to the press today.

Campaign Group Residents against Station Closure today reported a massive response to their appeal for people to object to East Midlands Trains proposal to install barriers at the station, thus cutting the city in half. All 6 of the cities MP's have objected and important organisations including South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind, Central Community Assembly, and Huddersfield, Penistone and Sheffield Rail Users Association have all objected. More than 500 members of the public have taken the time to write to object to the proposals, along with many Councillors including the leaders of all 3 political parties on the Council.

The objection from SYPTE states "Our concerns relate to the risk of pedestrian congestion, particularly at peak hours, and the difficulties of having to accommodate potential passengers and those seeking information in a smaller remaining concourse space. Those with mobility, sight or other difficulties would be placed at particular disadvantage. "

Nick Clegg, Hallam MP and leader of the Liberal Democrats is concerned about the safety aspects of the proposal. "At present there is a quick and safe passage through the different zones of the building for its many users. The proposed ticket and side barriers would would significantly impede movement and cause crowding...I worry that the contraction of this space is potentially hazardous."

Councillor Jan Wilson, Leader of the Labour Party on the Council, comments about the adverse visual impact on an attracted listed building and states that the barriers are unnecssary- she says there are other options for revenue protection.

Council Leader Paul Scriven states that the barriers will damage Sheffield City Councils ambition for an integrated local transport network.

Leader of the Greens, Jillian Creasy, writes about the connectivity problems. "The whole of the public realm works leading down from Millenium Square, through Howard Street, to the station and the proposed development of Park Hill flats and the associated new park has been about making connections across the Sheaf Valley. This works at a visual and practical level. People can enjoy the views across the station in either direction and they can easily get from one side to the other...the gates will be an ugly addition to the restored station forecourt, but they also damage the concept of a station which connects two vibrant areas of the city".

RASC chairperson Keith Hayman commented, "We are delighted that the people of Sheffield are taking the opportunity to tell East Midlands Trains exactly what the they feel about these destructive proposals. We would like to remind everybody that they have until Monday October 19th to make their voices heard. Write to Sheffield City Council, Howard Baxter quoting reference 09/02887/LBC or alternatively check details of how to do this at http://rasc- sheffield. com/ ."

Privatisation to blame for station barriers

2009-10-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

This press release is on the Sheffield Green Party website, but the Star has managed to miss out the bit about privatisation!

Privatisation blamed for Station bridge row

1st October 2009

Sheffield Green Party have blamed the privatisation of the rail network for the controversial proposal to prevent free access across the bridge at Sheffield Station. East Midlands Trains has applied to Sheffield City Council for Listed Building Consent to install ticket barriers there.

Coun Jillian Creasy, who represents Central ward, commented, "After all these years of Labour Government we still have a privatised rail network which is more concerned about shareholders profits than providing an integrated transport system.

"The Transport Minister Lord Adonis has failed to intervene in this dispute. He has the power to resolve this situation if he chose to listen to the elected representatives in Sheffield, all of whom remain opposed to East Midlands Trains' plans. The Green Party would nationalise the railways and ensure that public transport was a more attractive option than the car."

Residents Against Station Closure and local Green Party campaigner Graham Wroe added, "There is massive public support for the campaign to stop the barriers. These people should now write to Howard Baxter, Sheffield City Council Planning Division Howden House 1 Union Street Sheffield S1 2SH,quoting the reference 09/02887/LBC.

"This can also be done on-line and you will find links and advice on how to do this at www.sheffieldgreenparty.org.uk and www.rasc-sheffield.com

ENDS

Send your objection today!

2009-09-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

East Midlands Trains has now applied to Sheffield City Council for Listed Building Consent to install ticket barriers, which would prevent free access across the bridge.

Please now object by:

Step 1 going to the Council web site by copying and pasting this link

http://planning.sheffield.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/app
lication_detailview.aspx?caseno=KQ5ZZUNY0H000

Step 2
Select whether you are 'local resident' or 'live outside area'

Step 3
Click 'submit comments' button and follow the instructions from there.

The deadline is 13 October.

Here is some sample text that you are welcome to use. If you have time to write your own personal letter this may be more effective.

---------

I object to the planning application to install ticket barriers at Sheffield station for the following reasons:

1. Public access.
Sheffield station is an important historic listed building, which deserves to remain open to the public. the proposals would fundamentally alter its character, the barriers, screens and cctv would not be in keeping with the architecture of the building. They would break up spaces and floorscape of the public areas and restrict peoples movement, all important to the appreciation and enjoyment of the station. All these things would significantly reduce public use.

2. Safety and security. The station footbridge is a safe secure and accessible route from the tram stop into the city centre for local people and residents. East Midlands Trains would be forcing people to use a badly lit, inaccessible and unsafe footbridge that would risk public safety.

3.Breaking up Sheffield's integrated transport.
Ticket barriers would remove the direct link between the tram and the train station, creating inconvenience for passengers. Train users would have to arrive at the station much earlier to buy their tickets before travelling. This would add to the existing queues and congestion.

4. Barriers put the interests of a private company, ahead of the public interest. East Midlands Trains' profits should not be put before the public interest. EMT should protect their revenue by putting more ticket inspectors on trains, not by punishing Sheffield residents.

You can view the application on the Council website at:
http://tinyurl.com/yb9ttd4

RASC feels that the submission disregards the huge level of public concern and anger which has been expressed since the beginning of this process. It is also misleading and of poor quality, with various factual errors. All the organisations it claims to have consulted have in fact objected to the barriers.

If you prefer to write, quote the reference 09/02887/LBC to Howard Baxter, Sheffield City Council Planning Division Howden House 1 Union Street Sheffield S1 2SH.

There is more at www.sheffieldgreenparty.org.uk

Please also join the Facebook group, Keep Sheffield Station open to the public.

East Midlands Trains apply for consent to barrier the station

2009-09-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

Please act quickly- we have very little time to respond to this.We must show the Planning Office the strength of feeling about this planning application. We can't let East Midlands Trains steal our bridge!

Consultation on Listed Building Consent Application

East Midlands Trains have submitted a proposal for:
Provision of Automatic Ticket Gates, CCTV cameras and improved lighting in station booking hall and Supertram lobby, erection of glazed barriers adjacent to footbridge stairs, provision of ticket vending machines and video help point in Supertram lobby, erection of boundary fencing and walling to the west side of platform one
Location: Sheffield Midland Station, Sheaf Street, Sheffield, S1 2BP,
Applicant: Mr S Dakin - Stagecoach South Western

Please make comments on the application at Planning Applications Online (www.sheffield.gov.uk and follow the Quick Link to Planning and City Development) or at First Point, Howden House, between 8:30am and 5:30pm Monday to Friday.

If you decide to write a letter, please send it to Les Sturch, Principal Planning Officer Development Management Section,Howden House, 1 Union Street Sheffield S1 2SH , quoting 09/02887/LBC. Please comment before the 2 October 2009, so that your views can be considered. You should note that any comments you make will be placed on the Council website, together with other application details, and placed on the public file.

Most of these applications are decided by officers, but occasionally they are reported to an Area Planning Board. If so, you may attend and, if you wish, ask to speak. I will try to inform you when the board meeting is.

Elm Street Police Station to re open.

2009-09-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

Good news in the Star tonight- the little police station on City Road is planned to re-open.
Elm Tree police station, at Manor Top, Sheffield, was closed down years ago after it was set on fire. The neglected station became a magnet for youths and addicts. But the whole story rather begs the question why was the station allowed to fall into such misuse in the first place? Surely it is obvious that one of the most deprived estates in the country needs its police stations?
To create safer neighbourhoods we need police patrolling our streets and engaging in crime prevention.

Here are some of the other things on the Greens wish list concerning crime.

• Look to establish restorative justice as a key feature of the UK criminal justice system. The primary aim will be to restore and, if necessary, improve the position of the victim and the community; the offender will be required to make amends.
• Improve the design of our cities to provide safer streets and public spaces.
• Ensure universal access to high quality youth centres to provide an outlet for young people outside of school hours.
• Bring in a Civil Law Injunction Programme (CLIP) to more effectively deal with anti-social behaviour.
• Oppose any further privatisation of the prison system, as it is vital that where custody is used it is effective in preventing offenders from re-offending.

Sheffield Park Academy

2009-09-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

Worrying news today about one of our local schools, Sheffield Park Academy, formerly Waltheof, where I have some experience of teaching.http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/sep/13/sheffield-park-academies-ofsted-failureThe school has been labelled "inadequate" by OFSTED. It comes as no surprise that the United Learning Trust has not succeeded in turning round this school. The Green Party believes that schools should be governed in the interests of pupils and parents, not un-elected trusts, businesses or religions. Building a new school has done nothing to remove some of the deep seated problems in the area- poverty and unemployment, many generations of educational underachievement, anti social behaviour and a culture that does not value education. One of the things I said at conference was that the major division in our society is class. Sheffield secondary schools are extremely class dominated. Comprehensive schools that take from the local area sound like a good idea in theory, but in Sheffield it means that the kids fortunate enough to live in the posh areas go to successful schools, and the kids from the housing estates end up in schools that are always going to struggle. If the system was truly comprehensive we would find a way of mixing pupils from different areas. One of the few schools that does this in Sheffield is All Saints RC, where my own children went- because it is a Catholic school its intake is from all over the city, so is very socially mixed. But many of my friends in the Green Party argue that this is divisive too as it splits religious groups. Maybe the answers to some of these problems don't lie in educational policy at all- the root of the problem is the poverty. When the Greens eventually come to power we will tackle that head on, with policies like the Citizen's Income Scheme, the Living Wage and higher taxes for the rich. When our society is fairer the schools in the inner cities and housing estates will at last have a chance to thrive. But the Academies will be returned to the local education authority, not controlled by businesses or religious trusts with no political accountability.

Brighton Conference

2009-09-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

Have returned from the Green Party conference in Brighton.We had some lively debates and I was in the thick of things on the Education Voting Paper. Although the debate didn't always go my way I am still very proud to belong to a party that conducts its business in such an open and democratic manner. You certainly wont see this at the stage managed conferences of the big parties. But losing a crucial vote by just one vote (after the original hand count had gone in my favour) was a bit galling. You'll find reports and videos of the conference on the green party site, but here are a few of the policies that I think will help us gain support in the next General Election.

All major airports and ports will be taken into public ownership under a Green Government. This is of course in addition to our current policy to nationalise the railways. Government will then be able to take control of our transport system.

Our policy on Afghanistan now reads
(1) An immediate withdrawal of all UK forces from Afghanistan.
(2) The withdrawal of all NATO forces from Afghanistan .
(3) An regional agreement with the powers bordering Afghanistan – Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, together with Russia and China, to hold a peace conference as soon as possible with the aim of establishing a new Afghan government which will have the support of all the Afghan people.
(4) Continued support from the EU, UN and other international bodies to support the rebuilding of Afghanistan and the provision of international aid.
(5) The protection all women and minorities in Afghanistan and the upholding of human rights to be an essential part of any peace agreement reached with the regional powers, the UN and the people of Afghanistan.
(6) The issue of Afghan refugees in neighbouring states and elsewhere, and their long term settlement and humanitarian support to be a central feature of any peace agreement.
(7) And to amend ROPS (Record of Policy Statements) accordingly.

As more and more lives are lost in Afghanistan in a war whose purpose Gordon Brown can not explain, I am sure this policy will be popular with the electorate.

On Health
"Health spending in the UK needs to reflect the needs of the country and should be maintained at around the average in the European Union. The party will continue to support the principle that the NHS is a national service, free at the point of entry and fully funded by taxation." As Labour continues the creeping privatisation of the NHS it is very important that the Greens protect it.

On the MP's expenses scandal we passed policy to introduce a system for the electorate to recall an MP.
PA254 Government at all levels should be accountable to electors between elections. Accordingly, necessary legislative steps will be taken to provide for any representative's electors to be able to petition for the recall of any elected person. Specifically, a petition signed by 40% of the registered electors within an MP's constituency will trigger a recall by-election. Until this legislation is passed, Green MP's will voluntarily resign and trigger a by-election, if they are presented with a valid recall petition signed by 40% of the registered electors within their constituency. In the event of the elected representative having been elected by the Additional Member System, the recalled representative would be replaced by the next person on their party list not to have been elected.

I'm not sure the 40% figure is right- it needs to be a big enough number to avoid abuse of the system, but it needs to be small enough to enable it to be used- getting 40% of a constituency to sign a petition would be a mammoth task and could probably only be organised by the press barons. So I hope the 40% will be reduced to something more attainable, say 30%, in the future.

One of the highlights of conference was the Saturday entertainment. Mark Thomas got us writing a silly manifesto. One of the most popular ideas was to provide a free needle and cotton with every pair of socks! Attilla the Stockbroker was superb.
I love his poem about asylum seeking dalekswhich can be found here along with some of his other works.

Don't barrier the station

2009-09-03T00:53:00.000-07:00

Three little videos on the station campaign.

10-10 Sign up today

2009-09-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

Everyone's looking for something to do about climate change. What’s needed is something straightforward, immediate and meaningful. I think I've found it.

Today I joined thousands of individuals and organisations from across the country to unite behind one simple idea: that by working together we can achieve a 10% cut in carbon emissions during 2010. It’s called 10:10, and everyone can be a part of it.

Cutting 10% in one year is a bold target, but for most of us it’s an achievable one, and is in line with what scientists say we need right now. By signing up to 10:10 we’re not just promising to reduce our own emissions – we’re becoming part of a national drive to hit this ambitious goal country-wide. In our homes, in our workplaces, our schools and our hospitals, our galleries and football clubs and universities, we’ll be backing each other up as we take the first steps on the road to becoming a low-carbon society.

To find out more and sign up go to www.1010uk.org
To read coverage of the campaign from the Guardian go to www.guardian.co.uk/10-10

Battle for the Bridge

2009-08-30T16:09:00.000-07:00

The battle for the station bridge continues this week with a Residents against Station Closure meeting at Victoria Centre, Stafford Road on Tuesday at 7pm. There are two good letters on the issue in this weeks Telegraph, the first from Valerie Bayliss points out that East Midland Trains are facing both ways as they have supported an application to restore the listed restaurant room on platform 1.The application states "the pedestrian link through the station is central to the city regeneration strategy as it provides a direct route for future occupants of the Park Hill redevelopment scheme to access the Golden Route into the city centre." Recent passenger counts show an average of over 100,000 passengers (sic] passing through the station each week. Valerie says that this application has in effect been endorsed by East Midlands Trains as occupiers of the station - clearly the restoration could not happen without their co-operation. The second letter from RASC stalwart Viv Ratcliffe returns to the issue of democracy and asks who has the right to make the decision on the bridge. If EMT get away with there plans, going against the wishes of all the councillors in Sheffield from all 3 parties (Lib Dem, Lab and Green) and all the MP's, it really will show how little power politicians now have as so much of our infrastructure has been sold off.

As EMT now push forward their plans to shut the bridge I suspect we will be organising further protests.The will of the people must prevail!

The truth about the BNP

2009-08-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

I don't often read the News of the World, but they are to be congratulated for this excellent piece of investigative journalism. Reporting on what was going on inside the BNP "family day" in Derbyshire last weekend, the reporter witnessed the burning of a gollywog, nazi salutes, and out and out racism.
Our new MEP, andrew Brons, was among the culprits. He used his stint in the political tent to compare Muslims to SMALLPOX during his speech. He declared: "I'm less concerned about the presence of mosques than the presence of the people that use them. Being worried about the presence of a particular mosque is almost like looking at a disease like smallpox and saying it's a problem with spots."

We must continue to challenge the BNP. Not only must we support groups like Unite against Fascism, but we must campaign in the housing estates and areas where the BNP are making progress, showing that our policies will reduce poverty, create useful jobs and improve the country, not just for white people but for everyone in our multi cultural society. If you'd like to help in this task, please get in touch.

Join a Union!

2009-08-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

My Union UCU have just produced this short video encouraging people to join a Union.

Meanwhile the Green Sheffield Councillors have persuaded the Council to investigate the idea of introducing a "Living Wage". This would mean all Council employees would be paid an hourly rate above the minimum wage. It would be funded by reducing the salaries of the highest earners.

A Living Wage is already paid to thousands of workers in London and is being implemented in Glasgow and Leeds. The Sheffield Greens are asking officers to find what the living wage would be in Sheffield, calculated as £7.09 per hour outside London but dependant on the cost of accommodation amongst other things. Officers will then draw up a report on how that could be implemented in council.

For the full story see the Sheffield Green Party website. Click here to find out more about the Minimum Income Standard for Britain and use the on-line calculator to see if you earn above the minimum. To see how the Greens are successfully campaigning for a Living Wage around the country see the Green Party website

I am very proud to belong to a political party with such good social policies. It's such a shame that other parties can still get away with calling us a "one issue" party when the truth is we have policies on just about everything! (see the Manifesto for a Sustainable Society for our full policy document)I would be very interested to hear of any topics readers think are not covered by our policies!

Support the Vestas workers

2009-08-01T02:36:00.000-07:00

Boys on the Balcony is the great new song from Seize the Day, supporting the Vestas wind turbine workers who are currently occupying their factory.

The Greens have come up with an excellent plan to make it a workers cooperative. See www.greenparty.org.uk
.

American jobs for British wind turbines!

2009-07-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

Here in Sheffield there is much concern about further job losses in the steel industry. How could we increase demand for steel to safegard these jobs? The answer is quite simple- invest in the massive increase in wind turbines that we need to produce our electricity without further adding to climate change. So what are the Government doing? They are letting the one wind turbine factory in the UK, Vestas on the Isle of Wight, go to the wall! Instead of nationalising it (as they have shown is possible with the banks) they are quite happy to see this vital plant closed and import the wind turbines we need from other countries, particularly the US. There is currently an occupation at the factory. I wish the workers there every success in their campaign. Wake up Gordon Brown, if we are going to create thousands of Green jobs as you promise, surely saving the jobs of the Vestas workers is the first place to start.
Lots more info here

Station Bridge birthday party

2009-07-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

Despite the terrible weather we had a successful celebration of the 7th anniversary since the conception of the new footbridge at Sheffield Station. The street theatre was amazing, and had a happy ending, not with the death of EMT management (even though spikes had been pushed through the box they were in) but with a dramatic change of heart. Lets hope the real EMT management have a similar conversion soon. The news that barriers have not been allowed at York should give us hope.

Many thanks to everyone who turned up despite the rain and all the organisers.If you are a RASC supporter please consider helping RASC financially as we need funds to book rooms, organise future demos, distribute leaflets etc.

There are lots of pics here.

RASC has a new leaflet. Please print some off and give to your friends or place on a noticeboard somewhere.

Party at the Station

2009-06-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

The next station protest is in the form of a Party to Celebrate the station refurbishment.We are really pleased to have what Lord Adonis says is one of the best stations in the country. It's such a shame that East Midlands Trains are again preventing us using it with their human barriers.

Station Protest Friday 17th July 5.00pm
Come to a party!
It is 7 years since the footbridge was first conceived and to mark the occasion we are having a birthday celebration, to which you are invited.
There will be a huge birthday cake, music and street theatre with top of the bill and star performer, the one and only...Tim Shoveller!
We look forward to seeing you. Please tell your friends too. If you would like to offer entertainment, please get in touch.

Did you know that the Sheffield Town Council of 1870 was so concerned at the construction of the train station and it's propensity to divide the eastern side of the town from the town centre, that they insisted public access across the bridge be preserved across the railway site? One could argue that the construction of the 2002 footbridge is the 21st Century response to access for all.

Please come to the RASC AGM at 7.00pm on 7th July at Victoria Centre.

Meet your new MEP

2009-06-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

This is who the good people of Yorkshire have elected as one of their representatives in Europe. Guardian article about Andrew Brons. I wonder how many of the voters realised exactly what the BNP stands for-I am ashamed that our region has elected a fascist. It could have been so much better if just a few more people had voted Green instead- then we would have the politics of hope, not hate. Caroline Lucas would rather forget the BNP and concentrate on the planet. I think if our positive manifesto had been given the publicity it deserved, instead of being lost in the mire of MP's expenses scandals, the result could have been much better. I have spoken to people who supported UKIP/BNP and they did it because they are worried about jobs and wanted to send a protest to the MP's in Westminster. How much more effective that protest would have been if it had been for Greens who want to create a million new green jobs.

Sheffield flooded again

2009-06-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

A car negotiates a lifted drain cover and geyser on Granville Road yesterday. Further down the hill the Southside block of Castle College was inundated with sewage water.

As Sheffield clears up after the second major flood in two years, questions need to be asked about the capacity of our drains. It is clear that global warming is already bringing far more extreme weather events to our city. Our drains just can't cope with the amount of water that these flash floods bring. I remember people talking about the 2007 floods saying they were a one in a hundred year event- but here we are again two years later, and I'm drying out my cellar again.But I'm one of the lucky ones, at least I've got a cellar! Other folk are clearing up houses that they've only just got straight from the last flood having had sewage water in the main living rooms. It must be heartbreaking. So what should be done? Firstly Yorkshire Water should be investing in improving the drains- we need to plan for the expected increase in these flash floods. Secondly insurance companies could do a lot to help. Many people get discounts for having good security. Why can't we have discounts for having a water butt and/or a green roof? If lots of householders could be persuaded to make these simple improvements it would take a lot of pressure off the drains. Thirdly we need to stop paving over our green spaces. Sheffield City Council have just removed one of the few patches of grass in the city centre as part of the "regeneration" of Tudor Square by the Crucible- and householders all over the city have converted their front garden into a drive for the car. The less soil and grass we have, the worse these flash floods will become. Perhaps there should be a Council Tax discount for householders that maintain a permeable garden.

The Greens have been arguing for years that we need to do more to prepare for global warming. Unfortunately as yet very little has been done and we will be increasingly at the mercy of the elements.

Vote Green tomorrow.

2009-06-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been so quiet recently- our phone line got broken so haven't been able to blog for a while. But it's been repaired just in time to remind you to vote Green in tomorrows European elections. Here's a little video that explains the voting system very well- it's aimed at the North West region, but in Yorkshire we are facing a similar battle- and with the collapse in popularity of the big 3 parties, anything could happen tomorrow.

Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party, was in Sheffield recently for "Any Questions". She stopped by to support our campaign to keep the station open to the public. There has been an interesting development in the barrier campaign. EMT have contributed £15000 for a feasibility study looking at redeveloping the current service bridge to act as a new pedestrian bridge. This will cost in the region of £1.5 million if it goes ahead. Personally I don't think this would be a good use of public money when there is already a perfectly good bridge. Surely EMT can find a better way to catch fare dodgers than blocking the bridge completely to non train travellers. There is a new poll on the Council website that asks you to choose between 3 options- keep the current bridge open, let EMT go ahead with barriers and issue residents passes, or redevelop the service bridge. Please vote for the first option! 3700 people have already done this, 94% of the vote.

Successful protest!

2009-05-21T06:35:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to everyone who turned up yesterday, to express our anger at East Midlands Trains policy of preventing pedestrians walking through the station. There is excellent coverage in the Sheffield Telegraph , the Star

There is also news of a new possibility- revamping the old bridge to make a new safe secure route for pedestrians.

(see the Star) It will be interesting to see how this develops, but was is clear is that EMT must stop barricading the bridge while plans are being made.

Green opinion poll hopes

2009-05-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

Great news today on the opinion poll front-see the Green Party website
Many people are supporting our practical politics and an interesting coalition is building to ensure the Greens beat the BNP, keeping the fascists out of Europe.

The Star campaign on the station continues, with this interesting article. Its a bit harsh on the good people of Dore, many of whom I am sure are very willing to pay for tickets if the train companies provided the staff to collect them! As Geraldine reiterates in the article, no one is objecting to the train companies ensuring that they collect their fares- indeed, for the good of the railway service, we wish they would get their act together and collect them. However this doesn't mean they need to inconvenience the 2500 non rail travellers that use the station everyday (according to a recent SYTPE survey.)
This comment from "Dore resident" is very telling.
"We are actually quite frustrated by the ongoing humiliation that we have to go through on daily basis, thanks to the inadequate management from Northern Rail. The trains are often late or cancelled with very sporadic announcements, and we are unable to buy tickets on the train due to the short distance between Dore and Sheffield. Every morning we get off the train with concern that we may not be able to present our tickets at the station, if we were asked to do so. The after-work train to Dore leaves from Sheffield at 5.15 pm which renders it impossible for a great majority of us (working till 5pm) to purchase the ticket to Dore from the Sheffield train station in a timely manner."

It is high time the station authorities put a stop to this nonsense and found a way to collect all the fares without destroying the open station which used to be one of the things that made Sheffield great.

I have written my speech for the demo on Wednesday and am looking forward to seeing what happens. A large crowd are expected, so please come and join us. 5pm, front of station. We will cross the bridge!

Rail privatisation has failed the public.

2009-05-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

Last night Sheffield Green Party passed the following resolution.
"Sheffield Green Party supports the use of non violent direct action to assert our right to walk across the bridge at Sheffield Station, which was paid for with £7 million pounds of public money." Councillor Rob Murphy has also written to the press supporting the campaign, but explaining how the Green Party policies differ from the other two parties, whose privatisation policies got us in this mess in the first place. Many Green Party supporters will be attending the demonstration on Wednesday 20th at 5pm.

Dear Sir,

I would like to make clear that the Green Party completely oppose the gating of the footbridge at Sheffield Railway Station. However unlike the other parties represented on the City Council we believe the problem is a result of the government's policy of handing control of public services over to private companies. That a private company can stop the people of Sheffield using a bridge that has been paid for with taxpayers money, is a disgrace.
Once again rail privatisation has failed the public. Government subsidy of the railways has grown massively, fares continue to rise faster than inflation, and ticket prices are a confusing mess. The government has even been forced to buy new rolling stock for the train operators (Who find it more profitable to run overcrowded trains than to invest in extra carriages and passenger comfort).
The actions of East Midland Trains are damaging to Sheffield and it's public transport system, but that has little meaning to a large private company aiming for maximum profit from it's franchise. It is time for government to act, to prevent the gating of the walkway and to work towards regaining public ownership and control of our rail network.

Yours sincerely,

Cllr Rob Murphy (Sheffield Green Party Transport Spokesperson)

EMT continue to provoke revolt

2009-05-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

Today's issue of Rail Management has this brilliant article from Sim Harris. It seems not only do EMT want to cut our city in half (they were manning the barracades again today, stopping anyone walking through the station), but they are endangering the health of our children by installing barriers that can break arms!

Here is the article in full.

Gatelines can damage your health Anti-gateline campaigners are boosted by a frank admission from First Capital Connect, as Sheffield demonstrators plan to step up their protest against East Midlands Trains
Gateline protests intensify as EMT launches random checks
East Midlands Trains has started random ticket checks at Sheffield station, effectively closing the footbridge to casual pedestrians without warning.
Campaigners who want the footbridge to stay open say they will be stepping up their protests in response. The first checks were carried out on Wednesday, and a spokesman for EMT owner Stagecoach said further manning of the station entrances could occur at any time, and might
become continuous. The policy is a precursor to the installation of automatic gatelines at the station, which have been bitterly opposed locally for more than a year.
The City Council has now passed several resolutions against the plan, and more than 80 local organisations have added their voices to the campaign of opposition.
The sudden imposition of manual checks has infuriated the protestors. They are warning of further mass demonstrations to come, in which they say they will attempt to cross the footbridge. It links the city centre with a tram stop and community housing and was opened in 2002.
There have been differing accounts of the first sessions of manual ticket checks, with protestors claiming that people with valid tram tickets were refused permission to cross.

FCC fuels anti-gateline protests by warning of hazards to children
Children in gatelines can be ‘seriously injured’ Situation is ‘utterly bizarre’, says one critic
Campaigners who oppose the installation of automatic gatelines at intercity stations are privately delighted by a poster from First Capital Connect which appears to concede that gates can be dangerous.
The DfT is firmly in favour of installing the gates at all principal stations, but although some schemes have gone ahead recently others are facing firm opposition in several provincial
cities. The reasons vary, but include the fact that gates can effectively close pedestrian routes across stations, as at Sheffield or York, and also the possible damage caused to the appearance of heritage stations.
A major debate is under way at Newcastle, while English Heritage has already rejected the
first plans for gates at York submitted by National Express East Coast. Anti-gateline campaigners maintain that the gates themselves are not fit for purpose at intercity stations in any case, where many passengers can be laden with luggage or children, or simply uncertain about how to use the gates because they only travel occasionally. The technology has also come under fire, with gateline programming often inadequate to cater for the millions of possible ticket prices which exist on National Rail. The arguments have not deterred the Department for Transport, which has signed several franchise agreements in recent times which commit operators to installing gates in all but the most exceptional circumstances.
But the First Capital Connect poster appears to be the first official concession that gates are not without their flaws, particularly when weaker or smaller passengers are involved.
It pulls few punches, warning that a child caught in a closing barrier faces ‘serious injury’, and that the gates are ‘very powerful’. Its advice is that children and other vulnerable passengers should
use the wide gate, but such a warning has not been posted at non-FCC stations with similar gatelines. One critic of the gateline policy commented: ‘It seems utterly bizarre that such a hazard should be created when we go over the top on many other safety issues. Has FCC done a
safety case, or is it a matter of gating at all costs?’
FCC said the advice was aimed at passengers who were taking small children through the gates, often at the same time as the adult, and it was then that problems could occur.
The company added: ‘Safety is our absolute top priority. We simply wanted to highlight that certain groups may find it easier to use the wide gate.
‘The gatelines comply with all safety standards. There have been incredibly few accidents in relation to the number of people of passing through barriers. The aim of this campaign is to further increase safety on our network.’

The arguments about gatelines have taken some new twists and turns in the past seven days.
First on to the stage comes East Midlands Trains, which is currently nominated for the coveted and highly prestigious title of Least Well Handled PR Event in 2008-09.
Few RM readers can still be unaware that EMT wants to install automatic gatelines at Sheffield
station, and that almost no-one in Sheffield seems to be on their side.
Gates would block the formerly freely available pedestrian link across the station, which was renovated at huge cost some years ago with the help of funding from the City Council.
Now EMT wants to restrict this community-funded link to railway passengers only or, more specifically, railway passengers who have tickets.
This, m’Lud, is where the heart of the dispute may be said to lie. EMT wants to block the footbridge to casual pedestrians in the interests of revenue protection, and the city doesn’t like the idea at all. The debate has been running for a year or more. The City Council has passed several highly critical resolutions, and the EMT approach (‘we’ll ask you but, by the way, we’re doing it anyway) has raised hackles from Tinsley to Dronfield.
But now the talking appears to have stalled. Last Wednesday, EMT ‘closed’ Sheffield without warning, using staff to monitor all the station entrances, and anyone without a ticket was peremptorily barred from the footbridge. Not only was this action peremptory, but arguably precipitate, premature and very possibly pointless.
For the net result has been to rouse Sheffield to new heights of fury. A major demonstration is now planned, and the campaigners will undoubtedly enjoy widespread support. It is exactly what a train operator does not need. The event has already spawned its own crop of contradictions. The campaigners claim even people with tram tickets were barred (the tram stop lies on the opposite side of the station from the city centre) while Stagecoach say a Supertram conductor was placed on the concourse to provide tickets, which would be accepted as a passport for the bridge. Well, somebody’s wrong.
Another query, not really answered so far, is what happens to passengers alighting from trams who then wish to cross the footbridge. The official answer is that their just-used tram ticket will be accepted by the railway staff. But that needs publicity: ‘keep your ticket if you wish to cross the station footbridge’. Has there been any? That is, according to a spokesman at Stagecoach
Group HQ (speaking with an East Midlands Trains hat on), a matter for Supertram. The trams are, of course, also run by Stagecoach. You couldn’t make it up.
This worrying example of left and right hands not working together is a deeply ominous symptom for the people of Sheffield, who are unlikely to take any of this lying down.
It is also possible to grieve for EMT (up to a point) because it in turn is a victim of the DfT’s determination to gate every station it can, irrespective of the type of passenger traffic which is handled. It seems to be impossible to explain to Marsham Street that what works well at Oxford Circus might be less suitable for Exeter St David’s. So the pressure is maintained, and EMT is now caught between a very angry city and a very determined government department, and will be wrong whatever it does next.
However, suddenly ‘closing’ the station was a PR blunder, and hardly an unpredictable one.
Now let’s welcome our second act of the evening. First Capital Connect has published a slightly worrying poster depicting achild with her arm in plaster (‘four hours in hospital; missed the school
trip’). It warns that gates can cause serious injuries to small children, who should always be taken through the ‘wide gate’ in consequence. No doubt this is right and proper, but very little has been said about it until now. What hideous incidents at obscure suburban stations have caused
this poster to be created? So, let’s summarise. Automatic gatelines, or the prospect of them, are
not only threatening to provoke open revolt in one of England’s largest provincial cities, but it is also now admitted (virtually) that they eat toddlers. Oh crumbs, Minister. Revenue protection
is all very well, but are we sure this is still a good idea?

Party Election Broadcast

2009-05-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

If you missed this on the tele, here it is!
If you're voting Green, please print off this poster and put it in your window.

2009-05-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

This was the scene last Thursday as EMT decided to bar members of the public from the station. I was informed that I was not allowed to take photos, and was not allowed to cross the bridge as I didn't have a ticket. The members of staff barring my way weren't even checking the tickets of the people coming out of the station, so they weren't there to catch fare dodgers, which would have been a useful activity, they were just there to stop people using the station.

On Saturday the Green Party leafleted outside the station and collected petitions for RASC. In the picture is European MEP candidate Steve Barnard, Graham Wroe and Eamonn Ward.

Here is the coverage from the BBC website.

EMT madness

2009-05-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

the PR team at East Midlands trains have certainly got a fight on their hands! Here is some of the coverage following their disastrous decision to stop the good people of Sheffield from walking through the station.

Sheffield Star 7.5.09

Sheffield Star 8.5.09

So what does a Green MEP do?

2009-05-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

EMT cuts city in half

2009-05-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

Today East Midlands Trains carried out their threat to prevent pedestrians walking through the station. The result was utter chaos, with huge queues at the ticket office, people with valid tram tickets being sent away and various confrontations as people couldn't understand why they couldn't simply walk to work the way they always do.

By chance the Council were also meeting today and passed the following motion unanimously.

That this Council:-

(a) Is deeply concerned to learn that East Midlands Trains have begun
blocking off access through Sheffield Station to non-ticket holders by
deploying staff at each end of the Station;

(b) is outraged with the actions of East Midlands Trains who have
effectively cut our City in half and ignored the wishes of local people;

(c) notes with disappointment that East Midlands Trains have also outlined
that they will continue to work towards installing the barriers;

(d) welcomes the fact that the leader of Council has written an urgent
e-mail to the Secretary of State for Transport asking him to intervene on
this issue; and

(e) notes that only the Government can now stop East Midlands Trains
blocking off access through Sheffield Station and therefore calls on the
Secretary of State for Transport to urgently intervene and withdraw the
clause in the franchise which asks for gating to be installed.

There will undoubtedly be more protests at this attack on our integrated transport system (such as it is!)- the bridge that has been closed to pedestrians links the rail network to the tram and bus system. Watch this space!

Mark Thomas on why you should never Vote Labour

2009-05-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

Power to the People!

2009-05-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

I am very excited by this initiative.

Volunteers step up plans for Renewable Energy in Sheffield

Last night, we agreed plans at the Sheffield Renewables general meeting for bringing exciting renewable energy projects to Sheffield. Our immediate priority is a proposed micro-hydro scheme at Kelham Island.

Group Chair, Rob Pilling, announced that: 'SCR is working closely with Sheffield City Council and the Sheffield Museums Trust to develop a hydro power scheme at Kelham Island. Technical feasibility work is ongoing and the planning application will be submitted shortly. The project makes strong links to Sheffield's industrial heritage and culture. It also provides an excellent opportunity for demonstrating and raising the profile of renewable energy within the city.'

The meeting adopted plans to identify and develop a series of schemes over the next few years. Initial interest is around hydro-power, but we are also exploring other technologies such as wind, solar and biomass. We plan to fund a significant proportion of the work through local share offer. So, we will be getting out and about in Sheffield over the coming months to talk to people and encourage them to consider getting on board.

Key to running the first share offer is the setting up of a special type of social enterprise called an Industrial Provident Society. The new organisation will be called 'Sheffield Renewables.' (A slightly less unwieldy version of the group's current full name: Sheffield Community Renewables).

Accompanying the project announcements is an attractive new logo, which we will be incorporating into a revamped website and information materials over the next month or so.

Sheffield Renewables is a local organisation currently run entirely by volunteers. Beyond a modest (e.g. rate of inflation) payment to shareholders, we will use all surplus income from sale of electricity to build further schemes or to support other local projects.

Information or interview: Rob Pilling (RobJPilling@gmail.com)

Website: www.sheffieldcommunityrenewables.co.uk

Ubaka released!

2009-05-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Very pleased to be able to report that Ubaka and his family have been released from Yarlswood and are returning to Sheffield.Many thanks to everyone that signed the petition or wrote to Jacqui Smith. The fight isn't over yet as they could be detained again at any time, but at least for now the family is reunited. Keep an eye on the CDAS website http://www.cdas-sheffield.org.uk/ for further information, or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=87892676648&ref=nf
Park Hill

Park Hill is in the news again and will be featured on the BBC2 programme English Heritage tonight at 9pm- might be worth seeing it on i player if you missed it. Having lived in the (now demolished) big block of Hyde Park flats, I have always remained a supporter of Park Hill, but was disappointed with the lack of green features in the refurbishment plans.(see previous posts)
This is how the Star reports it.

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Park-Hill-all-set-to.5225686.jp
The tv programme has some interesting insights into the relationship between English Heritage, Urban Splash and the City Council.But it ends pessimistically, with no clear way forward to Urban Splashes current credit crunch crisis. Now this much progress has been made it would seem madness for the Government not to ensure that the project can be completed.The best clip in the programme is when Richard Caborn MP appears behind a lamp post to hijack the visit of minister Rosie Winterton, to show her the importance of the footbridge over the rail station.This must be the best publicity that the campaign to keep the station bridge open have achieved, and can't have pleased East Midlands Trains who weren't given a chance to justify their unpopular and undemocratic plans to close the bridge.

Free Ubaka!

2009-04-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

Here is another heart rending story of how our country treats asylum seekers that have fled to Britain in the belief that here they may be free from the persecution they suffered in their home country- only to find that they are treated just as badly here. Ubaka was due to be deported back to Nigeria yesterday, but was not sent because his children refused to cooperate with the authorities. They don't want their dad to be sent back to the land where he has already been shot for speaking out for human rights.Here is Ubaka's story in his own words.

Stephanie 12, Desmond 11 and Raphael 6, refuse to leave Yarl's Wood

Fortunately we were not removed yesterday cos the children refused to be removed as Desmond was terrified went into tears and went under the bed refusing to be pulled out, after several persuasion and trial by the detention officer to pull him out. The immigration officer told him that she will be back in couple of days with another date of removal. Stephanie since after she harmed herself by incision on her wrist she is right has ever been under suicide watch by the detention officers. As the day goes by I see my daughter completely diminishing lost her mind she has refused to talk to neither any body not eating nor a drink of water. The detention offers has arranged for Stephanie to see the doctor but she has also refused to see the doctor she is just covering her head with duvet. She is in great fear of returning to a country where she has no life, where her father was shot, where she has been brutalised as she witnessed many torture, a country where we have watched our heads.

Please help!! This mental torture is slowly killing my daughter, her siblings Desmond 11yrs and Raphael 6yrs are so sad that they run under the bed when they hear a knock at the door, she still says she will kill herself, she is devastated I can't seem to calm her down she has not used the tooth brush since we arrive Yarl wood and she has looks as if she is waken up from sleep all the time, her the condition remains the same the security officials have changed shifts overnight to ensure she does not proceed to suicide. I am loosing it Please help! Some one help!!!
Thank You all,

Ubaka K. Nwose

Please as a matter of urgency sign our online petition
http://www.gopetition.com/online/27357/signatures.html

For more information please see the Sheffield CDAS website
http://www.cdas-sheffield.org.uk/

Green Party leader coming to Sheffield

2009-04-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

Great news! Green Party leader Caroline Lucas MEP is coming to Sheffield to appear on Radio 4's Any Questions.The BBC Radio 4 show 'Any Questions?' will be
broadcast live from Longley Park 6th Form college Drama Studio on the evening of May 22nd 2009.

This is your chance to participate in a National favourite radio programme!
Your question could be put to politicians and VIP's.

Tickets are now available on a first-come-first-served basis. To book a
ticket please e-mailAQ@longleypark.ac.uk or telephone 01142 625757.

Please note that no one under age 14 can be allowed in the audience and a
limit of 2 tickets per applicant applies. For further details please visit
http://www.bbc.co.uk/anyquestions

Arrive from 6.45 and no later than 7.15. Programme broadcast at 7.30pm on Radio 4 followed by the Any Answers phone in.

Mark Thomas says "Vote Green"

2009-04-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

Very pleased my favourite comedian has endorsed the Green Party- thanks Mark- and glad you like the sandals!

You can see Mark at Sheffield Memorial Hall on June 1st.

More local renewables

2009-04-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

It's encouraging to see the new bungalows and apartments on the Wybourn are going to have lots of eco friendly features- solar panels and green roofs. They are being built on the corner of Manor Oaks Road and Manor Oaks Place. See the Sheffield Telegraph for more details However many other buildings are still being built around the city with very little concern for the environment.

If the Greens were in power all new homes would be designed for low energy use and the installation of solar panels on all new buildings would be mandatory. We would encourage the conservation of resources by removing VAT from insulation and would make more grants available for measures that reduce energy loss from houses.

Water-saving devices would be fitted in all new and renovated buildings. We would
protect the countryside and urban open spaces by introducing independent environmental impact assessments when development is proposed on greenfield
sites. We would make the planning system more democratic and accessible to people.

We would make funding available to local authorities so they can provide good and well-maintained council houses. The Green Party is opposed to the privatisation of ownership and/or management of social housing and we are against the transfer of council housing to ALMOs (Arms Length Management Organisations) because the system provides inadequate representation for tenants. When an ALMO exists, the Green Party will seek to ensure that tenants are able to participate meaningfully in its management, and, that the housing is returned to local authority control should the majority of tenants wish it. Public services, such as council housing, should not be funded through private finance, eg the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) because of the burden to society in the longer term. George Monbiot recently wrote a particularly damming article about how we the taxpayers are being fleeced by PFI's especially the new one to widen the M25-"the biggest weirdest rip off yet". In Sheffield the Council and the Government have just agreed a massive PFI to upgrade the cities roads, despite opposition from the Green Councillors.The 25 year contract is ridiculous when climate change is forcing us to rethink the way we travel, and the scheme will cost us the tax payers far more than if we paid for it outright in the first place.

Ian Tomlinson RIP

2009-04-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

This video shows the events that led to the death of Ian Tomlinson. Having witnessed similar police behaviour at the demo against the G8 meeting in Sheffield, where I experienced a "kettle" I am afraid it comes as no surprise to me. I hope the investigation will reveal the truth and the identity of the ruthless bully who should be arrested immediately. See fellow blogger Jim Jay's comments on this.

G20 protests in London

2009-04-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

I wasn't at the protests this week in London, but it is clear there has been an awful lot of misrepresentation of events about it in the press. This video clearly shows how the police penned in protesters, using truncheons and shields to batter protesters. This wasn't at the site where anarchists smashed a window at RBS, but was at the peaceful climate camp demo. Protesters were penned in for 7 hours, with no access to food, water or toilets. It seems to me that most of the extremists on the video are wearing police riot kit.

See the Green Party website for more details.

New wind turbine

2009-03-31T11:58:00.000-07:00

It's encouraging to see the arrival of the first wind turbine on the new City College site at Granville Road- I believe this is the first wind turbine in Manor Castle ward. It will power the ventilation for the new building, and will be followed by three much larger turbines on the college roof. You can also see the sedum roof on the new nursery, which changes colour with the seasons. It warmly insulates the building and provides a living habitat for birds and insects, and soaks up the rain preventing so much run off to the drains. Hopefully these wind turbines will help to dispel some of the many myths that are regularly used to argue against wind turbines- if you believe the anti wind campaigners the students will need to be issued with earplugs when they come for lectures!

Council Pay Cuts

2009-03-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

This has been sent to the local press.

Dear Editor

Andy Shallice (20 March 2009) and the staff from Sharrow School have made
an excellent case against the draconian pay cuts that Sheffield City Council
are trying to impose on some workers. Sheffield Green Party
are very concerned that some of the lowest paid council workers seem set
to lose out. These include lunch time supervisors, school crossing patrols,
council transport and Streetforce workers. We support the principle of equal
pay for women and a unified approach to pay and grading across the council.
The problem comes when "equalising" pushes some employees down rather than up.

In the case of school staff, teachers and non-teaching staff work as a
team, all equally committed to the children's well being and learning. We
support school workers because they do vital and responsible jobs. We
know that head teachers and school governors are trying to
deal with the effects on existing workers- they don't want to
have to manage a demoralised and demotivated staff. Any agreement should
also take into account the position of new staff coming into these jobs. We
urge workers in all departments to seek advice from a Trade Union, even if
they have not been members until now.

As a national party, we see this in the wider context. Nationally Labour
has encouraged a system where people in the private sector, including
bankers and chief execs of formerly publicly owned utilities, earn hundreds
of thousands. Meanwhile most public sector wages, the minimum wage and the
state old age pension remain pitifully low. Inequalities between rich and
poor widened dramatically under Mrs Thatcher's Conservative Government and
have got even worse under New Labour. Inequality harms our society and has
created poverty that people struggle to escape from, resulting in crime, mental illness and ill health. The gap between the best and worst paid council employees should be narrowed, not widened. Nationally the Green Party proposes a Living Wage, where everyone would be guaranteed a minimum income. Such a scheme would narrow the gap between rich and poor and create a better, healthier, happier society for all.

Yours sincerely

Graham Wroe
Sheffield Green Party

Blowing in the wind

2009-03-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

Today's announcement from the RSPB that they will not contest windfarm developments that are not in "sensitive" areas is to be warmly welcomed. As the windiest country in Europe we should not be in the relegation zone with one of the lowest contributions to the energy mix from windpower. I am on record as advocating Skye Edge, in my own "backyard" as an excellent site for a windfarm. We have got to start winning the arguments against the Nimby's because climate change isn't just threatening our view, it is threatening the very survival of most of the species on the planet- and among those I include humankind. Included in the nimby's is Hillsborough MP Angela Smith, who has just launched an objection to the Sheephouse Heights windfarm proposal on the Barnsley/ Sheffield border.She reminds me of the woman on the Age of Stupid, who after winning her battle against a wind farm, was asked if she cares about climate change. "Of course I do" she lied, smiling all over her face. So now with the support of the RSPB, perhaps the UK will start to climb out of the relegation zone of wind power electricity production.

The Age of Stupid

2009-03-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

The Age of Stupid: final trailer Feb 2009 from Age of Stupid on Vimeo.

The Age of Stupid opens in Sheffield at the Showroom this weekend. Don't miss it!

The Age of Stupid: Mark Lynas at Fundraiser from Age of Stupid on Vimeo.

New City College Building

2009-03-15T11:18:00.001-07:00

I had a very interesting visit round the building site of the new City (formerly Castle) College on Friday. It really will be an impressive building when it's finished. The atrium will be cathedral like in its proportions, and reminds me of Sheffield's other excellent piece of modern architecture, the Winter Gardens. The new nursery is already in action- you may have noticed the new green roofed building near the tram stop, whose roof changes colour with the seasons.Other parts of the new college are due to open very soon. This will allow for some of the current buildings like the canteen, to be demolished, so the new build can progress nearer Granville Road. Green features such as the wind turbines and the sedum roof are going ahead as planned. The toilets will be flushed with rainwater, collected in tanks underneath the building. This system will be connected to a new lake, very near Granville Road. This will be one of the last features to be built, along with the new sports hall.

The new facilities for training in catering look magnificent and should make City College the leading institution in the country for aspiring chefs. What disappoints me is there is no sign yet of an expansion in the curriculum in the vital area of green technology. If this country is to lead the fight against climate change we should be training an army of plumbers,planners, builders etc with the skills the country needs to fit renewable energy like solar panels, ground source heat pumps and wind turbines. Retrofitting our current housing stock with insulation, so that it at least meets current building regulations (which are in themselves far too lax) is a vital job our current builders are not currently trained to do. If you want to find out how to make your house more energy efficient, visit the South Yorkshire Energy Centre at Heeley City Farm where you will find comprehensive information- but if you don't want to "do it yourself" you may have great difficulty in finding a builder who understands how to make a 1900's terrace house with no cavity walls energy efficient. So I hope the Learning and Skills Council will soon realise that we have a massive training gap and encourage the FE Colleges to start to fill it. And I hope the Government will start to splash some of the dosh it seems all too happy to bail out the banks with, in investing in a sustainable future for our country.

More images of the station protest

2009-03-10T15:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ange for these photos

Green New Deal Conference

2009-03-05T13:02:00.000-08:00

Soundclips from the conference are now available on indymedia
So if you missed this inspirational day, or want to catch up on the workshops you couldn't get to, do have a listen here.

New hope for Park Hill and new hope for Sheffield

2009-03-02T14:03:00.000-08:00

Better news today for Park Hill It seems public investment has been brought forward to save the refurbishment of Sheffield's Park Hill complex.

Also good news was the tremendous conference I attended on Saturday. Organised by Sheffield Campaign against Climate Change, the 130 delegates brought together an amazing amount of energy and enthusiasm, all determined to bring about a Green New Deal for Sheffield. The Green New Deal was formulated by the New Economics Foundation, and in a nutshell is about investing money in reducing our carbon footprint, to protect us from the triple whammy of climate change, peak oil and the credit crunch and at the same time providing thousands of new jobs.Unlike other conferences I have sometimes been to, this was not just a talking shop. It was the start of what will undoubtedly be a long process, but the day was geared around working up realistic policies that can be implemented by the City Council, local businesses or communities.
Ideas will be fed into documents like Sheffield's Economic Masterplan, and we can use the powers of the Sustainable Communities Act to make ideas become reality.
One of my favourite ideas were following the Kirklees model for insulating homes and providing solar energy.
It was also very encouraging to hear Professor M Dharmadasa, who has been beavering away at Hallam University, researching into how solar photovoltaics can be made with an extremely thin film of solar cells. His invention should be being widely celebrated in Sheffield and throughout the world- it could be one of the most important inventions of the decade, as it will make pv far more affordable.

Station Protest

2009-02-28T12:18:00.001-08:00

Here's a selection of photos from Fridays march. Thanks to underclassrising.net for these. Many thanks to all who came. It was a very successful protest, and was good to see a good representation from all 3 political parties, Labour, Lib Dem and Greens, as well as the local residents group RASC. We got coverage on Look North, Radio Sheffield, Sheffield Star and Radio Hallam. (anywhere else?) Special thanks to Chris McMahon for his splendid renditions of Another Brick in the Wall and This Bridge is Our Bridge! Thanks to to all the organisers. Work now starts on the next protest- and another motion goes to full council on Wednesday proposing an all party delegation to see Geoff Hoon, the Transport Minister. With all the Sheffield MP's opposing this I can't see why they can't persuade him to step in and alter the franchise so that EMT don't have to install the barriers. If you haven't yet signed the petition to Geoff Hoon, please do so now. It is currently on 1157 signatures.

Put away your weapons.

2009-02-25T13:23:00.000-08:00

I am very concerned by the story on the front page of today's Star, Riot cops at school. What is even more concerning are the provocative comments that follow the article. It is clear that some people are eager to provoke violence. I am very happy to live on a multi cultural street. It is one of the things that makes this part of Sheffield so good. We must ensure that those trying to stir up violence are put in there place. An eye for an eye leads to the whole world going blind. Youth of Manor and Darnall, please be sensible- put away your weapons, keep calm. If you have witnessed incidents, report what you saw to the police. But don't try and get revenge, that will only make things far worse.

On a much happier note, there is good coverage on the plans for Sheaf Valley Park in the Yorkshire Post. I would like to say a big thank you to the hard working Friends group that have got us this far. It will be exciting to see how the park develops. It makes the campaign against barriers at the station even more important, because what will be the point of a city centre park if you can't walk to it through the station? Office workers in the city centre need green spaces to escape to in the lunch hour. They wouldn't have time to walk right round Park Square, but could use the train footbridge if it's not cordoned off with barriers. Lets get a good turnout for the protest on Friday!

Reverend signs up for station march

2009-02-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

Jon McClure, front man of the Sheffield-based band Reverend and the Makers, has expressed his support for the campaign to resist the gating of Sheffield Station and for the demonstration on 27 Feb. (Meet from 3.45pm outside Sheffield City Hall, Barkers Pool)

He said "I have been following the campaign to retain public pedestrian access through the station. I fully support RASC (Residents Against Station Closure) in their efforts. I know that gating would cut off the community who live on the other side of the railway from the city centre. In particular it would pose difficulties for wheel chair users and for baby buggy users. East Midland Trains seem to be giving priority to income generation over social needs. I plan to attend the demonstration on 27 Feb."

Meanwhile the petition to Geoff Hoon has topped the 1000 mark and now includes Lib Dem leader and proud new dad Nick Clegg MP.

Whoes station? Our station!

2009-02-20T04:48:00.000-08:00

Next weeks demo at the station gets a good write up in today's Yorkshire Post.
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/localnews/Protesters-to-put-their-case.4992030.jp

The petition to Geoff Hoon has now reached 968 signatures. Please help us to top the 1000 mark this week! Go to http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?rasc

Credit Crunch hits Park Hill redevelopment

2009-02-19T01:51:00.000-08:00

According to today's Yorkshire Post public money is now required to bail out the Park Hill redevelopment. See http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Public-purse-hope-for-150m.4994487.jp This comes as no surprise but is another massive blow to our area. Lets hope Council leader Paul Scriven can persuade the Government to bail out Urban Splash. The worst possible option is for nothing to happen and to be left with the current mess of a building site indefinitely.
If you haven't seen the Urban Splash vision for Park Hill, do take a look at this clip.

City Road "Placemaking" workshops

2009-02-18T15:23:00.000-08:00

I had a letter today thanking me for my involvement in the City Road Placemaking Workshops.Unfortunately this was not very well publicised, so lots of people missed it. If you want to be kept informed about what is being planned for the City Road area I suggest you contact Alex Shilkoff Alexandra.Shilkoff@sheffield.gov.uk and /or Colin Barnes Colin.Barnes@sheffield.gov.uk.

The letter says "So much information came out of the workshops that we have quite a bit of analysis to do to make sure that the future plans reflect the themes and ideas that came out of the workshop sessions.It seems that there is the opportunity for lots of small changes that would make a big difference overall. Also a strong theme of having activities and events happening to get people out and about and mixing with neighbours came through."
Also enclosed in the letter was a postcard advertising this new site with some interesting photography of some of the characters in our area.
http://www.s2legends.co.uk/index.html

Green New Deal Conference

2009-02-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

Sheffield is hosting an exciting gathering this month.The Greens are supporting a conference organised by Sheffield Campaign Against Climate Change on February 28th to promote the Green New Deal. Green Party Councillors gained backing of the conference from Sheffield City Council at its meeting last Wednesday. A motion, supported by the Lib Dems, called on the Council to build on the decision last year to opt in to the Sustainable Communities Act.

The Green New Deal, which has been drawn up by the UK's leading green economists, calls for government action to create thousands of new jobs in the green sector through a scheme to insulate every home in the country and produce clean renewable energy in every local community.

Speakers at the conference include Colin Hines (Green New Deal Group/New Economics Foundation, Greenpeace International), Larry Elliott (Green New Deal Group, Economics Editor of the Guardian, (tbc), Dr.Fazlun Khalid, Director Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Ecological Sciences (IFEES),and Miriam Kennet Green Economics Institute.

Sheffield Green Party co-chair David Hayes said, SCACC are the first group in this country to follow President Obama's lead in holding a conference on a Green New Deal. Sheffield needs a long term strategy that uses its manufacturing base to build systems and components for the growing renewable energy sector. We need training in "green sector" skills to install and maintain systems as well as creating jobs immediately in insulating homes"

City Road Corridor consultation

2009-02-07T08:54:00.000-08:00

Today I've been to a consultation about the City Road corridor.You can read more here
There are some great ideas around, and it will be interesting to see how many of them come to fruition. The numbers at the meeting were however disappointing when you consider the size of the area in question, which is equivalent to a small town.

One of the most popular ideas is to plant lots of fruit trees along the corridor. I think this will be great, as long as the Council can find the money in the budget to maintain them and protect them from vandals. They will be an excellent source of free food for the community! Many of our cities trees are in a very poor state of health, and we need a massive planting scheme to start to replace the ones that will soon have to be felled.

On traffic many people at the consultation thought that it was no good trying to slow traffic on City Road. I disagree. There have been many accidents on City Road and it is a residential street. I would like to see a blanket 20mph speed limit for the whole area. But if this is unpopular at least the side streets should all be 20mph. I again raised the issue of the traffic lights at the junction of Bernard Street and Duke Street, by the Trades and Labour Club/New Inn. These lights really should include a pedestrian crossing.Pedestrians should not have to risk life and limb every time they cross the road.

The major problem that needs addressing is the lack of useful shops. We have plenty of fast food outlets and takeaways, but there is nowhere to buy an apple or a potato! Hopefully investment in the area may attract new shopkeepers.

New walking routes to connect the various green spaces are to be encouraged, and it will be good to have a new entrance to Deep Pits park, next to the old Travellers pub, which I gather is to become a shop with apartments.

Cosmetic features like signposting, floodlighting etc will improve the area but wont bring regeneration on there own. The key will be to attracting sustainable local businesses that can provide for the needs of the local people.

Station Demo

2009-02-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

Here's another poster to print off to advertise the demo.To download an A4 sized poster click here.

Demonstration, Friday February 27th

2009-01-26T13:49:00.000-08:00

Please download this leaflet, distribute it to friends and put on noticeboards. There is an A4 version and a 2xA5 version that will need cutting. RASC are also looking for musicians to entertain the crowds between the speeches. If you are interested in this please let me know.

Well done Tony Benn!

2009-01-25T04:38:00.000-08:00

Well done Tony Benn for doing the BBC's job for them!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E21MdXe3BOQIf you agree with Tony Benn and I, that the BBC should have broadcast the Disasters Emergency Committees appeal, then please sign this petition.

More publicity for Station campaign

2009-01-08T07:15:00.000-08:00

Forge Today an on-line magazine for Sheffield students, have published an article about the station campaign.http://newsforgetoday.blogspot.com/

There has also been further publicity in the Star, with Action Desk editor David Walsh saying the issue is about to explode in 2009. He may be right as EMT still seem resolute to press ahead with the barriers despite the united opposition of all the political parties on the Council, the local residents, SYPTE, the Civic Trust, Urban Splash and disabled groups like Sheffield Transport 4 all. People are now very angry with East Midlands Trains inability to recognise that they have made a mistake. Rail Journal Chief Executive Anthony Smith recently commented "Clearly it (gating) is not going to work in Sheffield, and they should just drop it, get it out of the franchise. It was daft. It was wrong". The next Residents Against Station Closure meeting is at Victoria Methodist Church, Stafford Road on Tuesday 13th January at 6.30pm. Please come along with ideas on how we can increase the pressure on East Midlands Trains to change their mind. If you haven't yet signed the petition to Geoff Hoon, please do so now, and get your friends to sign too.

Sheffield Troublemakers

2009-01-07T12:41:00.000-08:00

I am currently convalescing and am managing to catch up with some of my reading. I have really enjoyed reading David Price's book, Sheffield Troublemakers Rebels and Radicals in Sheffield History. George III described Sheffield as a 'damned bad place' at a time when the town was notorious for radical agitation. This book traces this radical tradition right up to the 1980s, when David Blunkett's Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire fought Mrs Thatcher. The book tells of dramatic events - the burning of the vicar's Broomhall residence, Samuel Holberry's attempted Chartist uprising, the 'Sheffield outrages' of the 1860s, John Ruskin's Communist experiment in Totley, the Sheffield mass trespass and the raising of the red flag over the town hall in 1981 and the planned attack on St Mary's Bramall Lane, now home to Sheffield Green Fair.It mentions 2 demos that I remember well- the Cutlers Feast, where we barracked Mrs Thatcher outside the Cutlers Hall in 1983 and the March against the Cuts, also in the Thatcher 80's.

The book includes many colourful personalities, such as Joseph Gales, a brilliant newspaper editor who fled to America; Mary Anne Rawson, an impassioned anti-slavery campaigner; John Arthur Roebuck, a radical MP who brought down the government; Edward Carpenter, a socialist prophet and gay pioneer; Father Ommanney, whose ritualism outraged Protestants, J.T. Murphy, who fraternised with Lenin and Stalin; and Ethel Haythornthwaite, who fought to save the countryside.

I found the local references particularly interesting. Skye Edge used to be used as a meeting place for Chartist rebels. Shrewsbury Hospital on Norfolk Road, used to be the home of Ted Wickham, who pioneered Sheffield Industrial Mission. GHB Ward grew up in the Park area and, like me, was formerly a Sunday School teacher at St John's Church, Park. Also like me he was driven out of the church by the vicar, who disagreed with his politics. He then went on to found the Sheffield Clarion Ramblers who led the struggle for access to the local countryside.

The book is valuable historically in describing the important part played in Britain's radical history by this great Northern city, with its dissenting middle classes, its independent-minded artisans, its championship of the weak against the strong and its unwillingness to be pushed around.

The only disappointment with the book is its weak conclusion, which can only quote the "City of Sanctuary" and "Closing the Gap" (now abolished by the Lib Dems) policies of the city as hope for the future of Sheffield radicalism. I certainly see the growth and success of the Green Party as being part of that radicalism, and in particular some of the heroes of recent years, such as Jenny Hales, who campaigned for peace in Iraq in both Iraq wars, Deacon Dave who has just returned from Palestine and the Greenpeace protesters who shut down the old incinerator, painting Toxic Crime on the chimney.The radical tradition is still very much alive in Sheffield, and long may it continue!

Why is climate change such a threat?

2009-01-03T03:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Here is a very helpful animation about why climate change is now such a terrible threat to the planet.Please watch it, then decide on some simple actions you can take to reduce your carbon footprint. Even better, join the Green Party and help us make Sheffield a planet friendly city!

Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip from Leo Murray on Vimeo.

Happy Christmas to all

2008-12-22T12:23:00.000-08:00

Help Save Santa!

Petition Geoff Hoon

2008-12-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

The Sheffield Station barrier campaign RASC is now targetting Geoff Hoon, the Secretary of State for Transport, in the hope that he will intervene and force East Midlands Trains to listen to the people of Sheffield. Please sign this on-line petition and ask all your friends to do the same.
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/rasc/petition.html

Park Hill in the Observer

2008-12-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who turned up at the protest yesterday.There was an interesting article in the Observer about Park Hill flats and Doug Bell managed to get a comment published about East Midlands Trains plans to install barriers at the station (scroll down to the second letter).

I would be interested to hear where people think we should go next with the station campaign. We have the overwhelming support of all the political organisations in the city, yet EMT are still planning to go ahead with barriers. Democracy seems to have failed in this case.How can we make EMT listen to the people?

Picket the station tomorrow

2008-12-04T12:54:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest press release from RASC. Hope to see you tomorrow at the picket of the station, from 4.30-5.30pm.

Residents against Station Closure Press Release
2nd December 2008
For immediate release

EAST MIDLANDS TRAINS REFUSE TO ANSWER PROTESTERS QUESTIONS

At the latest consultation meeting between East Midlands Trains and those objecting to the imposition of barriers to Sheffield Station, East Midlands Trains agreed to answer questions about the proposed new pass that will supposedly entitle local residents to free passage through the station. Residents put their heads together and came up with a list of nearly 100 questions and concerns about the proposed scheme. (see below) Instead of answering the questions East Midlands have replied that they will only answer 5 or up to a maximum of 10 questions as they do not have the capacity to respond. If they have not got the capacity to think this proposal through to ensure it is workable before they install barriers they will not have capacity to set up and maintain the pass system. Sheffield Council has not yet decided how to respond as all of the questions are relevant. EMT are expecting the city to relinquish a vital piece of pedestrian infrastructure on the assurance that walkers will maintain the level of access we currently enjoy via the use of a smart card. It therefore seems reasonable that the residents should be assured that such a system has been adequately thought through and issues addressed before they go ahead.

Geraldine Roberts of RASC commented " This is yet another example of EMT copping out of taking any responsibility for putting a serious case forward. Mr Kelly wants us to simplify what is, even if they do not realise it, a very complex subject."

Meanwhile the Transport Minister Geoff Hoon has been to Sheffield Station and was met by Richard Caborn MP and Councillor Jan Wilson who showed him the rear entrance and explained how this is a vital pedestrian route for both local residents and the regeneration of the city. With Urban Splash currently working on the redevelopment of the flats and plans going ahead to redevelop Sheaf Valley Park, the installation of barriers would be a significant blow to the area.

Opposition to the barriers is still growing. The latest vote on the City Council website has 94% against the installation of barriers. There is a Facebook group of 500 members and an impressive group of supporters including

Chamber of Commerce - Sheffield
Creative Sheffield
English Heritage
Friends of Cholera Monument Grounds and Claywood
Friends of Sheaf Valley Park
Manor Castle Green Party
Manor and Castle Development Trust
Manor Castle and Woodthorpe Area Panel
Sheffield Campaign Against Climate Change
Sheffield City Council- Unanimous motions agreed 3 9 08 and 5 11 08
Sheffield Green Party
Sheffield Labour Party
Sheffield Liberal Democrats
Sheffield Civic Trust
Sheffield College- Castle Centre
Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield Pensioners Action Group (SPAG)
Sheffield Transport 4 All
Sheffield Wild Life Trust
Shopmobility
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.
Urban Splash
Victoria Community Enterprise
Victoria Environment Group

Julie Smethurst, Chair of Sheffield Transport 4 All, said: "Disabled people, and anyone with a communication, sensory or dexterity difficulty, has much to be concerned about with regard to the potential barriers. We would hope that East Midlands Trains would take proper account of our numerous concerns before they install anything. One of the joys of the pedestrian route through the station has been its accessibility and ease of use for disabled people, and it is a sad prospect that man-made barriers should be introduced into what has so far been an excellent, barrier-free area".

RASC are organising a protest at the station this Friday,
December 5th from 4.30pm.

ENDS

Appendix

Questions for East Midlands Trains on the Sheffield “Gate Pass”

A : General

1. Has a scheme such as this giving timed access, been introduced elsewhere? Has EMT done anything like this before?
2. As the gates are supposed to be compatible with the tram tickets What prevents someone buying the cheapest tram ticket, entering the station and getting on a train whenever they wish?
3. How will intending passengers arriving by the back entrance buy a train ticket? Will such people be allowed free access to reach the ticket office if they do not hold a Gate Pass?
4. How can EMT guarantee that the Gate Pass system will continue indefinitely? It is bound to be expensive and difficult to administer. There is a major concern that barriers will be installed, the scheme will operate for a short while, be found to be unworkable and then removed, thus denying all pedestrian access to the station.

B : Issue of passes

1. How will people be informed that they are entitled to apply for a pass? Will EMT put large notices up at the front and back of the station detailing eligible groups?
2. How will Gate Passes be issued and distributed and how long will that take from application? Is there an application form?
3. Will there be a cost to applicants?
4. Who will process applications and issue passes?
5. Will Gate Passes only be issued to users who register with a name and address?
6. As these passes will be issued to an individual because EMT want to use them to monitor patterns of use and spot fraud, what forms of identification will you require?
7. How will you safeguard and return personal documents?
8. What checks are proposed on the validity of applicants’ data?
9. Will there be any control on multiple or duplicate applications?
10. Are Gate Passes to be transferable in respect of use?
11. Will the Gate Passes be live on despatch to the user, or will some other form of enablement be needed?
12. Would the passes have photos on? What other information would be visible on the pass? What information would be contained in the magnetic strip?
13. How would you define "a demonstrable link to Sheffield"? e.g. what about parents of students who have come to study in Sheffield. Could they apply? This could this mean that if you could be getting requests for passes from parents, siblings, children of students from anywhere in the country. How would you respond to that?
14. Who would have access to the data produced by the passes?
15. Will there be some form of Help Desk?

C Duration of the pass

1. Will the Gate Passes have an expiry date? If so, how frequently will they need to be renewed? What is the process for extension or renewal?
2. Many of the users of the station are students at school, college or university on both sides of the footbridge. This population will change to some extent every year. Will student passes be issued for the length of their attendance at the local institution or be issued every year or be valid indefinitely?

D Stopped passes

1. Under what circumstances would Gate Passes be stopped?
2. What will the mechanism be for stopping Gate Passes?
3. What would a holder do on finding their Gate Pass stopped?

E Lost, stolen or out of date passes

1. What will be the policy be on replacement of lost Gate Passes? Will lost passes be replaced?
2. How quickly would lost passes be replaced?
3. If someone used some else’s pass and then abused its use, what would be done?
4. If a pass was stolen, would EMT be able to cooperate with the police and catch the person using the pass?

F Time limits and re-entry

1. How long will people be allowed in the station before they are deemed to be a fare dodger? What if someone is meeting someone from a train and it is delayed? Or they are helping someone on a train and it is delayed? Or they arrive very early to meet someone from a train?
2. Will the gates exercise “pass-back” control on Gate Passes – i.e. prevent a repeated entry or exit within a specified time period?
3. If transit of the station is to be undertaken within a time limit from entry, will exit be prevented outside that time limit?
4. What sanction will apply to users exceeding the time limit and how would that be enforced?
5. What sanctions will be taken against Gate Pass users without entry and exit validations that correspond?
6. Is there any reason why a Gate Pass holder should not use it to enter or leave the station when they have another valid travel authority that does not work the gates - noting that there are a number of these?
7. What pass-back control will apply on tickets other than Gate Passes?
8. Will this allow exit and re-entry, such as for customers entering by the tram stop access who want to use the facilities on the other side of the station before returning to the platforms?
9. Will the barrier software allow exit and re-entry by passengers who are interchanging at Sheffield and wish to use the station facilities?
10. What would happen if there was a fault in the machinery so it didn't check someone out as they leave the station? Could they be accused of fare dodging? How could they prove that the machine wasn't working properly?
11. If someone walks through the station several times in one day, could the machines misinterpret the data and think someone is fare dodging?

G Compatibility

1. Will holders of SYPTE Senior Citizen travel passes have automatic access, since they can travel free on Northern Rail trains within the region?
2. Will Gate Passes be solely for use as Gate Passes or can they be used for other applications?
3. If Gate Passes can also be used for travel, and passes intended for travel can be used as Gate Passes, how will the gates distinguish between an entry or exit in connection with a journey and transit across the station?

H Disability Discrimination Questions

1. What monitoring has been carried out to measure the number of disabled passengers, in terms of numbers and percentages? What reports have been produced – and please will EMT provide copies?
2. How will the proposals provide access for occasional visitors to those people holding passes?
3. Where EMT says they will allow “mobility-impaired non-rail users (defined in a broad way)” to use the station without a pass, how will it be determined whether someone falls into this category or not?
4. Will it be down to the judgment of individual station staff?
5. If so, how will staff be trained in make these judgments?
6. How broad is the definition – will people with other disabilities fall into this category? (e.g. people with mental health problems or learning disabilities, who may need to use the direct route through the station)
7. If the definition includes people with all relevant disabilities, how will station staff judge people with these (invisible) disabilities?
8. How will people know how to get through the station this way?
9. What provision will there be for disabled people who don’t speak English as a first language – especially if staff are being asked to judge, say, disabled people with learning disabilities?
10. How many people do they expect to fall into the category of being able to go through the station without a pass or ticket? What evidence is this estimate based on?
11. What provision is expected for people who need to collect disabled people from the platform – e.g. someone collecting their elderly mother who has come from Edinburgh?
12. What measures would be put in place to cover the fact that sometimes a disabled traveller would be using their pass as a key to get through the station and sometimes as a ticket for local travel e.g. train to Doncaster or Leeds?
13. in relation to disabled people finding and operating the terminals (wheelchair users, those with manual dexterity issues, cognitive/learning/mental health issues, blind and partially sighted people, deaf/hearing impaired people)?
14. in terms of the impact on these groups of implementing such a system. Are there plans for an impact assessment, risk assessment, health and safety assessment?
15. in terms of sufficient time to navigate through automatic gates (a blind person or someone with a mobility impairment may need longer to get through the actual gate and way find to the other set of gates?)
16. Will the manually controlled free access to be offered to the “mobility impaired” extend to those who have ticket types which do not work the gates?

I Cost

1. How much would it cost to implement such a scheme?
2. How many Gate Passes do EMT envisage having to produce?
3. How long will the scheme take to break even (i.e. save more money from stopping fare dodging than investing in the new system?)
4. If the capital planned to invest in this new system (£1.2 million for the gates + whatever the cost of the Gate Pass system) was used to employ more ticket inspectors, how many ticket inspectors could be employed for the remainder of EMT's franchise?

J Relationship with ITSO and Yorcard

1. What type of ITSO based smartcard is to be used?

2. Is there confidence that an ITSO based scheme will be fit for purpose

3. If they are branded as or linked to Yorcard, can they be used in the same way as other Yorcards?

4. Can a Yorcard issued by other parties be used as a Gate Pass?

5. When is EMT going to issue its own ITSO smartcards for rail travel as in the franchise agreement?

6. Will these EMT smartcards be administered separately from Yorcard?

7. What rail travel products will EMT be offering on Smartcards?Will these also be available on Yorcards?

8. Will they be available on ENCTS ITSO cards (national bus pass scheme or the Scottish and Welsh equivalents)?

9. Will ITSO cards issued under the ENCTS (but not Scotland or Wales) function as Gate Passes, as they are valid on Sheffield Supertram?

10. Will holders of ENCTS passes that are not on ITSO cards (note this includes all those issued in London, and some others) be allowed through the station to access the Supertram?

11. What products will require entry and/or exit validation at Sheffield?

12. Will any of these cards also serve as Sheffield Gate Passes?

13. If so, how will this be administered and the Pass enabled on the card?

14. Can the Sheffield Gate Passes also be used for rail travel?

Monbiot's manifesto

2008-12-02T14:59:00.000-08:00

George Monbiot has written an excellent article in todays Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/02/climate-change-lord-turner
He paints a very worrying picture, with evidence that run-away global warming has already begun. "In 2007 methane levels in the atmosphere, which had previously levelled off, began rising again. The most likely reason is that the Siberian permafrost is melting, as a result of the runaway warming of the Arctic. This wasn't supposed to begin for another 80 years. The great global meltdown appears to have started".

Monbiot urges cuts in greenhouse gases by roughly 25% from current levels by the end of 2012 - a quarter in four years. And he has worked out how this could be possible, including support for the Green New Deal Lord Turner's proposals are clearly not strong enough. We can't risk destroying our planet by continuing to do so little about the urgent climate crisis. Climate Change is no longer an environmental issue, it is a security issue, as our very survival depends on us responding to stop it. It should be given a far higher priority than the so called "war on terror". Then we may start to move in the right direction.

City of Sanctuary First Anniversary

2008-11-25T12:17:00.000-08:00

Please support this excellent event on Saturday. Wonderful music from East Handed and Body of Sound.Asylum Dialogues should prove to be interesting. Gondwanasound broadcast African music on Sheffield Live! and there's also some West African dancing.

Station Barriers

2008-11-18T13:02:00.000-08:00

There was an excellent article on BBC Look North tonight about the new barriers at Leeds not working properly. They were tipped off by viewers that any ticket with a magnetic stripe would open the barriers. So a reporter travelled from York to Leeds with a 4 day old ticket (and a current one in case she got caught). When the ticket inspector came down the train she visited the loo, so wasn't spotted. On arriving at Leeds station the old ticket did indeed open the barrier. It also spits the ticket back out to you so you can use it again! The spokesperson from Northern Rail who has installed the barriers claimed this was just a teething problem- but I'm not convinced he wasn't covering up a much bigger problem.

I need to make clear the RASC campaign does not support fare dodgers- indeed we want the trains to improve their fare collecting systems so they don't have to keep putting the fares up. But we don't want any system to prevent people walking through the station which is now a vital pedestrian route for a very large number of people.

The BBC particularly requested viewers comments about the barriers, so please email harry.gration@ bbc.co.uk or christa.ackroyd@ bbc.co.uk and tell them about the Sheffield fiasco.

There is now a Facebook group called "Keep Sheffield Station open to the Public". Please join this and get all your friends to join too.

Privatisation and PFI meeting this Thusday

2008-11-16T14:51:00.000-08:00

Please come along to a public meeting on the effects of the credit crunch and privatisation on the local economy, organised by Sheffield Green Party, will be held on Thursday Nov 20th at the Quaker Meeting House. The Green Party has strongly opposed the “creeping privatisation” of services like education and the NHS and is actively involved in Sheffield Communities Against Post Office Closures.

The key speaker will be Adrian Ramsay, the national party’s Deputy Leader, and Leader of the Opposition on Norwich City Council. At just 27 years old, he is also tipped to be one of the first Green MPs, having been selected to run against Charles Clarke MP in Norwich South Constituency.

Sheffield Green Party chair David Hayes said, “Privatisation benefits big business, not the ordinary people who depend on once publicly-owned services. Private Finance Initiative projects have been shown to be a very bad deal. There are examples of schools built under PFI lying empty but still paying cleaning and heating costs. In Sheffield, the 35-year waste contract with Veolia has left us having to pay extra for recycling and the Council is pressing ahead with a Highways PFI. Our Post Offices are now under threat because the Government puts the cost of running them above the public service they perform, despite finding tens of billions to bail out the banks.

In Sheffield we have already seen many of the schools rebuilt using PFI money- a decision that is bound to haunt us in the future. And now the roads are being improved with a similar scheme. Come and find out how the Greens plan to stop mortgaging our future and build a sustainable future by investing wisely in public services.

Parking restrictions

2008-11-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

I continue to correspond with council officers regarding the new traffic restrictions. Here is the latest.People who have followed my campaigning will know I have been lobbying for many years to improve the safety of the 5 way junction between Stafford, Fitzwalter and Glencoe Roads. Making one side of Fitzwalter Road double yellow will I fear, result in traffic reaching much higher speeds on Fitzwalter Road, causing more danger at the 5 way junction. What do others think?
I wish the Council would talk about car crashes, not "vehicle conflicts"! I have still not discovered why this hasn't been discussed at the Area Panel.

Dear Simon Botterill

Please could you inform me of the Council's reasons for the new parking restrictions on the Stafford Road area? I am very supportive of any scheme that improves road safety, increase disabled access and encourages people to walk or use public transport. However I also think it is very important to consult with the local people before introducing such schemes. As an active member of the local community, attending Area Panel meetings and reading the local press, the first I heard of this scheme was a very uninformative notice on a lampost on Stafford Road. I only saw 2 such notices and the scheme covers 16 different roads. Lots of people asked me what the scheme involved, but I was not able to inform them until my wife went to the library to look at the plans for me. I hope any future planning issues in our area will involve real consultation with the residents.I have written about the scheme on my blog (I have failed to find anything about it on the Coucil website) and hope you will offer the Council viewpoint to inform my readers.

Many thanks

Graham Wroe

Dear Mr Wroe

Thank you for your email dated 6th November 2008, regarding the proposed Traffic Regulation Order affecting the Stafford Road area.

If I can first of all provide you with a brief overview of the scheme. It is an amalgamation of measures to address various parking problems reported by residents and commuters, as well as those observed and requested by Council officers. It features three key problem areas - Norfolk Park Road/Park Grange Road, Granville Road/Fitzwalter Road and Norfolk Road/Claywood Drive.

We have carried out detailed parking surveys, which have shown that these three areas are heavily parked in the day, which I believe is due to their close proximity to the City Centre, Sheffield College and Supertram. There is an additional increase in parked vehicles when Sheffield United are playing at home.

The proposed restrictions affecting Norfolk Park Road/Park Grange Road were decided upon after requests from local residents, commuters, Councillors and the Road Safety Team. This was due to the high volume of parked vehicles around Castle College and the Park Grange tram stop. This has lead to several pinch points being created at junctions and central islands, increasing the risk of vehicle conflicts, while creating a danger for pedestrians and cyclists. The proposed restrictions should alleviate these problems without affecting available on-street parking for residents, with some double yellow lines proposed to protect vehicle access points to communal parking areas.

With regards to the proposed double yellow lines on Granville Road, we are aware that parking is at a premium, so - without compromising road safety - we have generally only proposed restrictions at each junction along Granville Road. The exception is a 40 metre restricted length opposite the new vehicular entrance below the bridge that links the two campuses. This length of restriction will give increase visibility as well as creating a safe access to the college.

The double yellow lines at the junction of Farm Bank Road were requested by a disabled resident, who on occasions finds it almost impossible to cross the road due to inconsiderate parked vehicles, the original complaint was brought to our attention through an email from Cllr Jan Wilson. The double yellow lines proposed at each junction and the whole of the west side of Fitzwalter Road are intended to Increase visibility for drivers and pedestrians, while reducing the risk of vehicle conflict.

The proposed restrictions on Norfolk Road and Claywood Drive were determined after requests from local residents who were unable to gain access to their driveways and where concerned of the ‘gauntlet like’ run that had been created by excessive commuter parking. The proposed double yellow lines will provide vehicle passing places and ensure access to those driveways most affected by inconsiderately parked vehicles.

I have attached a drawing which shows the extent of the scheme. I hope this shows that we have tried not to be too draconian in our approach to double yellow lines but have tried to get the balance right with regards to road safety, residents' parking requirements and the need for spaces for commuters.

If you require any supplementary information, or wish to discuss the proposals further, then please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Regards,

Matt Longstaff
Highways Technician
Traffic Management
Transport and Highways Division
2-10 Carbrook Hall Road,
Sheffield, S9 2DB
(P) 0114 2736177
(F) 0114 2736182

Congratulations President Elect Obama!

2008-11-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

It's a great relief to know that the warmonger President Bush is soon to be replaced in the White House- and its a great historic day to be able to welcome the first black President of the United States. Barack Obama has immense challenges on his hands-continued war in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the financial crisis and looming recession, climate change and peak oil- any one of these would be a difficult enough problem for a new President. I believe he is serious in his plan to free the States from its addiction to oil and to cut greenhouse gases by 80% by 2050, although this may still not be enough to save the planet from catastrophic climate change. See his energy speech here on You Tube Unfortunately a bit like Gordon Brown and the Labour Party there are lots of contradictions in what he says- for instance massive expansion of biofuels is not going to help food prices and the millions across the planet that are already in extreme poverty. More investment in nuclear power is not a good idea. Support for the car industry should not be a high priority if he is serious about reducing emissions. But the emphasis on saving energy with more efficient buildings and massive investment in renewables is just what the planet doctor ordered!
Let's act quickly to make sure the people of the world are heard as Obama makes crucial choices in the coming days on how to live up to his campaign promises to secure a strong global treaty on climate change, ban torture and close Guantanamo prison, withdraw carefully from Iraq, and double aid to make global poverty history. Rarely has a US President been more likely to listen to us.
You can send a message to Obama here.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/million_messages_to_obama

Parking Restrictions

2008-10-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

Some residents have expressed concerns about notices in the area near Castle College about a planning application by the Council to impose prohibition of waiting and loading on many of the local streets.What is happening is that restrictions are being planned to stop cars parking near the junctions of these roads to improve road safety and disabled access.

As a member of staff at Castle College I recently received this email.

A residents story.......

"I live locally and have to travel down Granville Road in my wheelchair in order to get to town/the station/bus terminus etc.

Prior to leaving my home I start to develop butterflies because I dread that my path will be blocked by the way cars are parked on the local roads.

Three times in recent weeks as I have tried to squeeze between the cars and have fallen, the last time I fell on to the offending car hurting my knee.

The dropped kerbs on the corner of the roads that link Granville also get blocked which means that wheelchair-users cannot get past and sometimes I have to go back home!

I gave up again this week and have decided that apart from my voluntary work which I do on Fridays, I intend to stay at home because the challenge of the journeys is making me unhappy"

Clearly it is very important that something is done to improve this situation.

The Highway Code says
DO NOT stop or park

* near a school entrance
* anywhere you would prevent access for Emergency Services
* at or near a bus or tram stop or taxi rank
* on the approach to a level crossing/tramway crossing
* opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space
* near the brow of a hill or hump bridge
* opposite a traffic island or (if this would cause an obstruction) another parked vehicle
* where you would force other traffic to enter a tram lane
* where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair users and powered mobility vehicles
* in front of an entrance to a property
* on a bend
* where you would obstruct cyclists’ use of cycle facilities except when forced to do so by stationary traffic

So many vehicles are already regularly breaking the code. My particular nightmare when driving at the moment is turning right into Granville Road from Fitzwalter Road. There is often a big white van parked right on the corner, obscuring the view of traffic coming up Granville Road. By the time you can see what's coming you are in the middle of the road! It's an accident waiting to happen.

The roads affected by the new plans are Claywood Drive, Donnington Road, Essex Rd,Farm Bank Rd,Fitzwalter Rd,Granville Rd,Glencoe Rd, Holdings Rd, Ingram Rd, Norfolk Park Dr, Norfolk Rd, Park Grange Rd, Seabrook Rd, Park Grange Croft, Stafford Rd, Stafford Lane and Tylney Rd.

You can view the plans at the Central Library. Objections must be in by 31st October.

Although I am generally supportive of the plans there may be some problems in the detail- do let me know if you notice anything. One thing that has concerned me is the lack of consultation. Why wasn't this mentioned at the recent Area Panel meeting? Why are there so few notices? (The only ones I have seen have been on Stafford Road).When it all seems to be so secretive it is no wonder residents get suspicious.

Station Barriers battle continues.

2008-10-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

Today the Star reports on the recent meeting between Tim Shoveller of East Midlands trains and John Mothersole, the Chief Exec of the Council. See the story here.
http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Station-footbridge-row-concessions.4600223.jp
East Midlands trains seem to think they are offering "concessions", but they haven't budged an inch on our main objection to installing barriers to the station. They are proposing a system of passes, whereby local residents would still be able to walk through the station. However they don't say who will qualify as a local resident- but it is quite clear that this will not include everyone who currently uses the footbridge as a pedestrian route. For instance my children no longer live at home, but when they visit they always use that route to get to town.

The plans to improve Sheaf Valley Park,the green space immediately behind the station, and make this a part of the city centre regeneration will also be completely undermined by this scheme. The city centre sadly lacks green space. There are currently plans to improve the footpaths, making them disabled access friendly, install lighting and plant a great variety of new trees and bulbs. Workers in the city centre could escape here for a pleasant lunch break- but not if they can't get through the station to get there.

It is not clear how this pass system will work. Hard core fare dodgers will undoubtedly gain access to such passes and continue to dodge fares. Frustrated passengers who board a train at an unstaffed station, never see the conductor on the train and then can't be bothered to wait to pay for a journey they have already made, may be stopped by the barriers causing further delays to their journey. Surely it would be more efficient for both train passengers and fare collection to have enough conductors on the trains?

Elderly, disabled and parents with young children are still to be allowed through the barriers. How are these categories going to be defined? Surely this is discrimination against the fit and healthy? Will someone who is disabled (say with ME) have to prove they have this disability to get through? How old is old? And how young is young?

East Midlands trains have still not managed to offer us any statistics on how much revenue they are losing from fare dodging or how much will be saved from the barriers. The new pass scheme will obviously be expensive, as will the installation of the barriers. No one is saying we should go easy on fare dodgers- but I don't believe this is the best system to catch them. It will be less expensive, more productive in catching fare dodgers and far more popular with the many people that use this pedestrian route to employ more conductors and keep the station barrier free.

New website

2008-10-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

Residents Against Station Closure have launched a new website at http://www.rasc-sheffield.com/

Sheaf Valley Park consultation dates

2008-10-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

Here are the dates for the Sheaf Valley Park Consultations. Please go and see the plans and give your feedback. Share your views by commenting on this blog.

Mon 13 October Park Library 10.00 - 12.30 and 3pm - 6pm

Tues 14th October Train Station 8.30 - 10.00 and 4.00 - 6.00

Wed 15th October Train Station 8.30 - 10.00 and 4.00 - 6.00

Thurs 16th October Winter Gardens 11.00 - 3.00

Fri 17th October Winter Gardens 11.00 - 3.00

Mon 20th October Victoria Methodist Church 4.00 - 7.00

Tues 21st October Bard Street Community Centre 2.00 - 4.00

Sheaf Valley Park

2008-10-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

I went to a meeting this evening about the development of Sheaf Valley Park. I was quite encouraged, as it seems we are close to finding the money to create a well lit disabled access path from the tram stop to the new events arena, which will be carved out of the top of the hill, near Norfolk Road.There will be consultations on these plans, with a stall in the railway station and Winter Gardens soon. The main problem with the plans at present is they include chopping down about 40 trees (chestnuts and maples)to make way for the path. But these will be replaced with a great variety of trees, bringing much more colour and interest to the park.There is also a plan to invest in a spectacular display of bulbs, bringing a blaze of colour to the hillside.

I can't yet find the latest plans on the Council website, but will add a link here when I have it. Do have a look at the plans and tell the Council what you think.

One interesting talking point was the cobbles. Some people love this original feature, but they make the paths inaccessible for wheelchair users and difficult for buggies etc. The consensus of the meeting was to make a tarmac path wide enough for a wheelchair user at the side of the cobbles.

I was hoping the lighting might be powered from renewable sources such as solar or small wind turbines as you often now see on motorways. The budget does not stretch to that, but the lighting will be white light, not yellow, which will make the park look much more attractive.

The team are still hopeful that they may win further grants, but at the moment the money originally planned to build the terraces for the events arena is what is paying for the path and lighting. If more grants are forthcoming the terracing may be able to go ahead too. Work is expected to start on the scheme next spring. I certainly think the path and lighting should take priority.

Free Annociate

2008-09-13T03:59:00.000-07:00

My friend and former student Annociate was arrested yesterday and taken to Dungavel Detention Centre in Scotland. We fear she will soon be deported to Burundi, where her life would be in danger. I have created a new blog for the campaign to release her at http://freeannociate.blogspot.com/ Please visit the blog, e-mail or fax Liam Byrne, and join the campaign e-mail list by contacting me.

Conference

2008-09-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

I've just got back from the Green Party conference in London. There's been some good coverage of Caroline's election, and I don't think we could have chosen a more capable or inspirational leader. Have a look at her speech here.
I was particularly pleased that the motion on the "right to rent" got through. The Greens' new policy states that any house owner who could not pay their mortgage and is threatened with repossession would have the right to sell to the council and then continue to live in the property and pay rent. With so many people in Sheffield hit by the credit crunch this is a realistic solution.

The Greens now have a new home to bring together Green Bloggers. You can find it at http://greenpartyblogs.org.uk

Where are you on the Political Compass?

2008-08-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

I love this video!
http://www.youtube.com/user/legoactivist

If you're looking for an interesting website, do you know where you are on the political compass? I am proud of my position on the Libertarian Left, in the same quadrant as Mahatma Ghandi and Nelson Mandela! The political compass adds a new dimension to the traditional left -right political spectrum. The second dimension is Libertarian-Authoritarian. It is no real surprise to find both the Conservatives and Labour in the Authoritarian Right quadrant, and the Lib Dems quite near the middle but just in the Libertarian Right quadrant, along with Adam Smith and Milton Friedman. The BNP come out slightly left wing on the Left-Right access, but of course their racist policies put them as extreme authoritarians, in a similar position to Robert Mugabe and Nickolai Caucescu. The Greens are in the Libertarian Left quadrant. To find out where you are on the compass you just have to spend a few minutes answering some interesting questions. It's well worth a few minutes, and may make you rethink who you should be voting for!

Residents furious at continued proposals to "gate" the railway station.

2008-08-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

East Midlands Trains complain trains are too overcrowded for ticket collectors!

I joined a group of local people who represent a wide range of interests, such as access for people with disabilities, the City Council, SYPTE and local residents last week at the station. We met with 4 reps from East Midlands Trains (EMT)on Thursday 31st July. The group presented a united front and gave EMT a hard time about their proposal to install ticket barriers.

EMT claim that this will tackle fare “dodging” although they have no information on the current level. It was established early in the 2 hour meeting that EMT had no alternative suggestions to discuss other than the installation of gates. EMT insisted that this was consultation and they wanted to listen to local views but despite the total rejection of ticket barriers they had nothing else to offer. They managed to get the group to discuss other ways of solving their, unquantified, problem of fare evasion, but went on to reject all suggestions as unworkable. For instance the suggestion that they should put more staff on trains to collect fares was ruled out as impractical as trains were already "over- crowded, sometimes eight deep!"

The group was shown around the proposed sites for locating gates. The current plan is approximately thirteen barriers in the front hall consisting of 10 standard size and 3 wide aisle to be located between the arches and probably 5 at the back entrance, two standard size going in, and two standard size going out with one wide gate off to the side where the lift is. These ideas are subject to change as a result of a computer modelling exercise to check safety. One look at this layout makes it clear that if gating is introduced all free movement through the station would be at an end. Even people meeting passengers from trains or help them with their departure would only be able to do so at the discretion of staff on the barriers. It is also likely that wheel chair users who find the system of lifts in the station the most convenient way of getting to the city centre from the communities on the hill above the station would be blocked.
There are no arrangements in place for tram users getting off at the back of the station to go into the city centre, or walking from the bus station to the tram stop at the back of the station to be able to use the footbridge.
There was some talk of enabling local residents to be able to walk through and EMT suggested the possibility of developing a token or pass system for Residents. When informed that there are 70,000 residents in the Central Constituency alone there was no response. EMT were unable to define the meaning of "local resident".
There are a number of large organisations and proposed developments on either side of the station. Staff and Students at Castle centre of the Sheffield College; Sheffield Hallam University; a number of secondary and primary schools in the immediate vicinity and the residents of the huge Park Hill development, in addition to people who already live here, would all be prevented from using this award winning listed building which the city has spent millions of pounds to refurbish.
If readers have concerns about EMT's proposal that can email them to getintouch@eastmidlandstrains.co.uk
or write to Tim Shoveller, East Midlands Trains, FREEPOST DY940, Derby, DE1 9BR

For further information contact Residents against Station Closure at RASC2008@live.com

Vote for Caroline!

2008-08-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

As someone who supported the Green Empowerment campaign, I was opposed to the recent changes the Green Party has made to its constitution to enable us to elect a leader. However, now the candidates for the post have been announced I have no hesitation in recommending that people vote for Caroline Lucas. Her excellent record speaks for itself. She is a formidable speaker and she has always managed to combine her politics with direct action, showing those with power that there are alternatives to the unjust system we have at present. Her excellent book, Green Alternatives to Globalisation, is a must read for all Green activists. Do have a look at her website, http://www.carolinelucas.org.uk/biography.php and support her campaign. When the General Election finally comes along, I believe Caroline will become the first Green MP in the House of Commons.

Station access/ Sheaf Valley Park

2008-07-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I attended the Manor Castle and Woodthorpe Area Panel. Two representatives attended from East Midlands trains, who are still going ahead with plans to "gate" the station despite opposition from all the local political parties and many organisations and individuals.I will be attending a meeting at the station next Thursday, 31st July, to discuss the plans.If you would like me to convey a message to the train company (that I can repeat!) please get in touch.

There are also developments with the plans for Sheaf Valley Park. The council has released plans for the section of the park that they will be responsible for- Urban Splash will be developing the section in front of Park Hill flats. There will be various consultation opportunities in the near future, so you can let the planners know what you think. I remain to be convinced about the "event space" and grass terraces, and would prefer money to be spent on disabled friendly paths (the paths all seem to have steps on the plan) and lighting, to encourage people to walk this way to town. There is no funding at present for the Park Cafe, which would be at the top of the hill opposite Claywood Road. What do you think?

Assist coverage in the Guardian

2008-06-15T04:01:00.000-07:00

Many congratulations to Assist for the excellent coverage they got in G2 this week.
See http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jun/13/immigration.immigrationpolicy
The bits about Sheffield are at the end of the video and article.