It’s about so much more than decision making. I want to know what bothers Dot on the Manor, is she upset about litter or the local bus timetable?
Want to have a say on the local issues that matter to you? The Big City Conversation is happening and everyone’s invited to get involved! We spoke to cabinet member for finance, resources and governance Terry Fox to get the skinny…
What’s it all about?
Well, we’re holding a big city conversation with everybody who calls Sheffield home. We want to talk about the issues that are important to people in communities right across Sheffield and understand how they want to get involved in helping to solve them. Earlier this year we were presented a petition from local campaigners It’s Our City asking for a change in decision making in Sheffield. The petition was signed by 5% of Sheffield’s electorate, triggering a referendum which will be held on 7 May 2020. Sheffielders will be able to choose how decisions are made, with options for the Strong Leader and Cabinet Model, and a Committee System.
This got us thinking and we realised that it’s about so much more than decision making. It’s about what matters to Sheffielders in their communities, how people hold us and other public services to account, how people talk to us about the things that are important to them and how they want to be involved in their local areas. I want to know what bothers Dot on the Manor, is she upset about litter or the local bus timetable? So The Big City Conversation began as a way of hearing the voices of all of those who hadn’t signed the petition (as well as those who had).
We’re asking people to tell us whatever it is that matters to them and we’re collecting all this feedback so we can start building a picture of the key issues across the city, really getting to the bottom of what the challenges are, but also what we’re doing well, what people love. We’re making it accessible to everyone. You can tell us online until 17 January, come to one of our events and have a chat when we’re out and about in communities speaking to people (both at www.sheffield.gov.uk/bigcityconversation).
How has the reaction been so far?
To be fair it’s been fantastic. More than 2,000 people have given us their feedback so far. We’ve held public events at the Moor Market, the Fargate Christmas Market, in the Town Hall, we’ve hopped on the tram and been outside local supermarkets where hundreds of people have stopped and chatted to us and written out feedback cards. We’ve also got the online survey running so people can fill it in on their phones on the bus or sat at home having a cuppa. It only takes five minutes and it’s really simple.
We’ve heard a wide range of issues that people have – from buses to homelessness to parks and everything in between – which is helping to give us a really clear steer about some of the big challenges we need to address, but we’ve also heard loads of positive things and that’s really reassuring – Sheffielders love this city and have real pride in where they live.
Looking into your work as cabinet member for finance, resources and governance, giving the people a voice seems to be a common theme, would that be fair to say?
Absolutely. The voice of every person in this city is relevant and important. Whatever your age, race, gender, background we don’t care. We’re extremely proud of our reputation as a welcoming and inclusive city and this runs through everything we do, so we want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to have their voice heard. That’s been a theme of my life as a councillor – both as a backbencher and now as a Cabinet Member. I’m determined to get this right and we’re doing everything possible to make sure everyone in the city knows about this and can have their say.
Moving forward, are there any plans for similar policies/initiatives from the council?
We’re capturing a huge amount of feedback from the Big City Conversation and we need to review and analyse this to get an understanding of how this will impact our work across the council. It’s also really important that this happens alongside the governance referendum because we don’t know at this stage what changes it will bring about.
We consult with residents all the time on all sorts of policies and plans and do everything we can to make sure people are aware and can get involved. We’ve got a lot going on as The Big City Conversation continues, plus the Budget consultation has just started and we’re going through the step by step process of preparing options and information for the referendum in May. We’ll keep everyone informed as this progresses and all the information is being shared on our website. But I don’t want the Big City Conversation to stop when we get to the referendum in May – I want it to keep on going and become a real feature of how we involve people in the things that matter to them.
And for yourself Terry, how’ve you found the role of deputy leader so far?
I love this city and I’m extremely passionate, not only about making a difference to people’s lives, but also about our city’s future. I’ve come in to the role of deputy leader at a very crucial time, when things feel a bit uncertain but I’m determined to support our residents and respect their rights to challenge and have their say.
It’s been extremely full-on and the snap general election certainly added to the pressures, but I’m really honoured to be in this position representing my fellow Sheffielders and my door, phone, email, twitter is open to everyone. We’ve got a fantastic opportunity to do things differently, I want everyone to get involved and I’m proud to be leading this initiative.
Have YOUR say about local issues here: sheffield.gov.uk/bigcityconversation
