In the Ward

Putting the heart back in Woodhouse – People have appreciated work to clear overgrown bushes:

“Thought I would give credit where credit’s due. I am referring to having the trees and bushes cut back from Water Slacks drive footpath towards Skelton Lane area. The locals will feel a lot safer now”

There has also been some fencing put in on Water Slacks field near Skelton Lane. Some people felt it was too low to be useful, but the people living right by it say it lets small children play out more safely as cars and bikes can’t just drive over the grass outside their flats. Ideally residents would like the whole open space fenced, but we don’t have funds for that at the moment.

Some people were worried about wildlife in the bushes we removed, but we did cut it before nesting season. Others said notice of the work would have been good, so next time we will do that. We have also finally got a security camera moved to cover an area where residents and Police reported people drug dealing. Again local people say things have quietened down and they feel safer.

In the Town Hall 

On 5th March all 84 Councillors from all 4 political groups passed a balanced Council budget, which is an achievement given that costs are going up and more people need our services.

The Government increased the money they gave Sheffield by £17.4 million. This sounds like a lot, but our total spend is £160 million, so it is about 8.5% more. It is very welcome, though, and will mostly be spent on social care services for vulnerable adults and children.

Details are here:
Budget and spending | Sheffield City Council

In Housing, we get a report from Mystery Shoppers and independent phone interviews about what people living in our housing think of the council as a landlord. The results show people think things are improving – repairs are getting done to a better standard, empty homes are being fixed and rented again more quickly. We still have a ways to go to give the service we want, but it is headed in the right direction.

We also got more money from Homes England, which means we can start work on 124 more new council homes this year than we had planned. These will be at Newsteads in Birley and at Corker Bottom.

Get in touch:

Councillor Alison Norris
Alison.norris@councillor.sheffield.gov.uk
Tel: 07584 596399
Surgeries
1 st Saturday of the month
10.30am to 12pm
Ballifield and Handsworth TARA office, 409 Handsworth Rd

Councillor Mick Rooney 
mick.rooney@councillor.sheffield.gov.uk
Tel: 0114 2392698
Surgeries
3 rd Saturday of the month
10.30am to 12pm
Woodhouse Library