A pro democracy student group is holding a peaceful protest in Hong Kong. We talked to two students, Cecilia and Kelvin, who are living and studying in Sheffield. We asked them how the situation is affecting them and their friends and families back in Hong Kong. The protests started when the Chinese Government announced that they were going to vet all candidates who were going to stand for election in Hong Kong.
The GMB has voted to go on strike for better working conditions here in the City. Peter Davies, Organiser for the Sheffield City Council branch of the GMB said they want better welfare conditions for the workers.
Sheffield Live! also approached Sheffield City Council and the Green Company but no one was available for an interview. However, they sent us a written statement which said “We are aware that GMB members have decided to take industrial action at The Green Company. Discussions are continuing with the union and its representatives about any concerns expressed by staff working for The Green Company.
The Green Company and GMB representatives will work together to resolve any issues that need addressing. We want to sort any issues out speedily. If strike action does occur we will do everything we can to minimise disruption and keep as many sites open as possible.”
We spoke to Peter Davis who explained why they have decided to take strike action.
Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
Paul Scriven former Leader of Sheffield City Council was today granted the title Lord Scriven of Hunters Bar in the City of Sheffield. He made the announcement at a gathering of Liberal Democrats from the Asian community last night here is Sheffield. He was joined by the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg who reminded him what his job would be in the house of Lords.
Sangita Basudev and Jonny Harold report for Sheffield Live! TV
Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrat MP for Sheffield Hallam, has offered support in a bid to secure a new college in South Yorkshire.
The College would offer apprenticeships to young people and give them skills to help build the planned HS2 high speed rail line. The line would connect London Euston station to the Midlands, North West England and Yorkshire, almost halving commute times from Sheffield to London. The bid, from Doncaster, has been short-listed by the government as one of four possible locations for the HS2 college alongside Derby, Birmingham and Manchester.
If Doncaster bid was successful, the college would be equipped with cutting-edge technology and state of the art facilities. It would also provide training courses for the specific requirements of the rail project, which is expected to generate more than 2,000 apprenticeships.
As a Sheffield MP, Nick Clegg has written to the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills to outline his support for the bid. In his letter, Nick Clegg MP states that the region – in particular Doncaster – is the “spiritual home of British railways” with the Flying Scotsman, Sir Nigel Gresley and The Mallard all being built there in 1923, 1937 and 1938 respectively.
The high speed service would have trains running from London St Pancras twice a day with a commute time of 1 hour 09 minutes.
By Alice Rose
A fire service campaign which intends to make people aware of the danger of electrical chargers has won European backing.
The campaign was started up by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue following a house fire in which five members of the same family sadly lost their lives.
It is thought that the fire was probably caused by a faulty charger.
Linda McAvan, MEP for Yorkshire and Humber, is backing the campaign to help stop fires, such as the one in Netheredge, from happening again.
“We are doing all that we can to reduce fires in the home at a European level. MEPS have legislated to standardise chargers for mobile devices to both reduce environmental waste and to save you money.”
The legislation was voted on by MEPS in March this year and was approved by ministers in April.
South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Station Manager Darren Perrott, said:“Most people probably have several electrical chargers lying around at home at any given time, but all we’re asking for is a little bit of common sense when charging them.” Mr Perrot continued “What we’re particularly concerned about is unbranded chargers which can be bought cheaply over the internet. You should only buy chargers which are compatible with the device you are charging, and never leave things charging overnight.”
GP surgery’s in Sheffield have said that they may have to close if funding cuts continue to be phased in over the next few years.
Cuts to the Minimum Income Practice Guarantee (MPIG) pose a real threat to the survival of up to five surgery’s in Sheffield.
Sheffield could see up to 13,000 patients being directly affected because of the withdrawal of MPIG funding.
The additional funding supports GP surgeries which serve populations with more complex and demanding health needs. The Government began withdrawing MPIG funding in April 2014 and plans to phase it out totally over the next seven years.
NHS England says 100 GP surgeries across the country are threatened by closure as a result, whilst the British Medical Association has warned that the number of surgeries seriously affected will be far higher.
Some practices under threat could lose more than £100 per patient per year, while others will lose £20 or £30 per patient.
Devonshire Green Medical Centre and the Hanover Medical Centre are two of the affected surgery’s in Sheffield. MPIG funding cuts could be in the region of £140,000 between them.
Staff are concerned that they may have to close. Dr Graham Pettinger, who works at both practices said: “At the moment, NHS England have a poor understanding in my view on the impact this is going to have on practices and the patients in Sheffield and across the country on a whole.” Dr. Pettinger continues “This is an extremely serious threat to our survival – if we are unable to find replacement money then the practice may have to close its door to the patients and the community.”
Paul Blomfield, MP for Sheffield Central, challenged Health Minister’s on this issue. He said: “Local GPs have expressed serious concerns to me about the consequences of this vital funding being withdrawn. The Health Minister’s answer to my question was shockingly complacent. He’s putting patients at risk and I’ll now be seeking a meeting with Ministers to press this issue further.”
Mr Blomfield added “Our local GP surgeries are the first port of call for most people who are unwell or have health difficulties. No-one wants to see service cutbacks having to be made which is why I’m raising this issue now before the situation gets critical. The Government should be talking to GP surgeries now and rethinking this decision.”
A spokesperson for the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw area team of NHS England, said: “We are committed to making sure patients have access to high quality GP services. The minimum practice income guarantee (MPIG) payment is being phased out to make funding for GP services more fair for everyone.” They continued “This is a national plan. Future funding for GP services will be based on the numbers of patients that a GP practice serves and the health needs of those patients. These changes started in April this year and will happen over a seven year period.”
Dr Graham Pettinger speaks to Sheffield Live! George Torr
By George Torr
Sheffield electors are being reminded to use their vote in this Thursday’s up and coming elections.
Like many other local authorities across England, Sheffield is holding local elections on Thursday (22 May) and electors will also be having their say in the European elections for Yorkshire and Humberside.
A total of 128 candidates will be standing for election this year across the 28 wards in Sheffield – a third of the Council seats – plus one additional seat in Walkley following the recent resignation of Cllr Nikki Sharpe. The results will be announced on Friday 23 May and will be available on Sheffield City Council website.
“By now, everyone in Sheffield who’s on the electoral roll should have received a polling card, showing which polling station they need to go to in order to vote,” said John Mothersole, Returning Officer for the local elections in Sheffield.
“All polling stations are open from 7am in the morning until 10pm, so you have all day to go and vote. You don’t need to take your polling card with you to vote, so don’t worry if you don’t have it with you when you call in, although sometimes it can be helpful to have it with you.
“If you have a postal vote and you haven’t already posted it, you can hand it in to any polling station up to 10pm on Thursday. If you do have a postal vote, then please take responsibility for it. You need to complete it personally and follow all the instructions. There is a voluntary code of conduct for handling postal votes, which candidates and agents have signed up to.”
The count for the local elections will be held on Friday 23 May at the English Institute of Sport in Attercliffe. The European election count will be held on Sunday 25 May and the results will be sent to Leeds, where they will announce the countywide results on Sunday.