Hundreds joined a rally from the University of Sheffield to Barker’s Pool in support of university staff on strike in a row over proposed changes to their pension scheme. Lecturers, represented in the dispute by the University and College Union, say the changes could leave them thousands of pounds out of pocket. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
With cold temperatures and snow arriving from Siberia, gritting lorries have been out in force to prepare for the expected impact on roads and traffic. The met office have predicted the weather will worsen over the course of the week and police have asked people to make journeys only where necessary. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Lynsey Connelly, highways maintenance operations manager for Amey.
Uber drivers have converged on the company’s office in Sheffield following news that private hire licences acquired in other locations will no longer be transferrable. Previously the company allowed an Uber driver to acquire a licence in one region and to operate in another. Now they have been given just three weeks to acquire a licence locally. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Uber driver Seun Akinwande.
A former Liberian refugee, who came to Sheffield in 2004, has launched a charity organisation to support children in the UK and West Africa. The Akoi Massayan Bazzie – Give Hope Humanitarian Foundation (AMBG2H) aims to deliver humanitarian hope packages to support young people, families and communities affected by wars and natural disasters through public institutions such as medical centres, schools, orphanages, youth centres and prisons. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
Baillor Jalloh and Dr Nkululeko Sibanda are joined by Tonderai Samanyanga, the chairman for the MDCT in the UK and Ireland to discuss the death of their former leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, who passed away on 14th February 2018 in South Africa after a long battle with cancer.
The Sheffield Branch of the Women’s Equality Party are campaigning to gain a council seat in Walkley in the upcoming local elections. It will be the second time the party has fielded a candidate in Sheffield after contesting the Southey by-election in 2017. Sheffield Live! reporter Baillor Jalloh spoke to Women’s Equality Party candidate Ann Butler.
A Sheffield-hosted conference on housing conditions for asylum seekers and refugees has called for an end to the outsourcing of contracts to security firms such as G4S. The event, organised by South Yorkshire Migration, Asylum and Action Group, comes amid growing concern over a new £4 billion asylum housing contract. G4S has provided accommodation for asylum seekers in South Yorkshire since 2012, after signing a regional contract, and the company has declared interest in bidding for the new scheme, expected to start in September 2019. A report by the Home Affairs Select Committee in 2017 described living standards in some asylum accommodation as disgraceful, with overcrowding and infestations of vermin. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
The student-run Inter Varsity Folk Dance Festival, which returns to Sheffield for the ninth time, was first launched in Leeds in 1951 and is the UK’s longest continually running folk festival. Followers of folk music and dance from across the country will get to enjoy the three day festival packed with workshops, performances, singarounds and dances. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Charlotte Robinson of the Sheffield University Ceilidh Society.
University staff on strike together with students and other supporters held a rally outside the University of Sheffield on Western bank in a protest over changes to staff pensions which would see many worse off after retirement. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Craig Brandist, president of Sheffield University branch of the University and Colleges Union.
Sheffield Council’s consultation on selective licensing of landlords in the London Road, Abbeydale Road and Chesterfield Road corridors is set to close this week. The plans could see over 1,000 tenants gain extra protections from health hazards as well as better housing conditions if additional regulations are put in place. Landlords have expressed concerns and some claim it would lead to them having to charge more rent. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Jonny Butcher an organiser at Acorn tenants union.