New Sheffield Council leader pledges to focus on cost-of-living crisis, public transport and climate emergency

Speculation about a possible revolt among Labour councillors angry at the ousting of leader Terry Fox when the party put Sheffield Labour into ‘special measures’ proved to be inaccurate in the event.

The fallout from the street trees scandal and other unpopular policies that have led to a public loss of confidence in Labour and the council did surface, however, when LibDem leader Coun Shaffaq Mohammed accused Green councillors of allowing a leader sanctioned by the central Labour Party by not voting for him instead.

“Vote Green, get Labour!” he claimed.

All three group leaders put themselves forward for the top job but they all failed to get any votes from other parties. The council remains under no overall control following the May 4 election, with Labour the biggest group, followed by LibDems and Greens.

Green leader Coun Douglas Johnson was eliminated after the first round of voting and Coun Hunt won in a run-off between him and Coun Mohammed. The result was 38 for Coun Hunt, 28 for Coun Mohammed and 14 abstentions.

Fellow Labour councillor Fran Belbin was chosen as deputy leader. Green councillors suggested two deputy leaders, Coun Johnson and Coun Mohammed, but that was ruled out as being against the council constitution, so no other candidate was put forward.

Coun Belbin is also new co-leader of the Labour group alongside Coun Ben Miskell.

Coun Hunt said: “I am absolutely honoured to be elected to lead the council of this brilliant city. We’ve had tough times for lots of people in our city and it’s a duty on all of us, the 84 city councillors, to do all that we can to make life better for people.

“I know that in this room, in this council, there is a shared commitment to that. While the votes cast on May 4 gave no single party a majority, no-one voted to get nothing done for the next year.

“Since this election, we have had open conversations between the parties in the last two days about the way forward and whilst we don’t always agree, and won’t always agree, it’s clear that we have plenty of things in common – a shared commitment to help people with the cost-of-living crisis, to fix our public transport and make it easier to get around the city, to bring new investment in the city, to ensure that every pound of public money is spent wisely, to invest in our neighbourhoods and devolve power to communities, to do more to tackle the climate emergency and ensure that politics in Sheffield is always conducted in an open and transparent way and to the highest possible standards.

“As a council leader, together with my new colleagues, I will do all that I can to rebuild trust, to work with you all in these cross-party committees to bring about all the changes that people in Sheffield need and to make sure that Sheffield Council is 100 per cent focused on meeting people’s priorities.

“Let’s get to work, let’s do it today.”