Agenda item

10.1

Leader of the Council

The newly appointed Leader of the Council (Councillor Tom Hunt) addressed the Council and stated that he was honoured to be re-elected as Leader of the Council. He commented that this was a tough time for lots of people in the city and it was the duty for all 84 City Councillors to do all they could to make life better for people and he believed that there was a shared commitment to do this.

He reported that he was pleased that agreement had been reached to continue the collaborative arrangements that would enable the Administration to continue to provide stable, competent governance for the Council and strong leadership for the city.

He stated that it was clear that there were many things that Members have in common.  These included a shared commitment to serving the electorate and to always act in the best interests of residents and the city.

He added that the Council Administration would continue the work it had started over the past 12 months, acting on the priorities of Sheffield’s residents.  This will include helping people with the cost of living crisis; improving public transport and making it easier and safer to get around the city; to build the new homes that are needed; to continue to regenerate parts of the city and oversee the transformation of the city centre; to bring in investment and to create new jobs; to continue the work to make Sheffield cleaner, greener and safer; and to improve the Council’s services and ensure that every pound of public money is spent wisely and that politics in the Council is conducted in an open, transparent and competent manner.

Councillor Hunt believed that, for too long, Sheffield has been lacking in confidence and has been too modest, but that this was changing.  He commented that the city was becoming increasingly confident and should be shouting about its strengths.  It was time to go for growth, and therefore, economic growth and social injustice would be priorities for the Council’s Administration, as progress on tackling the inequalities that scar people’s lives in the city, could not be made without sustained economic growth.

He concluded by stating that Sheffield was a city on the up and that he looked forward to working with all Members of the Council to make sure that we have a better, brighter future for all residents in the city.

10.2

Lord Mayor

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Jayne Dunn) announced that a civic reception would be held later that day for the 12 community champions who she had appointed to assist her to raise awareness on issues that are important to the people of Sheffield.  She added that, as she had mentioned in her speech upon being appointed as Lord Mayor earlier in the meeting, each month of her mayoral year would be dedicated to a particular issue with each issue having a dedicated community champion.