Sheffield Council must be more transparent, it is not a cabal – The Yorkshire Post says

That said, they’re still expected to be transparent over spending decisions – a lesson that Sheffield Council, and its leader Julie Dore, should have learned by now following the serial mishandling of the trees scandal in the South Yorkshire city.

And the very fact that they’re growing misgivings about the decision to exclude Opposition councillors from discussions about a £16.6m bailout out of leisure services will lead some to conclude, rightly or wrongly, that Sheffield Council continues to be run like an undemocratic ‘cabal’.

It should not be like this. The best-run town halls are, invariably, those where the leadership works with others and is not afraid of difficult decisions being challenged by opponents.

In this instance, Coun Dore and her allies may have been acting in the public’s best interest – even if this meant dipping into the council’s diminishing financial reserves – because the cost of closing leisure attractions has been so significant in Sheffield which still prides itself as a city of sport.

But it still does not justify the lack of transparency – even more so when such a significant sum will not be going towards the reopening of the iconic Ponds Forge swimming and diving complex which has been effectively ‘mothballed’. As such, the people of Sheffield await the response of Coun Dore with even greater interest than usual.

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James Mitchinson

Editor