Sheffield

[Admin Twaddleford]

Lab majority
Elects by thirds
Current composition: Lab 48, LD 26, Grn 8, Oth 2

[David Ashforth]

From J.G.Harston 's website. But Sheffield Council now lists the UKIP councillor as Independent.

[edgbaston]

Looks like Labour need to hold 14 seats here to cling on. Another gain in Stocksbridge would bring that down to 13. So we need to win one ward in May that we didn't in 2019. Just one of East Ecclesfield, Beighton, Mosborough and (which we will have won in the general - ) Crookes? Surely this must be possible? But this really is a very unpopular council. The Labour Cllrs in the green wards must know the game is up. I wouldn't be at all confident. But if we can cling on there are two years to rebuild, both nationally and locally. Perhaps now or never for NOC.

[carolus]

Jan 2, 2020 23:02:54 GMT edgbaston said:

Looks like Labour need to hold 14 seats here to cling on. Another gain in Stocksbridge would bring that down to 13. So we need to win one ward in May that we didn't in 2019. Just one of East Ecclesfield, Beighton, Mosborough and (which we will have won in the general - ) Crookes? Surely this must be possible? But this really is a very unpopular council. The Labour Cllrs in the green wards must know the game is up. I wouldn't be at all confident. But if we can cling on there are two years to rebuild, both nationally and locally. Perhaps now or never for NOC.

There's also danger in Walkley for Labour, where they held by 0.8% over the Greens in 2019.

[greenhert]

The Ecclesfield area will be the crucial one at this election, given how certain the Green gains/holds will be this year near the centre of Sheffield.

[conservativeestimate]

It's quite possible Labour lose their remaining Councillor in Crookes which would make Sheffield Hallam the only Labour seat with no Labour Councillors.

The Greens will likely gain seats in Central which would hurt Labour further.

In the three northern wards the Tories are unlikely to win so the Lib Dems and others may pick up the anti-Labour vote in the Ecclesfield wards and Stocksbridge.

The above applies to Beighton and Mosborough too.

Prediction: NOC gain from LAB.

[Devil Wincarnate]

Jan 2, 2020 23:02:54 GMT edgbaston said:

Looks like Labour need to hold 14 seats here to cling on. Another gain in Stocksbridge would bring that down to 13. So we need to win one ward in May that we didn't in 2019. Just one of East Ecclesfield, Beighton, Mosborough and (which we will have won in the general - ) Crookes? Surely this must be possible? But this really is a very unpopular council. The Labour Cllrs in the green wards must know the game is up. I wouldn't be at all confident. But if we can cling on there are two years to rebuild, both nationally and locally. Perhaps now or never for NOC.

The recent revelation that council officers asked the police to hand over the names of the tree protestors is a god-send for the Greens.

[David Boothroyd]

Is it? Why?

Surely anyone who was upset by what Sheffield did about street trees enough to change their vote, has already changed it many years ago. Sheffield were already pursuing protestors and successfully obtained injunctions against them. The tree felling programme has now been ended.

If the Green Party do go on about it again it risks them being seen as more interested in trees than in services to the people of Sheffield.

[Deleted]

East Ecclesfield is Labour's best chance at a hold tbh. Crookes is interesting could be a three way contest. Labour hoping Tories success in GE in Ecclesfield, Beighton and Mosborough will split Labour opposition. There's a large ukip vote in Ecclesfield thats up for grabs

[conservativeestimate]

Jan 3, 2020 11:36:44 GMT @priceofdawn said:

East Ecclesfield is Labour's best chance at a hold tbh. Crookes is interesting could be a three way contest. Labour hoping Tories success in GE in Ecclesfield, Beighton and Mosborough will split Labour opposition. There's a large ukip vote in Ecclesfield thats up for grabs

Lib Dems are more likely to soak up the anti-Labour vote in Beighton and Mosborough because they've won those wards as recently as last year.

The Tories were last competitive in Beighton in 2008.

Lib Dem hopes of stealing a victory in Crookes may be frustrated by Labour dominating there in GE2019.

[iain]

Crookes is likely to swing with the central Sheffield wards. If the Greens are easily winning Broomhill and Nether Edge then the Lib Dems will almost certainly be gaining Crookes. If Labour are holding Crookes then Green gains are certainly not ‘nailed on’.

Will be interesting to see where (if anywhere) the Tories target.

[greenhert]

Stocksbridge & Upper Don would be the Conservatives' best chance in Sheffield locally. It swung significantly to them upon UKIP's effective collapse.

[conservativeestimate]

Jan 3, 2020 13:13:37 GMT iain said:

Crookes is likely to swing with the central Sheffield wards. If the Greens are easily winning Broomhill and Nether Edge then we will almost certainly be gaining Crookes. If Labour are holding Crookes then Green gains are certainly not ‘nailed on’.

Worth noting that there may well be a double vacancy in Walkley, which will make Labour’s job tougher.

Will be interesting to see where (if anywhere) the Tories target.

Where is one thing. Who with is quite another.

[iang]

Is Labour's problem going to be that it is defending on almost all fronts (with the exception of Stocksbridge perhaps)? And also that, even though I don't think there is any formal pact, LD and Green targets are pretty clearly differentiated - there weren't any wards in 2019 that the LDs were anywhere near winning, which might present issues for the future, but in 2020, mean they can presumably target the five wards they won last year where a Labour councillor is defending. Likewise three for the Greens, with for them the bonus of attacking Walkley as well. It only takes six losses (or seven to balance a gain elsewhere) for the council to tip into NOC - 42 Lab, 42 everyone else.

[alien8ted]

I've forgotten what happens if votes are tied on the council. Does the Lord Mayors position come into play? This years deputy lords mayor, next years lord mayor, is Gail Smith of the Liberal Democrats.


👽

[greenchristian]

Jan 3, 2020 18:03:43 GMT alien8ted said:

I've forgotten what happens if votes are tied on the council. Does the Lord Mayors position come into play? This years deputy lords mayor, next years lord mayor, is Gail Smith of the Liberal Democrats.


👽

Generally speaking tied votes are resolved via the Lord Mayor's casting vote. Though there might be the odd council whose constitution says otherwise.

[edgbaston]

Jan 3, 2020 18:03:43 GMT alien8ted said:

I've forgotten what happens if votes are tied on the council. Does the Lord Mayors position come into play? This years deputy lords mayor, next years lord mayor, is Gail Smith of the Liberal Democrats.


👽

Is the current Lord Mayor Labour? If so a 42-42 result could see the current Deputy being ditched and the council being run for 2 years by a casting vote. Not unprecedented. I've read on here before that this once happened in both Bradford and Merton.

[alien8ted]

Jan 3, 2020 19:18:20 GMT edgbaston said:

Jan 3, 2020 18:03:43 GMT alien8ted said:

I've forgotten what happens if votes are tied on the council. Does the Lord Mayors position come into play? This years deputy lords mayor, next years lord mayor, is Gail Smith of the Liberal Democrats.


👽

Is the current Lord Mayor Labour? If so a 42-42 result could see the current Deputy being ditched and the council being run for 2 years by a casting vote. Not unprecedented. I've read on here before that this once happened in both Bradford and Merton.

Current Lord Mayor is Labour.

👽

[iang]

Jan 3, 2020 19:18:20 GMT edgbaston said:

Jan 3, 2020 18:03:43 GMT alien8ted said:

I've forgotten what happens if votes are tied on the council. Does the Lord Mayors position come into play? This years deputy lords mayor, next years lord mayor, is Gail Smith of the Liberal Democrats.


👽

Is the current Lord Mayor Labour? If so a 42-42 result could see the current Deputy being ditched and the council being run for 2 years by a casting vote. Not unprecedented. I've read on here before that this once happened in both Bradford and Merton.

It happened in Walsall a couple of years back - Marco Longhi (now MP for Dudley North) did a two year stint as Mayor of Walsall so that the Tories retained power on his casting vote

[J.G.Harston]

Jan 3, 2020 19:18:20 GMT edgbaston said:

Jan 3, 2020 18:03:43 GMT alien8ted said:

I've forgotten what happens if votes are tied on the council. Does the Lord Mayors position come into play? This years deputy lords mayor, next years lord mayor, is Gail Smith of the Liberal Democrats.

👽

Is the current Lord Mayor Labour? If so a 42-42 result could see the current Deputy being ditched and the council being run for 2 years by a casting vote. Not unprecedented. I've read on here before that this once happened in both Bradford and Merton.

In Sheffield they'd have to change the constitution first, as the council uses the "York Model" where each January each group's strength is added up and the table-topper nominates the next Deputy Lord Mayor who becomes Lord Mayor.

You only need a Full Council majority to change the constitution, but it has to be moved and then adjurned to the next Full Council, so it can't be pushed through on Mayor Making in order to change the Mayor.