Sheffield referendum: Voters back change to way council is run

Almost 90,000 people voted in favour of a new committee system for the council

Campaigners have hailed a referendum victory which will change the way Sheffield City Council is run as like winning a "David and Goliath struggle".

Voters backed a move from the existing cabinet model to a new committee system by 89,670 votes to 48,727.

The poll was triggered after a campaign by the It's Our City group, which said a change in governance would lead to "better" decision-making.

Campaigner Anne Barr said: "It's a fantastic result".

Following Monday's result council officers will begin work to draw up the precise form the new committee system will take, with changes set to be implemented next year.

More than 26,000 people signed a petition calling for a referendum

Speaking after the result was declared, Ms Barr said: "It's Sheffielders emphatically showing that they want change in the city, change for a better governance system.

"I would like to stress what a David and Goliath struggle it's been, because it's communities and residents going up against the establishment... which has at times been uncooperative in actually working with us in terms of changing things for the better.

"It's shown that people working together in the communities can effect powerful change."

• More stories from across Yorkshire

How does the cabinet model work?

Under the existing model the council - consisting of 84 councillors - is run by a leader who appoints nine cabinet members.

Each cabinet member has a specific area of responsibility, or portfolio, such as children's services or transport.

These 10 councillors form the executive and have responsibility for decision-making.

A cross-party committee can call in decisions for scrutiny but the cabinet does not have to accept their recommendations.

Some issues such as the budget, have to be decided and voted on by the whole council.

How does the committee system work?

Under a committee system, decision-making responsibilities are shared between more councillors.

Rather than a single cabinet member, a committee of several elected members makes decisions for a specific portfolio.

Committees are made up of councillors from all parties, with the number of seats proportionate to the political make-up of the council.

Council CEO Kate Josephs said the committee system would be implemented in May 2022.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "There's a lot of detail to work out and work through and that's what we'll be doing now.

"It will be really important that all the political parties involved in the council are working together to think through how the committee system will operate."

This has been a campaign from the grassroots that has changed things at the top of one of our biggest councils.

The outright anger there was about tree felling in Sheffield got a small group of people thinking "are we getting our voices heard?"

A petition and over 20,000 signatures later they had forced a public vote on how Sheffield makes decisions.

Now Sheffield Council will have to have committees with representation from all parties - rather than the ruling party making the decisions.

But, no party has a majority in Sheffield after the local elections so deciding how they run themselves is going to get messy.

'Accountable, inclusive, transparent'

Douglas Johnson, leader of the Green Party, said he was "delighted" with the result, saying it was "good for democracy".

He said: "It's a big step towards much better democracy involving more people, and it allows the possibility for a change in thinking about how the council is run."

Liberal Democrats leader Shaffaq Mohammed said the result was "fantastic", adding: "They were craving for change and they voted for change."

Labour Group leader Terry Fox congratulated campaigners on their achievement before saying he wanted to use the result "as a positive opportunity to improve how the council works".

He added: "Ultimately, what everyone wants to see is a system that enables the council to deliver for Sheffield, that makes decisions in an accountable, inclusive and transparent way."

The result of the referendum is legally-binding and another vote on the issue cannot be held for nine years.