Thanks for contributing to the consultation!
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the consultation on the draft communities strategy both online and in person.
We had a very busy August and September, getting out to Fun Days and celebrations at Parsons Cross, Wynn Gardens, Wybourne, Tinsley, Richmond, Sheffield Futures and Pakistan Muslim Centre, and speaking to people at Central Library, Totley Library, Moor Market, S12 pantry and the Move More Disability Sports Event.
Our Youth Voice team also spoke to young people at four youth clubs in Longley, Lowedges, U-mix and Westfield as well as the Sheffield Youth Cabinet.
We were able to work with 10 community organisations to have more in depth conversations with people about the strategy content, to get their feedback and ask if anything was missing for their communities. This helped us to reach communities that we didn't speak to in the engagement phase.
- Duke Street Church
- Tinsley Forum
- Community Stars (Medina Mosque)
- Football Unites Racism Divides
- Woodhouse Community Forum
- Parsons Cross Forum
- Stocksbridge Leisure Centre
- Disability Sheffield
- Meadowhead Christian Fellowship - Jordanthorpe
- Firvale Community Hub
What we heard through consultation
Throughout the consultation, the people we heard from both online and in person were generally supportive of what the strategy aims to achieve, but there was a strong message that Sheffield City Council needs to work hard to rebuild trust in communities.
"“The Communities need to see SCC action more visibly (to help with trust)” Firvale Community Hub
Part of this is about getting the basics right and providing safe, clean environments.
Many people were concerned about rising tensions in communities and said that there need to be more opportunities for communities to come together.
"Communities in Sheffield are changing and changing rapidly. People feel left behind by these changes." Have Your Say Sheffield
We also heard about how people felt that funding wasn't always fairly distributed across the city, and that it often isn't enough in the first place.
"It all comes down to funding and not enough of it." Totley Library
People wanted council officers to be much more visible, helpful, friendly faces in their communities. And they wanted the council workforce to be much more representative of different communities in Sheffield, especially in leadership positions.
We'll share a more detailed report once the strategy has been approved.
Making changes to the strategy
Since the consultation ended on 15th September, the team has worked quickly to make sense of what we heard through Have Your Say Sheffield and our in-person consultation activities. We worked with the Reference Group made up of four local councillors, four council officers and four representatives from community organisations to process this and decide what changes we would need to make to the final strategy.
What's next?
The strategy will be taken to the council's Strategy and Resources Committee for approval on 15th October. But it's not just about having a shiny new document, it's the work that follows that really matters. The wheels are already in motion to begin much of the work set out in the commitments as soon as the strategy is signed off.
If you work with community group or organisation in Sheffield and you want to get involved in the next steps, join us for this event on 20th October:
Thank you for your contribution!
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