Sheffield newsletter 3 December 2016 In this issue: 1) Interview with Liam Liburd 9) Hallam FM’s Mission Christmas 2) Axe the Housing Act 10) Christmas Fair at Forge Dam 3) Renters Rising Launch 11) Sheffield Festival of Debate 4) Hurlfield View Faces Closure 12) Win VIP Tickets to Concert for Corbyn 5) Update on Tree Protestor Arrests 13) Keith Henderson’s Fundraising Success 6) Update on Sheffield’s Central Library 14) Sheffield Needs a Pay Rise 7) Louise Haigh’s Food Bank Collection 15) CLP Discussion Forum 8) Homeless Christmas Shoebox Appeal 1) Interview with Liam Liburd Liam J Liburd, one of the founders of Momentum Sheffield, was recently interviewed for the Union St. newsletter. The interview covers the origins of the local Momentum group, the experience of Jeremy Corbyn’s visits to Sheffield, and Liam’s hopes for the future of the Labour Party. Liam concludes that “We need people to be excited about politics again. You can be part of it. If you want a society where services work, where your train fare is logically priced, where you can get a decent secure job and education at a low cost, if you want positive communities where people are free and equal, you should get involved.” 2) Axe the Housing Act Sheffield’s ‘Axe the Housing Act’ campaign group will be meeting on Tuesday 6 December at 5:30pm at the Central United Reform Church, Norfolk Street, S1 2JB. The group is organising local opposition to the government’s Housing and Planning Act. 3) Renters Rising Launch Renters Rising is a national movement to build a renters union. Coordinated by community organisation ACORN, Renters Rising aims to recruit, train, and support the organisers and activists necessary to build a powerful national union for tenants. ACORN Sheffield will be launching a local Renters Rising campaign on 8 December between 6 and 8:30pm. The event will include an interactive campaigning skills session for people interested in getting involved in Renters Rising Sheffield. 4) Hurlfield View Faces Closure Hurlfield View provides respite care for relatives and friends of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. This specialist unit has committed staff with unique and unparalleled experience under one roof, working as a team. Uniquely, this unit has four badly needed emergency beds and provides support for many hundreds of family carers, every year, who would be otherwise unable to cope with the pressure they live under. At a time when we need more of these units, the NHS is going to withdraw funding for Hurlfield View and therefore force its closure in April 2017. Sheffield had three such units five years ago - in 2017 it will have none. A petition calling for the decision to be reversed can be found here. 5) Update on Tree Protestor Arrests Local men Simon Crump and Calvin Payne were arrested on 2 November under anti-picketing legislation after allegedly trying to prevent workmen from the ‘Streets Ahead’ programme from cutting down trees. Both men deny the charge and have been granted unconditional bail to appear for trial on 9 March 2017. You can find more information about the case here. 6) Update on Sheffield’s Central Library Sheffield City Council is considering a scheme that would see the Central Library leased out and transformed into a five- star hotel. If the plan goes ahead, the Council will use proceeds from the deal to build a new, more accessible library in the city centre. The Council has scheduled two public meetings in Reception Room A at the Town Hall to start the process of consultation with the public. These events are on Tuesday 6 December from 5:30 to 7:30pm and Friday 16 December from 4 to 6pm. You can sign up for the first meeting here and for the second meeting here. Pre-booking is essential, as these events are likely to be popular. If places fill up, the Council has said it will arrange additional public meetings. 7) Louise Haigh’s Food Bank Collection Louise Haigh, MP for Sheffield Heeley, is collecting donations for a local food bank. Items can be dropped off at her office at 63 Chesterfield Road. 8) Homeless Christmas Shoebox Appeal Sheffield Homeless Christmas Shoebox Appeal is asking the public to decorate shoeboxes and fill them with useful and festive items, which can then be given as presents to homeless people in the city. A list of suggested items can be found here and a list of drop-off points for the shoeboxes is available here. All the boxes will be sorted and sent out in time for Christmas to one of the many service providers that help people affected by homelessness in Sheffield. The final date for donations is Saturday 10 December. 9) Hallam FM’s Mission Christmas Hallam FM is asking people in Sheffield to buy an extra Christmas present for a disadvantaged local child. The radio station is requesting new and unwrapped gifts suitable for children and young people aged 0-18 years. Presents can be donated at various drop-off points across the region and cash donations are also accepted. You can find out more information about the appeal here. 10) Christmas Fair at Forge Dam Friends of the Porter Valley are holding their regular seasonal community event beside Forge Dam Café on Saturday 10 December between 10am and 4pm. The vintage organ will be supplying festive music while fairgoers make Christmas door garlands and table top decorations, pick up 2017 calendars and Christmas cards, and sample cakes, pies, and mulled drinks. Visitors can also buy craft goods, get their faces painted, and have a go on a bouncy castle. Proceeds go to the Forge Dam Restoration Fund. 11) Sheffield Festival of Debate – Brexit in Sheffield: Where are we Now? As its final event of the year, the Festival of Debate is hosting a conversation about the recent EU referendum result. The discussion will take place on Wednesday 7 December between 7 and 9:30pm at the Central United Reformed Church, Norfolk Street, S1 2JB. For more information about the discussion and to reserve your place for this free event, click here. 12) Win VIP Tickets to Concert for Corbyn Momentum is offering the chance to win two VIP tickets to ‘PEOPLE POWERED: Concerts for Corbyn’ at the Brighton Dome on 16 December. For more information about the concert, which will feature Paul Weller, and to enter the contest, click here. 13) Keith Henderson’s Fundraising Success With support from John McDonnell and the Labour Representation Committee, Keith Henderson has raised enough money to cover the legal cost of his, ultimately unsuccessful, case against the GMB trade union. 14) Sheffield Needs a Pay Rise At their last General Meeting, the members of Momentum Sheffield voted to support Sheffield Needs a Pay Rise (SNAP). SNAP is fighting to bring about a £10/hour minimum wage across the UK and is helping low-paid workers to unionise. Organisers are building for a large demonstration on Saturday 17 December in Sheffield city centre and, in the run-up, are organising stalls, leaflets, donations, model motions, social media accounts, promotion in the media, and an event to draw publicity. The group’s next planning meeting will be on Tuesday 6 December at 6pm at the Central United Reform Church. To keep up-to-date with the campaign’s work, you can follow its Facebook page and Twitter account. 15) CLP Discussion Forum We have set up an online discussion forum to help members of Momentum Sheffield to organise themselves and coordinate their work within the Labour Party. The idea is to make it easier for you to become more involved in your local Labour Party by meeting others, discussing local campaign issues, working together to draft motions, and educating each other on the workings of the Party. We are using Loomio which allows members to take part in group discussion without being swamped by dozens of emails. You must be a paid-up member of the Labour Party and Momentum to use the forum and you can join Momentum here. If you are interested in participating in the Momentum Sheffield CLP Discussion Forum, please forward the email from central Momentum which contains your 'digital membership card' to [email protected] along with the name of your CLP. If you are unsure of your membership status or would like to be resent you digital membership card please write to [email protected]. If you know of an event or campaign that you think should be featured in one of our newsletters then please send a description of no more than 200 words to [email protected]. .