Can a Government reset bring investment to Sheffield?

Good afternoon readers — and welcome to this week’s Monday briefing.

“Show me the money!”, Keir Starmer said today, in a meeting with big businesses (or words to that effect). It comes off the back of a jamboree last week, where Mayors, including our very own Oliver Coppard, got together with Starmer to try to work out just how to get growth going. But no-one has missed that the government hasn’t had the smoothest start. So can this attempt at a reset bring some cold, hard, corporate cash into South Yorkshire?

As well as that, a hit musical comes to town and an imaginatively named “Walkley gem” is going up for auction.

Catch up

For our weekend read, David Bocking reported on “Sheffield’s greatest nature spectacle” — battling off stiff competition — as red deer gather in the Peak District to battle with each other over potential mates. “So interesting,” wrote member Eileen Brooks. “As a townie, I knew nothing about these magnificent animals living so close.” You can read that piece here. 

Last week, our paying subscribers received two extra editions of The Tribune. For the first, Victoria spoke to a local photographer about a collection of their best snaps, artist and photojournalist Laura Page. In the second, freelancer Jessica Bradley looked into the new NHS clinic created specifically to treat Sheffield residents struggling with gambling addictions.

One thing we always aspire to at The Tribune is getting a good “mix” — and we think these stories from the last week show how varied our output is. If you want to see Sheffield in many more colours, become a paying subscriber today.

Editor’s note: Are you a parent with a child at Newfield School? If so, we’d love to speak to you for a piece coming out this week. Contact Victoria at victoria@sheffieldtribune.co.uk.

Drink some of Sheffield’s best beer at Leah’s Yard

Jules Gray’s adult life has always circulated around beer — from working behind the bars of working men’s clubs in County Durham to rolling kegs around the mega breweries of Burton-Upon-Trent. In 2013 she founded Hop Hideout, dedicated to promoting the widest range of styles, flavours, and characteristics from independent breweries on our doorstep and around the world. “It’s about the stories of the people behind the beer”, she says.

Hop Hideout have just moved into Leah’s Yard, alongside a host of independent makers and businesses. As well as beer, Jules stocks UK grown cider and low intervention wines. For the rest of October Jules is offering a 10% discount to Tribune readers on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays  — so pick up some cans or draw up a seat at the bar. 

This post is sponsored by Leah’s Yard.

The big picture: Boundless

The No Bounds festival returned for its 7th year over the weekend, to the delight of local ravers.

The big story: Can a Government reset bring investment to Sheffield?

Top line: Sheffield’s economy is less productive than most other major UK cities, and after years in which the relationship between government and local leaders could at best be described as “fraught”, many are hoping that having everyone on the same political team will make it easier to bring in business investment. 

That’s certainly the message Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants to get across — but worrying news from Boeing on Friday suggests it may not be straightforward.

Council culture: At the first “Council of the Nations and Regions” in Edinburgh last week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer got together with devolved leaders and Metro Mayors, including South Yorkshire’s Oliver Coppard, to chew the fat. Starmer said “I’m determined to bring forward a new era of stability, trust, and partnership with businesses, investors, Devolved Governments, and local leaders to boost the economy”. 

Coppard also offered warm words, describing the meeting as “a clear example of how this Government is putting collaboration with Mayors and devolved institutions at the centre of plans to boost growth”.

Reset: But the backdrop to the meeting gave hints as to how hard the graft of governing can be, as Starmer tries to reset his government following the internal squabbling that eventually led to the downfall of Sue Gray. Gray is now “Envoy to the Nations and Regions” but was nowhere in evidence last week. Others have criticised the council for not going far enough, noting that unlike the devolved administrations, the council itself is not based in statute.

Investment blitz: While more cordial relations might help mayors to get more powers and funds in future, the government is looking to big business to get local economic growth going. Following the council, the government has today been holding an investment summit, luring big names including Google and Aviva. 

Money coming in: One of the investments being touted by the government is the decision by Holtec, an American nuclear engineering group, to select South Yorkshire for a new small modular reactor (SMR) factory. It’s a £1.5 billion investment that’s set to create hundreds of jobs.

Also, in an industrial strategy green paper released today, the government hinted at offering more subsidies in future to support UK manufacturing — which could be good news for one of Sheffield’s strengths.

And out? But clouds are on the horizon, after Boeing announced last week that it was looking to cut around 10% of its global workforce, or 17,000 people. The company has been beset by technical difficulties, delays to production, and strikes by its American workforce. It’s unclear exactly where those cuts will fall, but it’ll be concerning for the 125 people working in Boeing’s facility in Tinsley, the company’s only manufacturing plant in Europe. It’s also a loud reminder that, when it comes to international investment, many factors are outside the government’s control.

Bottom line: A lot of the coverage of Sheffield’s economy veers between the boosterish (lots of businesses have opened!) and the despairing (lots of businesses have closed). But the reality is more complex.

In upcoming weeks we’ll be running a couple of pieces on this in an economy series — one from think tank the Centre for Cities on the future of local manufacturing, and another exploring whether Sheffield can turn itself into an innovation hotspot. If you want to share your views get in touch at editor@sheffieldtribune.co.uk 

The weekly Whitworth ✍️

Cartoonist James Whitworth with his take on our story from last week about Sheffielders’ gambling habits.

This week’s weather 🌦️

Our weather forecast comes from dedicated Sheffield weather service Steel City Skies, who say we’re due for an unsettled and changeable week, although the temperature will get milder from Wednesday onwards.

Monday 🌥 Early drizzle gives way to a meek and cool day with some brightness but plenty of cloud overall. Light E winds and highs of 11°C.

Tuesday ☁ A rather dull and cloudy Tuesday, though again most places will stay dry. A little milder, with rain pushing north overnight. Highs of 14°C.

Wednesday 🌧 Unsettled with spells of rain spreading northwards. Breeze southerly winds and milder, despite the rain. Highs of 17°C.

Thursday ⛅ Chance of a shower early and late, otherwise drier and brighter. Pleasant in the sunshine with SW winds. Highs of around 17°C.

Friday 🌦 Rain or showers look likely to return from the west along with freshening winds, too. Brightest early on, with temperatures around 15°C.

Weekend: Most likely an unsettled and windy weekend, with a mix of bright spells and showery outbreaks of rain. Temperatures close to average, with frosts unlikely.

To see the full forecast and keep up to date with any changes to the outlook, follow Steel City Skies on Facebook.

Coming Up

This week, our paying members will receive two extra editions of The Tribune. In the first, regular contributor Holly Williams reports on a group of local women crashing into each other at high speed, for fun and glory. (By which we of course mean the local roller derby team.) In the second, Victoria is looking into Newfield School, after what some parents allege has been a radical and concerning change.

And we’ll be sending out details of our next members event — an expert-led forage for autumn mushrooms. To join the Tribune Tribe and book your place, just click below.

Our media picks 🔗

One of Sheffield's most popular breweries has been taken over by its employees 🍻 Abbeydale Brewery is now entirely owned by its more than 50 employees, Now Then reports. The brewery, which was founded in 1996, also owns The Rising Sun pub in Fulwood. Co-founders Sue and Pat Morton have decided to step back from the day-to-day running of the business, although they’ll stay on the board of directors. “We have always said we would not sell out to the ‘big boys’,” Sue said. 

'Significant shortfalls' remain at care home 👴 The health of more than 40 residents at a local care home is being “compromised” by "significant shortfalls," such as residents at risk of falling being left unattended. The CQC rated Norbury Court, a care home near Northern General Hospital run by Roseberry Care Centres, “inadequate” in February but has now issued warning notices after a reinspection showed it was still “failing to meet the regulations relating to safe care and treatment”. A spokesperson for Norbury Court told the BBC its "new and experienced" senior management team had been "working tirelessly since the last inspection to make improvements”.

Like Threads, I was wrong about the Cold War. Nukes are what kept us alive ☢️ Last week, the BBC re-aired Threads, the 80s nuclear apocalypse film shot in Sheffield, to celebrate its 40th anniversary. In response, Sunday Times columnist Rod Liddle has written an opinion piece defending nuclear arms and “mutually assured destruction” as a deterrent. It’s a take many readers are likely to find controversial — let us know what you think in the comments. 

Home of the week 🏡

On 21st October, this “Walkley gem” is going up for auction with a guide price of £62,000. Once a workshop, the ground-floor studio flat is only 19 square metres but could make “a cosy Airbnb retreat” or a “charming tiny home,” according to promotional material. A sign of the times, perhaps. We note that a radiator has been moved in one photo to cover up a damp patch…

Tribune tips: If you want to tell us about a story or give us some information, please email editor@sheffieldtribune.co.uk. We are always happy to speak to people off the record, and we will treat your information with confidence and sensitivity.

Things to do 📆

Musical 🎶 From today until Saturday, hit musical Hairspray is showing at The Lyceum. Set in 1960s Baltimore, it is a comedic critique of bigotry and racism, based on a film written and directed by John Walters. Tickets range from £15 to £55 and are available here. 

Art 🖼️ Opening on Wednesday night at Gallery 24 on Snig Hill is A Time Of Stasis by Andy Cropper. The exhibition is a solo show for the Sheffield-based artist which reflects on the events of the past four years, intertwined with responses to Sheffield’s cityscape. Gallery 24 is a newly relaunched art space linked to The Two & Six micropub (formerly The Social Snig Hill). The show runs until Saturday, 27 October.

Poetry 📖 On Wednesday evening, as part of Off the Shelf festival, the Creative Lounge is hosting a “dual-language reading” and Q&A with award-winning Argentina poet Laura Wittner. Her current collection Translation of the Route is the first time her work has been published in English and touches on themes such as parental love, life after marriage, and the reignition of the self in middle age. Tickets are £7-8 and available here.