The Taxpayers' Alliance has recently released its annual figures for the top salaries within Local Authorities. These cover the 2010-11 and 2011-12 financial years.

Here are the headlines that the Daily Mail gleefully picked up on: 

* There were at least 2,525 council employees who received total remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2011-12, a fall of 11 per cent on the previous year’s 2,839.

* Despite this, 102 councils increased the number of staff who received remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2011-12.

* In 2011-12, there were 636 council employees who received remuneration over £150,000.

[Source: http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/thrl2013.pdf ]

So what's the story in Sheffield?

I'm really pleased that we are leading a project across South Yorkshire to increase the uptake of electric vehicles in the region. The Labour administration of Sheffield City Council is investing to provide SMEs with a 50% grant for a one-year lease of an electric vehicle plus a 50% grant towards the cost of the purchase and installation of a dedicated electric vehicle charging point at the SME’s premises.  

The speech below was delivered to a meeting of the Sheffield Full Council, in response to the Coalition’s plan to force Local Authorities to charge working-age people who currently receive Council Tax Benefit.
*** CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY ***

Thank you, Lord Mayor. All we are getting from the Liberal Democrats today are crocodile tears – pretending to oppose the Government’s direction, when in reality they are the co-pilots.

They have completely forgotten what Sheffield people are going through thanks to their government:

I recently went out in my role with a Cabinet Member for the Environment, Recycling and StreetScene and got my hands dirty out in the local community joining Asda’s Community Team to pick litter in Graves Park.

Although council budgets have been cut massively it doesn’t stop local businesses and residents from helping to keep their local communities clear from litter and make them more attractive places to live and play. It’s great that the Asda Community Team get involved like this in their local communities and give something back, so I want to say a big "Thanks" to them too. Graves Park looks a lot better after this work".

 I am delighted to be supporting Labour's plan for action for a living wage at Sheffield City Council. 

The proposal means that from April next year all staff employed by Sheffield City Council will be paid a wage of at least £7.20 per hour this financial year, which will see an increase for 275 staff across on the lowest two grades at the council.

The decision comes following talks over a period of time with public sector union, Unison. 

For the first time ever, I am taking part in Movember this year with my cabinet colleagues.  

 Please sponsor me by clicking here 

 Please sponsor me by clicking here

Today the Star has published my (genuine) letter about Sheffield's economy. They have also published the apology for their error earlier this week: 

The Star recently reported that Michael Heseltine has admitted that scrapping RDAs like Yorkshire Forward was "a mistake". I'm pleased he has seen the error of his ways. Yorkshire Forward wasn't perfect by any means, but over its lifetime it did lever in many millions of pounds of public and private investment from other parts of Europe for Sheffield's economy.

I am currently away on holiday in Norfolk.

I got an email this morning from one of the people who deals with the press to ask me about a letter, apparently from me, that appeared in the Star... I then got a couple of texts from people "checking I was alright"!

The letter was basically a rant about "incompetent public servants, quangocrats, lazy public sector workers" etc.

I managed to get another letter in the Star today - see below.

The Star reported on Monday that Nick Clegg wants Sheffield's economy to focus on technology and manufacturing. One of his first acts in government was to cancel investment in Forgemasters which would have done just that - he really does have some cheek!