Sheffield Council elections: Leader Tom Hunt says ‘people have backed our plan’ today

Watch Sheffield Council elections: Leader Tom Hunt says ‘people have backed our plan’ today - The Star, Sheffield on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00I'm really pleased by today's results. The Labour Party has made a gain of 5 seats. We've

00:09taken seats from the Tories, from the Liberal Democrats and from the Greens. We've put forward

00:15a positive, ambitious plan for our city. Better public transport, bringing our buses under

00:19public control, more affordable homes, helping people with the cost of living crisis and

00:24backing the next generation to succeed. People have backed our plan today and I'm really

00:30delighted that we've seen some of our fantastic councillors elected and made that gain of

00:355 seats.

00:36Still no vote of control. What do you make of that?

00:39Well we know that it's a complex political situation here in Sheffield but I have worked

00:44with other parties over the last year to bring about real change for people. We are transforming

00:49the council and it's a Labour-led council. Labour is comfortably the largest party on

00:54the Sheffield City Council so I will be continuing to speak to the other parties and work in

00:59the interests of everyone in Sheffield. Because wherever I go in this city, whenever I knock

01:04on doors, I hear the same things. People want a council which is on their side, helping

01:10them out with their priorities. Cost of living, more affordable homes, better public transport.

01:15That's why the Labour Party's plan was shaped entirely by listening to residents and I'm

01:20pleased that people today have backed it and we've made those gains of 5 seats for the Labour Party.

01:26What can we expect from Labour the next municipal year?

01:30We will be delivering on our priorities, working with a, I hope, Labour Mayor of South Yorkshire

01:37to bring our buses under public control alongside the tram which has now been brought under

01:42public control. Getting those affordable homes and new homes built. We need 36,000 new homes

01:48across the city over the next 15 years and we want to be really starting that work right now.

01:54But we're also really focused on there being a change of government later this year.

01:59Rishi Sunak needs to get on and call the date for the general election because people across

02:04this city are crying out for a general election and I sincerely hope that the Tories reflect

02:10on what is a very bad day for them across the country and realise that they are out

02:15of time, out of ideas and people will soon be voting them out of office.