A City centre, for local people and built by local business? - not under these civic leaders

4.31.21pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 19th Jul 2005

The local Liberal Democrat group have criticised the Labour Council for by-passing local Sheffield business when it comes to regenerating Sheffield City centre. They believe that local business could have had a much greater role in the regeneration works.

It has recently been announced that a firm in the North East will be contracted to complete steel street art in the new Millennium Square, the news comes after the work for the proposed steel sculpture outside the refurbished train station, 'the cutting edge', was awarded to a firm in Bristol.

Numerous local businesses have complained to the local Lib Dems that there are not enough opportunities for Sheffield companies to contribute to the City centre works. Lib Dems believe artwork should be designed so that local businesses in Sheffield can compete, without having to go to outside specialist companies.

Lib Dems are now asking the Labour controlled Council to give a commitment to getting more involved with local business to see what they can contribute to at a competitive price. They believe that the 'heart of the City' should be better used to create local jobs and investment.

Cllr David Baker, Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet member for Planning and Economic Regeneration, said: -

"Many local businesses are not happy that they have once again lost out to a company from outside of Sheffield when tendering for an important and iconic project in the City centre. We are having two pieces of street art, both made from steel, yet Sheffield business have been overlooked again"

"The Council should be doing more to include local business in the 'heart of the City' project and use it to create local jobs and investment. Maybe they could have given the designer of this project some specifications that would have made it more likely that Sheffield business could have been involved"

"We should be providing a boost to our own businesses yet the Council is not doing enough. Sheffield's regeneration is such an important project to everyone in Sheffield, it shows an alarming lack of foresight for the Council not to talk to and work with local business in order to get the maximum benefit for our local economy"