'People need to vote, start using your voice'

With just a month until polling day in the local elections on 7 May, political parties are busy on the campaign trail across Sheffield, seeking out people's support at the ballot box. But what would mums in the city's Gleadless Valley like to see the winners do - and what would they do themselves if they were in charge of the council after all the votes were counted?

From Gleadless Valley, the views of Sheffield are spectacular. At ground level, there is a stunning vista across the city centre - and looking out from one of the area's tower blocks, you can see for miles.

However, these views come at a price because the steep terrain in this area means it is a challenge to develop.

A Sheffield City Council "vision" to regenerate the valley is under way, three years after a £90m redevelopment plan collapsed, leaving residents "terribly frustrated" - and they appear to be cautious of promises by politicians.

Up to 2016, Labour held all three Gleadless Valley seats on the council, but since then it has been a stronghold for the Green Party.

For the past few years, the Conservatives have taken third place, but all parties are now keeping a watchful eye out to see if it will be targeted by Reform UK.

In a council consultation, many people complained about the difficulty getting to local shops and services in Gleadless Valley.

Bus services have been cut and the long, steep hills make walking and cycling difficult, while a lower proportion of residents in the area own a car than elsewhere in Sheffield.

The estate has about 4,500 homes, half of which are council-owned.

Much of the estate remains unchanged since its construction in the 1960s and Sheffield Council says: "The reputation of the estate has fallen in more recent years, with residents stating it's becoming very run down."

Lara Joyce, secretary of Gleadless Valley tenants and residents' association, says she talks to residents a lot about the condition of their homes and the need for repairs.

"The council needs to focus on repairing people's homes. Council properties are an investment and they need to be properly maintained," she says.

"We have a lot of conversations about anti-social behaviour and I'd love more to be done to tackle that as it has such a negative effect on people's lives.

"We speak a lot about fly-tipping as well. They're the main things we seem to be dealing with at the minute."

However, Lara says she thinks the local elections "feel quite distant to a lot of people".

"It's not a conversation I've had with many people," she says.

"I do hear people complaining about the council, but I don't know if there is a full understanding of how it works.

"There are so many different departments and different people in charge. It's such a complicated mechanism, but it is very easy for people to complain."

Jacky Charlton, 63, has lived on Gleadless Valley for 28 years.

She says she will "probably" vote in the local elections in May, but is still unsure.

"It isn't a bad area. We have beautiful views and it's got a lot of potential - it's just some people let it down," she says.

"A lot of this time, it's people just throwing rubbish around.

"We've got a lovely little street, but people just dump their rubbish everywhere. Some people are setting fire to the rubbish and there was a burnt-out car. It's not nice and it's a safety risk."

However, Jacky says she does not think there is "anything the council can do to improve it".

"Some of the people on here are not bothered," she says.

"The council can spend a million pounds, but if people are not going to look after their area, then there's no point," she says.

Meanwhile, Sarah Baxter, a mum-of-five, says there needs to be more for children to do in Gleadless Valley.

"There's not much for kids to do, especially younger ones," she says.

"There's loads of woods, but we need more parks and we need more social clubs or youth clubs.

"It's the same with teenagers: there needs to be things for them to do in the six weeks holidays. They are just roaming the streets."

Sarah says that if she was in charge of the council, she would "definitely do something for the kids or even for families".

"No one has the money, and if you've got more than one child it costs a fortune," she adds.

Polling day is on Thursday 7 May and a full list of candidates will be available from Friday 10 April.

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