National News

The UK general election was held on the 6th of May 2010 and turned out to be one of the most tightly fought and important this country has seen in generations. Although the Conservatives won the largest number of votes and seats, they still fell short of the 326 seats needed to have an overall majority. The first time this has happened since 1974 and only the second time since the ‘Second World War’ that a UK general election has returned a hung parliament.

Sheffield’s Full General Election Results

Sheffield’s Full Local Election Results

On a local level, Sheffield Live! was there every step of the way. Our team of reporters and presenters broadcasting both the ‘General Election’ & ‘Local Council’ results; along with all the interviews and comments from the people that matter. We started at 1am in the morning and didn’t stop delivering the news to you till 6pm that evening.

Our reporting team throughout the event were: Paul Gregory, Sangita Basudev, Charlotte Dobson, Amna Kaleem, Mickey Conn, Ross Drayton & Simon Thake. Below you can hear some of the highlights from their coverage.

.

.

The Night-time Shift: 1am till 6am
Presented by Paul Gregory

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Breakfast Show: 6am till 9am
Presented by Ross Drayton and Simon Thake

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Afternoon Show: 12pm till 3pm
Presented by Sangita Basudev & Mickey Conn

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Late Afternoon Show: 5pm till 6pm
Presented by Amna Kaleem

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Government is to seek additional funds to support community radio, according to Siôn Simon MP, Minister for Creative Industries. The Minister’s comments come in response to a joint letter to the Prime Minister signed by community broadcasters in Sheffield and across the country, calling for a sizeable increase in public funding for community radio.

In the Government reply to the joint open letter, Siôn Simon writes: “the Government recognises the importance of community radio and its contribution to the communities which they serve”. In addition to current Government support, he says: “DCMS will continue to work with other Government Departments and Agencies to identify other sources of funding, specifically where there are community cohesion and social gain objectives, for community radio.”

Steve Buckley, Director of community radio station, Sheffield Live!, said: “We welcome Government recognition that additional funding should be found for community radio but we need more than a vague expression of intent.  We are not asking for the sector to be fully, or even majority, publicly funded. All we want is for Government support to be reflected in a funding settlement that reflects the benefits community radio brings to the communities we serve. Government should implement now the recommendations of the Everitt Report.”

Professor Anthony Everitt, author of the 2003 report, New Voices, whose recommendations formed the basis for government legislation, says the sector is “hobbled by its poverty”, and has called on government to implement the recommendations of his report to provide (matched) grant aid of £30,000 per year per station towards core operating costs. Everitt says “this is a modest expenditure when the benefits community radio can confer are taken into account”.

The community radio campaign has gained the support of members of Parliament from all political parties. Lord David Puttnam assured the community radio sector:  “…the weight of public support and technological history are with you.” A petition, at http://allthevoices.org, calling on the Government to support the sustainability and growth of community radio by substantially increasing the resources of the Community Radio Fund, has gathered nearly 3000 signatures.

For further information including a copy of the letter from the Minister follow this link

On the fourth of September Jeff Halper visited Sheffield to participate at a public meeting organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Jeff is the director of the Israeli Committee against House Demolition (ICAHD). In his speech he gave an account of the territorial expansion of the Israeli control and the tools used for this purpose: the construction of new settlements and the demolition of Palestinian homes. He explained that this is no side aspect of the conflict, but a central one, namely the one which most than anything undermines the viability of a future Palestinian state. Jeff also introduced the audience to ICAHD’s work. Musheir El Farra, chair of the Sheffield PSC, opened the meeting.

The team from Communities Live (broadcast every weekday from 12 till 1pm) was at the meeting, and presented the highlights a few days later:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Lord David Puttnam has pledged his “.. absolute support..” to a campaign by community radio stations in Sheffield and across the country who are pressing the government for access to adequate and reliable funds.

Community radio, acclaimed by industry regulator Ofcom as a “broadcasting success story”, is under constant fear of closure, according to Professor Anthony Everitt, author of the 2003 report, New Voices, whose recommendations formed the basis for government legislation.

The Community Radio Order 2004 is currently under review as are the funding arrangements for public service broadcasting content outside the BBC. Funding for community radio has not kept pace with growth in the number of services. The Community Radio Fund was set up in 2005, with £500,000 per annum when there were only 14 community radio licensees. Today there are around 150 community radio services on air, while the Fund has not grown in size.

Everitt, in a letter to the Department for Culture Media and Sport, says the sector is “hobbled by its poverty”, and has called on government to implement the recommendations of his report to provide (matched) grant aid of £30,000 per year per station towards core operating costs. Everitt says “this is a modest expenditure when the benefits community radio can confer are taken into account”, and it is needed “to place community radio on a sound financial footing”.

Community broadcasters have called on government, in an open letter to the Prime Minister, to implement the funding recommendations of the Everitt report to ensure the sustainability and development of community radio. And a petition to the Prime Minister, calling for increased funding for the sector, is also gathering momentum with over 1700 signatures already confirmed.

Lord David Puttnam assured the community radio sector:  “…the weight of public support and technological history are with you…”

Sangita Basudev, Chief Executive of Sheffield Live! 93.2 FM welcomed Lord Puttnam’s support and said: “Community radio stations around the country have demonstrated their effectiveness in giving voice to and involving local people from diverse communities. But the growth of the sector needs to be matched by increased investment in line with the recommendations of the Everitt report.”

For further information follow this link