'Listen before investing in Sheffield trailblazer neighbourhoods'
What's it like to live in a "trailblazer neighbourhood"? The Sheffield suburbs of Batemoor and Jordanthorpe are among 25 postcodes around the country which will benefit from £20m of government investment over the next 10 years.
Yet when the BBC visited both areas, residents said they wanted to be listened to before the money is spent.There is a bit of mystery surrounding the funding - neither Sheffield City Council nor Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh bid for it, and there are wards in the constituency with higher levels of deprivation.Chancellor Rachel Reeves's announcement was based on "robust metric-based methodology" that determined how the trailblazer neighbourhoods were chosen.Jackie Butcher, manager of the Grace food bank in the S8 and S17 areas, said she was surprised by the news."To be honest, the first we knew about this was when the BBC contacted us and then we were all desperately trying to find out what it was."I think the really important thing is to listen to the community; often people don't say anything because they think there is no point and they won't be heard. They need to get those quiet voices."People have lots of ideas. There was a planting project in Jordanthorpe shopping precinct recently and loads of people came to help, so people do care about community. There are lots of people doing great things."I know that people say they want more things for young people to do, that's high on people's priorities."
On the streets there was also support for investment in youth activities.Richard Laidler, 58, said: "There should be more facilities for kids. I live where the old Jordanthorpe school is and they should make that into a field, put some ramps on it and a football pitch, make it somewhere for them to play. There's nothing for children to do."I do like murals - there should be more street art and they should sort the graffiti, which looks a mess."Shop worker Lyndsay, who did not give her surname, agreed: "The kids need something to do, there's nothing around here. We used to have youth clubs and they need somewhere to go with pool tables and stuff to stop them hanging around by the shops."The "flexible" funding will arrive from April 2026, and can be spent on projects such as youth clubs, libraries, cultural venues, and health and wellbeing services.Despite appreciation of green space in the area, several people said there needed to be more parking provision.Ron Colton, 78, said: "There are a lot of green paths which could be cut so they can get more cars in."The flats used to be for pensioners and disabled people but nowadays are for families and they have cars. Parking has exploded."A woman passing by added: "I know green space is of big value, but get rid of a bit of the green space to make more parking."
Haigh, the local MP, said the funding was unexpected but "long overdue and very welcome"."Batemoor and Jordanthorpe are the only areas in South Yorkshire named in this first wave of investment."These communities have shown incredible resilience in the face of over a decade of neglect, and it's right they now get the support they deserve."This funding will go directly into our community to improve the area for residents and drive long-term regeneration."
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