MP calls for end to mesh procedures

SUNSHINE POURED in through the windows of the training centre in Sheffield, a stone’s throw from Meadowhall shopping centre, as the first hustings of the South Yorkshire mayoral campaign took place on a glorious spring morning.

But while the weather was set fair, the political forecast for the county is far from certain, as the six candidates vying to become its first directly elected mayor acknowledged yesterday. A lack of agreement between local leaders over the configuration of a historic devolution deal means the winning candidate will have no central Government money and few powers.

During the hustings, organised by the Centre for Cities thinktank and the Sheffield City Region Chambers of Commerce, the hopefuls outlined their plans for skills, transport and jobs two weeks ahead of the election.

And the elephant in the room, the mayor’s lack of resources compared with his or her counterparts in Manchester, Birmingham and the Tees Valley, was quickly raised as a pivotal issue for whoever is voted in on May 3.

“We know this region is suffering because we can’t work together”, Richard Wright, the chamber of commerce’s executive director, said as he posed the first question asking how local leaders could reach an agreement.

His reference to local infighting comes after a turbulent period where the leaders of two of South Yorkshire’s councils pulled out of the devolution deal agreed with then-Chancellor George Osborne in 2015, which would have brought £30m a year and a host of powers from central Government. Since then, wrangling has continued over whether any agreement to transfer powers from Whitehall to South Yorkshire could be a precursor to a more ambitious deal taking in Yorkshire’s entire 5.3m population.

Describing the problems as deep-seated and longstanding, Liberal Democrat Hannah Kitching, who owns a Sheffield manufacturing firm, said the situation called for an “honest broker”. “I wonder if we have got to the point where we have to bring in some independent mediation,” she said, as the first person responding to the question. “And I do mean genuinely independent, not someone who is already invested in some part of the Sheffield City Region.”

Conservative Ian Walker, answering second, said his first act would be to reinstate the South Yorkshire forum, a vehicle that brought together business and civic leaders, to create a dialogue to move forward.

Continuing the theme of Labour’s dominance in the area being a factor, Green Party candidate and Sheffield city councillor Rob Murphy said the secure position occupied by local council leaders led to a “fiefdom mentality where they are only looking after their area”. He suggested a webcast of meetings would “shame people into working together.”

Yorkshire Party candidate Mick Bower told the audience: “We are clear where we want to get to, an all-Yorkshire deal. We have said the best value for money and fairest way to get most prosperity for Yorkshire is to have an assembly similar to Scotland.”

Labour candidate Dan Jarvis, widely considered favourite to win on May 3, has already been heavily involved in efforts to bring about a Yorkshire-wide devolution deal. If elected on the Friday, he said, on the Tuesday he would meet with the local council leaders, before later that week meeting with Communities Secretary Sajid Javid to “plot a course that moves us forward in South Yorkshire”.

The final candidate to speak, accountant Naveen Judah, representing South Yorkshire Save Our NHS, took issue with Mr Jarvis’s use of the word “clout”, arguing that this sounded like the mayor would use power to achieve their aims. “I think we have to be more consultative and more together in our approach.” AN MP has called for a suspension of all types of surgical mesh after revealing the story of a constituent who suffered years of agony following the treatment for a relatively minor condition.

Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake said “something needs to be done now” to stop women suffering in the way Jackie Cheetham and thousands of others have.

Mrs Cheetham, who lives in Allerston near Pickering, has lived her life in constant pain since a vaginal mesh procedure in 2006.

She cannot walk far or stand for extended periods of time and her sleep is badly affected.

Mr Hollinrake said her family life has been ruined and she resents the fact she was never warned of the potential consequences.

The MP said: “We need a thorough audit of the problem as quickly as possible. It must also be sensible when there are alternatives to look at a suspension of this treatment today.”

Mrs Cheetham said: “I hope very much that something can be done now to prevent more women suffering as we have done.”