Shirecliffe censored?

Shirecliffe Forward, an alliance of three residents’ groups on Shirecliffe Estate, was delighted to be given £10,000, part of which is for a local newsletter.

Issue 1 was to have six pages, but when Southey and Owlerton Area Regeneration Board (SOARB) saw the material for it, they refused to pay. Shirecliffe Forward put out a single page newsletter at its own expense, claiming it has been ‘gagged’ and ‘censored’, on the grounds that an article in it was deemed ‘political’ by SOARB. 

The article concerned the long-running objections by Shirecliffe residents to Sheffield City Council’s proposals to demolish homes on the estate and reported ‘consultation’ visits by Council officials and proposals for the ‘remodelling’ of some houses. It expressed determination not to let the Council renege on promises to 1100 residents that their homes would not be demolished. 
Shirecliffe Forward says that if the Council puts up cash for the community to express its views, then they ought to listen to those views.