Paul Scriven is the former leader of Sheffield City Council. Born in Huddersfield, the son of a bin man, and a Labour party member until his early 20's, he is now Liberal Democrat in the House of Lords.

In 2010 he stood as a candidate in the general election losing by just 165 votes to Labours Paul Blomfield. Today I asked him what he thought made the difference in securing the victory for Labour. He said that he thought to a large extent it was the Manor Castle ward in the city that had helped get Blomfield over the line. He also acknowledged that Labour had a bigger machine behind them going out on the doorsteps in areas of the city like Manor Castle which have traditionally been Labour households for decades.

Mr Scriven (who incidentally asked me to call him Paul rather than Lord Scriven) has recently been selected as the candidate in Ecclesall, in Sheffield, to stand as a local councillor again. I asked him what made him want to do it again. He told me that his heart is and has always been in local government and local community politics. He wants to help individuals in personal issues as well as helping develop the local area’s policy on highways, housing and fiscal concerns. I asked if this would interfere or hamper his role in the House of Lords. His response was that his experiences in local politics and local issues give him an invaluable insight into what happens in real life. When Lords and politicians are making policy that does not benefit the larger community, he is able to draw on his years of experience as a local councillor and leader of the council to have input that represents the people of his area.

I first spoke to Paul Scriven some years ago while he was leader of the council and recalled him talking about the lib-Dems being the party of fairness. With the disastrous 1015 election result in mind, which left only a handful of Lib-Dem MPs left, I asked Paul if he thought going into government with the Tories was a bad idea or a God send.

He says it quickly becoming clear, and the public are already acknowledging, that Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems contribution in Government was to put the breaks on the Tory ideologies that are now unfolding. He says they had many successes, not least the pupil premium, which has been a huge boost to some schools budgets in poorer areas. He said that Labour and the media had demonised Clegg and the party, blaming them for many of the difficult decisions that had to be made, resulting eventually in the part being given a bloody nose in the election. He thinks the country is now realising that perhaps they should have had a slap on the wrists instead of the brutal beating they took.

The media portrayal of former leader Clegg is that he was somewhat of an absent representative in Sheffield and I put it to Mr Scriven that Clegg’s popularity in the city was still low. I asked if in 2020, should Clegg decide not to stand if Paul Scriven will again stand to MP for Sheffield. He said that he had no idea as to whether Mr Clegg would stand down and had given it no thought, as he is a Lord why would he? He said that as a councillor, if elected, the city has many challenges which he intends to be involved in. From HS2’s station in Sheffield, to the devolution debate currently taking place, he will do whatever he needs to do to best serve his city in whichever role allows him to best do that.

On the issue of devolution I asked if he thought it was a good deal for the city. He was clear that in his mind what’s on the table is not full devolution but decentralisation. That said, he thinks much of decentralisation is a good thing if it gives power to the people of Sheffield rather than decisions being made in Westminster. He does wonder though how much input people of the region will have, considering the deal has been done before the consultation. He said the deals gained by the emerging West Yorkshire and the north East were better, stronger deals as they were able to push back more to gain real powers to make a difference for the people in those areas. He questioned the openness and transparency of deal done by just four people that will be affecting the whole are area.

 I suggested his experience and position in the area makes him an obvious candidate the role of Mayor.  While not ruling it out, he said humbly, that he will take one election at a time and is concentrating on being a councillor again at the moment.

I tried to frame a question for Paul around the debate he was involved in in the House of Lords yesterday about investigatory powers. I told Paul I had tried but the argument is so complicated I failed to understand it sufficiently. Was the, I asked the case also in the Lords. He said on the subject of internet porn many of those in the House were unable to grasp how technology worked and that simply putting blocks in place were not the answer but parental influence and education about the use of pornography was the key. When talking about the proposals to allow access to browser history and emails Paul became most passionate and animated.

He likened the idea to our letters being opened in the delivery office and read by the postmen and then photocopied and saved for twelve months. He said if this was the proposal then the public would be rightly outraged. The threat to our privacy and liberty is wrong. In this country, he said we are proud to assume that one is innocent until proven guilty but if these powers are given to the home secretary that this assumption will be in jeopardy.

I asked if the lack of understanding issues is generally an accurate description of modern politicians. He said many politician seem to leave school, go to university, leave there for a job as an advisor, and then go on to be an MP. He elaborated if you ask the public what many politicians actually stand for few would know.

Paul Scriven had agreed to meet me for half an hour, as he is undoubtedly a very busy man. He is a politician, a public figure, and a business man (although he doesn’t like to label himself as any of those things exclusively) and yet he was good enough to spare over an hour talking to me in coffee shop on Ecclesall Road. I think whether he wins the seat on the council next year or decides to stand as an MP or Mayor , we will be seeing Paul Scriven for some time to come.