Public Questions and Petitions and Other Communications
(a) To receive any questions or petitions from the public, or communications submitted by the Lord Mayor or the Chief Executive and to pass such resolutions thereon as the Council Procedure Rules permit and as may be deemed expedient.
(b) Petition Requiring Debate
The Council’s Petitions Scheme requires that any petition containing over 5,000 signatures be the subject of debate at the Council meeting. A qualifying petition has been received as follows:-
Night Café for the Homeless and Vulnerable
To debate an electronic petition entitled “Night Café for the Homeless and Vulnerable”. The petition – https://www.change.org/p/sheffield-city-council-night-cafe-for-the-homeless-vulnerable - contains 7,538 supporters (as at 29th August) and includes the following wording:-
Services at night & weekends are none existent. With the help of local businesses and volunteers we would like to run a night cafe for the most vulnerable within our city and to finally bridge the gap between charities & services from closing to opening.
The night cafe will also support services getting information out & help guide people to the right places and be a hub at weekends to act as further support for the outreach teams like street pastors and police to bring people instead of tying up emergency services.
(The following 4 items of business are Notices of Motion submitted in line with the outcome of the Review of Full Council Meetings Member Working Group. 2 further Notices of Motion are included on the agenda as items of business 13 & 14, as these were submitted at variance to the decision of the Working Group.)
Minutes:
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4.1 |
Lord Mayor’s Communications |
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4.1.1 |
The Lord Mayor (Councillor Anne Murphy) commented on the success of the Special Olympics National Games which was held recently in the city, with around 2,600 athletes with intellectual disabilities participating in the Games, and she commended the dedication and work of the athletes, their coaches and the many volunteers who contributed so much to make the event such a resounding success. |
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4.1.2 |
The Lord Mayor also reported that she had recently written on behalf of the Council to the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff requesting that one of the Navy’s next generation T26 Frigates be named after the city of Sheffield. She added that the Royal Navy’s Commodore for Northern England would be visiting the city on 5th October, and she would update Members of the Council on any developments in relation to the naming request. |
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4.2 |
Petitions |
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4.2.1 |
Petition Requesting Fencing around Football Pitches, Reignhead Farm Fields, Beighton |
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The Council received a petition requesting fencing around Football Pitches, Reignhead Farm Fields, Beighton. |
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Representations on behalf of the petitioners were received from Samantha Pickersgill, who informed the Council that there was a problem with dog fouling on the football pitches and this presented a health risk to people including players and volunteers at the MDS Falcons football club. Volunteers had to clean up the pitches before each game. The local community had been asked to clear up after their dogs and there were dog bins provided. However, whilst there were many responsible dog owners, others were not as responsible and also let their dogs roam whilst football matches were being played. The petition requested fencing around the football pitches to address the problem and for key-holders to be assigned. |
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The Council referred the petition to Councillor Mary Lea, the Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Leisure. Councillor Lea stated that the local Councillors for the area had also raised the issue with her. Some measures had already been taken in relation to the problems presented by dog fouling, including a greater number of bins and increased number of dog warden patrols. There were some unthinking dog owners and also many highly responsible dog owners. |
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Councillor Lea requested that the petitioners meet with her, local councillors and the relevant Council Officers to discuss the problems and to see what could be done. |
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4.2.2 |
Petition Requesting the Withdrawal of the Freedom of The City from Aung San Suu Kyi |
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The Council received a petition requesting the withdrawal of the Freedom of The City from Aung San Suu Kyi. |
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Representations of behalf of the petitioners were made by Shahid Ali, who stated that there was a time when Sheffield people supported Aung San Suu Kyi for promoting democracy and human rights in Myanmar. However, he stated, she had now become complicit in possible crimes against humanity. The Freedom of the City was the highest honour that the City could bestow and it was something which she deserved at the time it was ... view the full minutes text for item 4 |