Agenda and minutes

Members to declare any interests they have in the business to be considered at the meeting.

To receive the record of the proceedings of the meeting of the Council held on 5^th October 2016 and to approve the accuracy thereof.

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.

That this Council:-

(a)       is conscious about the current serious situation in Kashmir and deeply concerned about the welfare and safety of the families and friends of many Sheffielders living in the region;

(b)       is disturbed by the recent violence where use of pellet guns, tear gas shells, rubber bullets, as well as assault rifles, resulted in the deaths of more than 110 civilians, with over 7,000 civilians injured;

(c)        recognises Amnesty International's criticism of Indian security forces for the use of arbitrary and excessive force to deal with the protests in Kashmir and they also criticised the use of pellet guns, stating they had been used 100 times in Kashmir during the first week of September 2016;

(d)       believes in a diplomatic solution to this issue to bring peace and stability to the region;

(e)       calls upon the Leader of the Council to write to the High Commissioners of India and Pakistan calling for:-

(i)         the immediate cessation of violence, including the use of pellet guns on civilians;

(ii)        the immediate lifting of the curfew and restrictions on free speech;

(iii)       the investigation of human rights abuses in the region;

(iv)       the restarting of diplomatic talks to resolve the situation peacefully; and

(v)        immediate help and support for those who have been injured; and

(f)        requests that a copy of this motion be forwarded to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

5.1       Questions relating to urgent business – Council Procedure Rule 16.6(ii).

5.2       Supplementary questions on written questions submitted at this meeting   – Council Procedure Rule 16.4.

5.3       Questions on the discharge of the functions of the South Yorkshire Joint Authorities for Fire and Rescue and Pensions – Section 41 of the Local Government Act 1985 – Council Procedure Rule 16.6(i).

            (NB. Minutes of recent meetings of the two South Yorkshire Joint Authorities have been made available to all Members of the Council via the following link -

            http://sheffielddemocracy.moderngov.co.uk/ecCatDisplay.aspx?sch=doc&cat=13165&path=0)

To consider any changes to the memberships and arrangements for meetings of Committees etc., delegated authority, and the appointment of representatives to serve on other bodies.

Report of the Acting Executive Director, Resources.

That this Council:-

(a)       notes reports from the International Energy Agency that at least two thirds of current fossil fuel reserves must remain unburned if warming in excess of 2 degrees is to be avoided;

(b)       further notes reports from the Carbon Tracker Initiative that investing in fossil fuel companies is an increasingly risky prospect due to the possibility of fossil fuel reserves becoming “stranded assets” when global deals to mitigate climate change, such as the Paris Climate Agreement, are implemented;

(c)        notes that once money that has been divested from fossil fuels it can be reinvested in more environmentally sustainable and socially beneficial assets like renewable energy, affordable housing, and the local economy;

(d)       therefore believes that there is not only a convincing moral and environmental case for institutional investors to divest from fossil fuels, but also a compelling financial one;

(e)       welcomes the decision by Waltham Forest Borough Council’s Pension Fund Committee on 22nd September 2016 to “exclude fossil fuels from its [investment] strategy over the next five years” because “investing in companies that rely heavily on ……. fossil fuels, at a time when the environmental impact is a matter of increasing scrutiny, is seen as risky”;

(f)        notes that the Waltham Forest commitment is the first of its kind from a Local Authority Pension Fund in the UK, and welcomes the leadership that the Waltham Forest Pension Fund Committee has shown;

(g)       further welcomes the fact that some institutional investors in South Yorkshire have also shown leadership in this area, for example:-

(i)         the University of Sheffield’s commitment in November 2015 to divest its £39 million endowment fund from fossil fuels;

(ii)        Sheffield Hallam University’s statement in January 2016 that it “had not and will not invest in fossil fuels”; and

(iii)       South Yorkshire Pensions Authority’s adoption of a Climate Change Policy in March 2016 that states the Fund will “endeavour to manage a tilt within portfolios towards lower carbon assets in-line with the Paris Agreement, with a view towards progressively decreasing the Fund’s carbon exposure”;

(h)       believes that, although these are positive steps, Sheffield should set its ambitions higher with respect to fossil fuel divestment;

(i)         therefore declares its aspiration for Sheffield to become the United Kingdom’s first “fossil free city”:  the first city in the UK in which all of the major local government, higher / further education and faith institutions have committed to divesting their investments and pension funds from fossil fuels, to the extent that they hold the power locally to do so;

(j)         pledges to lead by example on fossil fuel divestment in Sheffield by committing to develop a plan to not invest in stocks, shares, or bonds issued by fossil fuel companies, and to divest itself from any such investments that are currently held over a reasonable period of time to be determined by the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources and the Director of Finance;

(k)        calls upon the Administration to include in the Council’s Treasury  ...  view the full agenda text for item 9.

That this Council:-

(a)       believes that pharmacies play an important role in promoting wellbeing, such as healthy eating, smoking cessation, exercise, flu vaccination, sexual health, and more;

(b)       opposes the Government’s plan to force through a £113m cut this year for community pharmacies in addition to a further £95 million in 2017/18 and regrets that Ministers have refused to listen to repeated warnings about the impact this will have;

(c)        notes that only around one in ten community pharmacies will be helped by the Pharmacy Access Scheme, that means around nine in ten pharmacies are potentially vulnerable to these cuts;

(d)       notes reports in the summer that the Government’s cuts could lead to up to a quarter of Sheffield’s 128 pharmacies closing;

(e)       believes that these plans are a false-economy that will hit the deprived, elderly and long-term sick hardest and will deprive communities of vital local assets when as many as one in four local pharmacies close, and they will also increase pressure on already overstretched GPs and A&E departments;

(f)        regrets that these cuts will be a grave loss for our communities in Sheffield and will put more pressure on the NHS; and

(g)       requests the Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care to write to the Secretary of State for Health demanding the halting of these proposed cuts.

That this Council:-

(a)       notes that the Government have granted exploratory licenses to allow companies to conduct shale gas testing at a number of sites across the country, which has included areas within Sheffield, mainly areas bordering the local authority;

(b)       further notes that approaches have been made to property owners to start surveying around Mosborough and many members of the local community have opposed the prospect of fracking in their area, including hosting public meetings to raise objections;

(c)        regrets that the Government now appear to be determined to force fracking on areas, regardless of local opinion;

(d)       supports the position taken by the Labour Party calling on the Government to ban fracking and focus on unlocking the jobs and growth that a low-carbon energy infrastructure can provide for our industry, workforce and communities; and

(e)       commits to not permitting fracking on Council-owned land and to reject approaches to do so.

That this Council:-

(a)       notes that it has a responsibility to tackle climate change and protect the environment and the wellbeing of local communities;

(b)       notes the recent landmark decision by the Government to overturn the decision of the local council and approve a planning application to start fracking in Lancashire, and believes this sets a very dangerous precedent for the Government to ignore the views of local people in relation to fracking;

(c)        notes that areas in and around Sheffield have been licensed for investigations for shale gas and notes that some people in the South East of Sheffield have received letters from companies who wish to perform seismic surveys for this purpose on land they own;

(d)       acknowledges that exploration of unconventional fossil fuel undermines action on climate change and diverts resources away from investment in a safe and secure renewable energy future;

(e)       notes that there are possible significant adverse impacts from shale gas exploration and exploitation, including water contamination and air pollution, and supports a ‘Frack-Free’ declaration for this area;

(f)        calls on the Administration to draw up a ‘Minerals Strategy’ as part of the Local Plan;

(g)       calls on Her Majesty’s Government to impose a moratorium on shale gas exploration within the UK to prevent the adverse impact it will have on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change; and

(h)       directs that a copy of this motion be sent to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

That this Council:-

(a)       welcomes that the recent National Flood Resilience Review recognises the excellent work that the Council is progressing through the city’s £83m flood protection programme and its urban regeneration plans;

(b)       notes that the Review’s report highlights that Sheffield offers great potential for improving flood protection from its many rivers whilst enabling regeneration of the urban environment, and that this work is seen as vital in unlocking the economic, aesthetic and ecological value of the city’s waterways and making Sheffield a more beautiful and better place to live;

(c)        believes it is vital that communities and businesses are protected from flooding and welcomes that Sheffield has been selected as the first core city in England to be protected to London standards by 2021; and

(d)       notes that achieving these ambitious aims will require millions of pounds of Government investment and welcomes the commitment in the Review to invest the funding needed to do this for Sheffield.

That this Council:-

(a)       thanks all the hard-working volunteers at all of the city’s Associate Libraries whose invaluable contribution has meant that many of our community libraries have remained open despite the Administration’s choice to cut their funding;

(b)       welcomes the latest report brought to the Safer and Stronger Communities Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee which recommends that Associate Library groups should be guaranteed the current level of funding for another 3 years;

(c)        however, believes that this is the bare minimum that treasured volunteer-run community libraries need to survive and that maintaining the current level of service through the next 3 years remains a challenge;

(d)       recalls the last two budget amendments of the main opposition group, whichidentified sensible savings which, if implemented, would mean some of the reductions in funding to the libraries service could be restored and this could be used to employ professional librarians to support volunteers; and

(e)       recommends to the Cabinet Member for Community Services and Libraries that additional funding is given to Associate Libraries.

That this Council:-

(a)       notes that over 800 new homes are to be built in the Upper Don Valley catchment area of Sheffield, comprising:

(i)         417 new homes to be built at Station Road, Deepcar;

(ii)        120 new homes to be built on the new 'Fox Valley bottom', Manchester Road, Stocksbridge; and

(ii)        300 new homes to be built on a proposed new development at the old paper mill site, between Oughtibridge and Wharncliffe Side;

(b)       expresses concern that there will be a substantial increase in vehicular traffic on local roads as a result of the proposed developments; a conservative estimate would assume at least an additional 1700 vehicles in the area, with additional vehicles also visiting the new 'Fox Valley' retail shopping centre at Stocksbridge;

(c)        believes that immediate action should be taken to begin the process of extending the Supertram/rail link between Middlewood and the newly built 'Fox Valley' shopping development at Stocksbridge, with tram/rail stops at Oughtibridge, Wharncliffe Side, Deepcar and Stocksbridge, and supports the Don Valley Railway plans submitted to the City Council in 2012 in relation to the popularity of the idea of re-using the freight line to Stocksbridge for passenger services;

(d)       recognises the fact that additional car journeys will create an increase in carbon dioxide emissions and traffic congestion, and that this will impact on the environment and, therefore, local people’s health;

(e)       welcomes the fact that the Authority has already taken an interest in Government Regeneration Agency, URBED, who advocate that satellite settlements that are included in future housing provision, such as Stocksbridge, have “light-rail” links to city centres to accommodate new economic growth over the next 15 years;

(f)        further believes that a new Supertram/rail link would be efficient and convenient for both local residents and visitors to use, would be environmentally cleaner, and would alleviate much of the existing congestion at ‘traffic pinch points’ in the areas of Catch Bar Lane and Penistone Road which have for many years caused chaos for local people travelling to and from the city centre during the morning and evening rush hour;

(g)       also believes that for the Authority to take no pro-active measures is not an option, and that, if a new Supertram/rail link is not actioned as soon as possible, traffic will crawl ever more slowly into and out of our city, increasing levels of air pollution, and resulting in all roads eventually leading to gridlock rather than the intended destination, impacting on the environment and the economy; and

(h)       welcomes the interest of the Sheffield Star newspaper, who has added its weight to the issue of the expansion of the Supertram network by asking its readers (over 350,000 per week), in a survey, where the new Supertram routes should go; and where the survey found that 31% of Sheffield Star readers and web site responses stated that their overwhelming favourite destination was Stocksbridge.

That this Council:-

(a)       believes we live in a remarkably diverse society and how we evolve and face the challenges of the future will be influenced by how we can use the creative resources that diversity gifts us;

(b)       believes that diversity in theatres has real value; that it doesn’t just ensure survival, it can genuinely invigorate theatre organisations and be a spur to creativity and new ways of thinking; and that, therefore, it is vital theatres aspire to reflect the diversity of our culture in the work it produces on stage, in its performers, in its audiences, in the people it reaches through its learning activities and in the people who work there in ancillary positions;

(c)        welcomes the £150,000 funding boost Sheffield Theatres has won from the Arts Council England ‘Change Makers Programme’ for its work in bringing more black and minority ethnic staff and audience members into its theatres;

(d)       notes the importance this funding will have to help the growth of diversity in all areas of Sheffield Theatres by increasing its engagement with black, Asian and minority ethnic communities and artists, creating significant changes in its audiences, programming, recruitment and integrated casting; and that this will result in making a real and lasting difference to the Organisation and the industry as a whole; and

(e)       directs that a copy of this motion is sent to Sheffield Theatres to convey Sheffield City Council’s full support for the initiative.

That this Council:-

(a)       welcomes Sheffield Theatres’ success in this year’s UK Theatre Awards, winning a record 6 awards;

(b)       notes that after being nominated for 8 awards, Sheffield Theatres won awards in 5 categories, including Best Musical Production, Best Supporting Performance, Best Performance in a Musical, Best Design and Best Play; and

(c)        pays tribute to the artists and staff of Sheffield Theatres for their contribution to the city and expresses delight that this has been recognised with these awards.

That this Council:-

(a)       wishes to congratulate the Sheffield Music Hub on the recent Wider Music Network Conference it hosted at the Sheffield Town Hall, attended by music educators from across the city and beyond;

(b)       continues to recognise the importance of, and support the work that Sheffield Music Hub does in, providing a rich and varied music education by: -

(i)         ensuring every child has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, at no cost to them, in a classroom setting;

(ii)        ensuring that those who want to, can progress regardless of means or background;

(iii)       ensuring that every school is a singing school, with deep, high quality and meaningful singing happening every day;

(iv)       ensuring that there are high quality ensembles in and out of school; and

(v)        working in partnership with schools and other agencies to ensure that music remains a vital part of every child’s school life; and

(c)        welcomes the recent Labour Party pledge to introduce an arts pupil premium for every primary school pupil in England in line with the existing PE pupil premium set up in 2013, as well as introduce a cross-department cabinet committee on the arts and creative industries tasked with increasing participation.

That this Council:-

(a)       notes that the Kashmir issue has been ongoing for over 69 years;

(b)       acknowledges that Sheffield has strong ties with Kashmir as thousands of Sheffielders have a Kashmiri heritage and links to the region;

(c)        is shocked and deeply concerned by the killing of over 150 people and hundreds of civilians, including children, being blinded by the use of pellet guns by the Indian security forces since July 2016;

(d)       also believes in a diplomatic solution to this issue and once resolved it will bring peace and stability to the region;

(e)       calls upon the Administration to write to the High Commissioners of both India and Pakistan demanding:-

(i)         the immediate cessation of violence, including the use of pellet guns on civilians;

(ii)        the immediate lifting of the curfew and restrictions on free speech;

            (iii)       the investigation of human rights abuses in the region;

(iv)       the restarting of diplomatic talks to resolve the situation peacefully; and

(v)        immediate help and support for those who have been injured; and

(f)        directs the Administration to write to all Sheffield MPs, to raise this matter with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office to do all they can for the implementation of UN resolutions on Kashmir and to push for a diplomatic solution.

That this Council:-

(a)       cannot begin to understand the heartbreak felt by Mrs. Kerry Needham, and her family, since her 21 month old son, Ben, went missing twenty five years ago;

(b)       believes that in this instance, South Yorkshire Police have been impeccable in the way they have supported the Needham family whilst resolutely continuing to pursue all eventualities in an attempt to determine the fate of young Ben;

(c)        regrets that the recent excavations on Kos Island, Greece, have failed to provide concrete evidence to support the whereabouts of the missing toddler; and

(d)       suggests the Leader of the Council writes to Mrs. Needham offering sympathy and support and also to the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police commending their diligence and dedication to duty.

That this Council:-

(a)       notes that Clause 21 of the Bus Services Bill, currently going through Parliament, stands to effectively ban local authorities from setting up new publicly owned bus companies, and believes that this is an unnecessary and ideological move that ignores the evidence, lacks public support and undermines localism;

(b)       further notes there are twelve local authority-run bus companies in the UK and they provide some of the best bus services in the country, with local authority-run bus companies, like Reading Buses and Nottingham City Transport, having won bus operator of the year in four of the last five years, and believes that, looking at the stated objectives of the Bus Services Bill, of increasing passenger numbers and improving quality, it is clear that council-run bus companies are more than able to help achieve these objectives;

(c)        also notes that (i) Nottingham and Reading have the second and third highest journey per head of population outside London, (ii) prior to 2014, Nottingham increased passenger numbers 13 years in a row and (iii) Nottingham City Transport and Reading Buses also deliver in terms of quality, environmental standards and innovation, with that combination having led to the numerous awards, and believes that much of this was made possible by maintaining high levels of investment, even through the recession, and by offering a truly joined-up transport policy through strong partnership with the local authority;

(d)       whilst recognising that financial constraints might realistically prevent the establishment of a new public bus company, believes the evidence suggests that councils should at least be legally allowed to consider following in the successful footsteps of Nottingham and Reading;

(e)       contrasts Clause 21 of the Bus Services Bill with the Government’s commitment to localism and devolution enshrined in the 2011 Localism Act which gave more power to councils to provide services unless other laws explicitly prevent them from doing so, and believes, in short, that ideology shouldn’t get in the way of effective service provision; and

(f)        therefore supports the campaign against Clause 21 of the Bus Services Bill.