Agenda and minutes

1.1

Prior to the commencement of the business of the meeting, the Lord Mayor (Councillor Anne Murphy) referred to the shocking events that had occurred recently; the Grenfell Tower fire, the Manchester Arena bombing, the Finsbury Park Mosque attack, the London Bridge and Borough Market attack, and the Westminster attack, and the Council meeting observed a minute’s silence in memory of those who lost their lives in those events and to pay respects to members of their families and friends and also to those who suffered injury in the events.

2.1

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Michelle Cook, Lewis Dagnall, George Lindars-Hammond, Helen Mirfin-Boukouris, Josie Paszek, Chris Rosling-Josephs, Jackie Satur, Paul Scriven and Martin Smith.

3.1

There were no declarations of interest by Members of the Council.

4.1

It was moved by Councillor Peter Rippon, seconded by Councillor Dianne Hurst, that the minutes of the ordinary meeting of the Council held on 5^th April 2017 and the annual meeting of the Council held on 17^th May 2017 be approved as true and accurate records.

4.2

Whereupon, Councillor Douglas Johnson requested that in section 5.4 of the minutes of 5^th April (Petition Requiring Debate – Calling on the Council to “Save Ecclesall Road Trees”), in order to aid clarity, the note towards the top of page 17 of the minutes should be altered to read as follows –

(Note: A challenge was made under Council Procedure Rule 19 concerning comments made by Councillor Alison Teal during the debate and following advice by the Chief Executive the meeting was adjourned for a short period.)

4.3

Following advice by the Monitoring Officer, it was:-

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the ordinary meeting of the Council held on 5^th April 2017 and the annual meeting of the Council held on 17^th May 2017 be approved as true and accurate records, subject to the alteration in section 5.4 of the minutes of 5^th April (Petition Requiring Debate – Calling on the Council to “Save Ecclesall Road Trees”) of the note towards the top of page 17 of the minutes to read as follows –

(Note: A challenge was made under Council Procedure Rule 19 concerning comments made by Councillor Alison Teal during the debate and following advice by the Chief Executive the meeting was adjourned for a short period.)

(NOTE: Subsequent to the meeting, a correction was made to item 6 of the minutes of the annual meeting of the Council held on 17^th May 2017 to incorporate details of the Shadow Cabinet Member appointments that had been reported to and approved at the annual meeting of the Council, but which had mistakenly been omitted from the minutes published within the agenda for the meeting on 5^th July 2017.)

5.1

RESOLVED: On the motion of Councillor Peter Rippon and seconded by Councillor Dianne Hurst, that, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9.1, the order of business as published on the Council Summons be altered by taking item 9 (Notice of Motion regarding Fire Safety on Tower Blocks) immediately after the next item of business (Tower Block Review – item 4 on the agenda).

Fire Safety on Tower Blocks

7.1

It was moved by Councillor Jayne Dunn, and seconded by Councillor Penny Baker, that this Council:-

 (a)      expresses its shock and sadness at the tragic Grenfell Tower fire, and our thoughts are with the families of people who have been killed and people who are injured and everyone who has been forced out of their homes as a result of the fire;

(b)       notes that investigations into the fire and its causes are still ongoing and believes it will be important to consider any recommendations and their implications for Sheffield when the investigations are concluded;

(c)        believes it is important that, following the fire, all local authorities across the country are conducting extensive investigations into the safety of their tower blocks and that the Council has been working with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to carry out appropriate checks over the past week;

(d)       welcomes the commitment that has been made to retrofit all Council tower blocks in Sheffield with sprinkler systems and believes it is important that the Government commit to provide the funding for these systems in addition to any additional safety measures that are required as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire;

(e)       notes that in addition to this, the Government is conducting fire safety tests on tower blocks with composite cladding and the Council has taken the decision to ensure that all Sheffield blocks are tested;

(f)        notes that the tests from Hanover tower block have revealed that the cladding on the building should be removed and that action is being taken to do this immediately;

(g)       confirms that the cladding at Hanover is not the same as that used at Grenfell Tower and in addition to this there are none of the other concerns that have been found at other tower blocks in other authorities, such as gas in the building and lack of fire doors, which resulted in some blocks being evacuated;

(h)       reiterates the advice that Hanover residents are safe to remain in their homes while work to remove the cladding takes place and that this view is supported by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (SYF&R), however temporary accommodation has been offered to anyone who wishes to take it during the works;

(i)         welcomes that swift action has been taken to remove the cladding and have security on site 24 hours a day while the building works take place and that updates have been held with residents to inform them of progress;

(j)         recognises that, following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower, tenants are concerned about their safety and believes it is important that the Council continues to provide as much information as possible to tenants and to continue to meet with residents, and welcomes the visits to tower blocks across the city from the Cabinet Member, Council Leader and local councillors since the incident to provide reassurance to tenants; and

(k)        believes it is important that all partners continue to work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.1

Deputy Lord Mayor – Declaration of Office

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Anne Murphy) informed the Council that on 28^th June, in the presence of the Whips of the political groups on the Council, Councillor Magid Magid, the Deputy Lord Mayor Elect for the Municipal Year 2017-18, made and subscribed to the declaration required by law to qualify him to act as Deputy Lord Mayor.  The Council noted the information reported by the Lord Mayor.

8.2

Petitions

8.2.1

Petition Objecting to the Felling of Trees in Millhouses

The Council received a joint paper and electronic petition containing 1,671 signatures, objecting to the felling of trees in Millhouses.

Representations on behalf of the petitioners were made by Phil Yates, who stated that the Council had a statutory duty to manage air quality under the Environment Act. Recent research suggested that the planting of trees along the side of roads could reduce Nitrogen Dioxide concentrations. In May 2017, it was widely publicised that there were dangerously high levels of air pollutants around the City. National Clean Air day was held on 6 June and he said there was nothing on the Council website relating to it and it was felt that the Council was not taking seriously its responsibilities in relation to air quality.

People had made clear their concerns in relation to street trees but trees had not been saved, even though the Independent Tree Panel had recommended that many were saved. It was also felt that whilst many people had asked for trees to be saved and the Council had said that felling of trees would be as a last resort, trees were to be replaced without explanation or exception.  

He said that it was felt that trees were being removed to save annual maintenance costs for Amey and asked that in a written response it be confirmed that this was not the case and to supply the name of the councillor or officer that stated this. He also requested the reason as to why trees recommended for retention were to be replaced. People had been told that there were more trees in the area which were to be felled without formal notice and he asked, if the trees were declared healthy when the survey was completed, then why did these need to be removed now? Residents wished to begin a process of mediation with the Council and would welcome the Council to suggest a suitable process whilst halting any tree felling.  People wished to keep healthy mature street trees, which he said helped to mitigate the effects of air pollution and it was acknowledged that this might mean that there would not be perfect pavement surfaces.

The Council referred the petition to Councillor Bryan Lodge, Cabinet Member for Environment and Streetscene and to Councillor Jack Scott, Cabinet Member for Transport and Sustainability.

Councillor Bryan Lodge, the Cabinet Member for Environment and Streetscene, responded that a number of petitions had been considered by the Council in relation to street  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

9.1

RESOLVED: On the motion of Councillor Peter Rippon and seconded by Councillor Julie Dore, that, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9.1, the order of business as published on the Council Summons be altered by taking item 8 on the agenda (Review of Full Council Meetings) as the next item of business, to enable the Council to receive the verbal update from the Director of Legal and Governance prior to the termination of the meeting after four hours and 30 minutes duration.

9.2

The Director of Legal and Governance reported on the progress of the work of the Member Working Group in reviewing the operation of the full Council meetings.

9.3

She outlined the composition of the Working Group and reported that a work programme had been agreed which is split into two stages.  The first stage was to look at the purpose and the function of the Council meeting, consider solutions and change under the themes of “a modern, accessible and open meeting” and “an efficient, effective meeting that is fit for purpose”, look at best practice in other local authorities, and decide changes from the Council’s September meeting, and the second stage was to consider a wider review of Council decision making and public engagement over the 2017/18 municipal year.

9.4

The Director commented that the Working Group had met on two occasions to date and had, at its first meeting, discussed the purpose of the full Council meeting and, at its second meeting, had discussed practical and structural issues associated with full Council meetings, including the importance of maintaining time for engagement with the public as well as Member debate, the time and duration of the meetings, managing the content and length of agendas, tributes to former Councillors, and questions from the public and Members.

9.5

The Director added that members of the Working Group had been asked to consult with other members of their political group prior to further discussion being held at the Working Group’s next meeting on 7^th July on changing the start time and duration of the meeting, defining the purpose of the meeting, audio recording, layout and seating, managing the number of motions, time limits for speakers, order of business/structure of meetings, introduction of a regular break time, and simplifying the voting process, and she concluded her report by stating that she would circulate a written note of her report to all Members of the Council within the next few days.

9.6

The Council noted the information reported by the Director.

10.1

Urgent Business

10.1.1

There were no questions relating to urgent business under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.6(ii).

10.2

Supplementary Questions

10.2.1

A schedule of questions to Cabinet Members, submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16, and which contained written answers, was circulated.

10.2.2

Supplementary questions (under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.4)  were not able to be asked before the meeting terminated (under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 5.5) after four hours and 30 minutes duration.

10.3

South Yorkshire Joint Authorities

10.3.1

Questions relating to the discharge of the functions of the South Yorkshire Joint Authorities for Fire and Rescue and Pensions (under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.6i), were not able to be asked before the meeting terminated (under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 5.5) after four hours and 30 minutes duration.

11.1

RESOLVED: On the Motion of Councillor Peter Rippon, seconded by Councillor Dianne Hurst, that (a) it be noted that Councillor Jim Steinke, who was elected on 22^nd June, 2017 as a Nether Edge and Sharrow Ward Councillor, has joined the Labour Group on the Council, thereby restoring the political composition of the Council to the position that was reported to the Council’s Annual General Meeting on 17^th May 2017 when political proportionality was last reported to the Council (i.e. 56 Labour : 20 Lib Dem : 4 Green : 4 UKIP), and that, accordingly, there is no requirement to revise the allocation of seats on Council Committees to the political groups;

(b) approval be given to the following changes to the memberships of Committees, Boards, etc:-

Children, Young People and Family Support Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee

-

Councillor Lisa Banes to replace Councillor Terry Fox; Councillor Jim Steinke to fill a vacancy.

To appoint Mr. Sam Evans to serve as a Diocese representative on the Committee, filling a vacancy.

Economic and Environmental Wellbeing Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee

-

Councillor Mike Chaplin to replace Councillor Lisa Banes; Councillor Paul Wood to fill a vacancy.

Healthier Communities & Adult Social Care Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee

-

Councillor Tony Downing to replace Councillor Karen McGowan.

Safer and Stronger Communities Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee

-

Councillor Karen McGowan to replace Councillor Tony Downing; Councillor Terry Fox to fill a vacancy.

Access Liaison Group

-

Councillor Lisa Banes to replace Councillor Olivia Blake.

Allotments and Leisure Gardens Advisory Group

-

Councillor Lewis Dagnall to fill a vacancy.

(c) representatives be appointed to serve on other bodies as follows:-

Sheffield City Region Combined Authority

-

To appoint Councillor Mazher Iqbal to serve as a rotational member of the Authority (in addition to the Leader and Deputy Leader).

Church Burgesses Educational Foundation

-

Councillor Peter Rippon to fill a vacancy.

Environment Agency – Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee

-

Councillor Karen McGowan to replace Councillor Tony Downing.

Learn Sheffield

-

Councillor Andy Bainbridge to replace Councillor Michelle Cook.

Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London (PATROL) Joint Committee

-

Councillor Karen McGowan to replace Councillor Tony Downing.

Parkwood Landfill Liaison Group

-

Councillor Karen McGowan to replace Councillor Tony Downing.

Sheffield Clean Air Partnership

-

Councillor Karen McGowan to replace Councillor Tony Downing.

Sheffield Compact

-

Councillor Cate McDonald to replace Councillor Jack Scott.

Sheffield Health and Social Care Foundation Trust  -  Council of Governors

-

Councillor Steve Ayris to replace Councillor Bob Pullin.

Sheffield Tobacco Control Programme Accountable Board

-

Councillor Karen McGowan to replace Councillor Tony Downing.

Sheffield Theatres Trust – Directors and Members

-

Mrs. Joan Barton to replace Mr. Tim Rippon.

Sheffield Waterways Strategy Group

-

Councillor Karen McGowan to replace Councillor Tony Downing.

South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Users’ Advisory Group

-

Councillor Karen McGowan to replace Councillor Tony Downing.

Southey/Owlerton Area Regeneration Board

-

Councillor Mike Chaplin to replace Councillor Mark Jones; Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

Recent Elections

12.1

It was formally moved by Councillor Olivia Blake, and formally seconded by Councillor Kieran Harpham, that this Council:-

(a)       thanks the people of Sheffield for turning out in such large numbers and for using their vote in the General Election on 8th June 2017 and the recent Council By-Elections in Southey and Nether Edge & Sharrow Wards;

(b)       notes that it is likely a record number of young voters took part in the General Election in Sheffield and throughout the UK and believes that this is a highly positive development for democracy in our country;

(c)        congratulates Sheffield's newest Member of Parliament, Jared O’Mara MP, and thanks all candidates for taking part in the General Election;

(d)       notes there have been two Council By-Elections since the last business Council meeting in April 2017 and welcomes both new Sheffield Councillors to the Town Hall and thanks all candidates for taking part in these elections; and

(e)       gives thanks to the police and all staff at the polling stations and the count for their hard work on and around the General Election on 8^th June, and for the smooth running of the General Election and both Council By-Elections.

12.2

Whereupon, it was formally moved by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, and formally seconded by Councillor Colin Ross, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of a new paragraph (e) as follows, and the re-lettering of original paragraph (e) as a new paragraph (f):-

(e)       gives thanks to former Councillors Leigh Bramall and Nasima Akther and the former MP for Sheffield Hallam, the Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg, for their services representing the people of Sheffield and wishes them all the best for the future; and

12.3

On being put to the vote, the amendment was negatived.

12.4

The original Motion was then put to the vote and carried as follows:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)       thanks the people of Sheffield for turning out in such large numbers and for using their vote in the General Election on 8th June 2017 and the recent Council By-Elections in Southey and Nether Edge & Sharrow Wards;

(b)       notes that it is likely a record number of young voters took part in the General Election in Sheffield and throughout the UK and believes that this is a highly positive development for democracy in our country;

(c)        congratulates Sheffield's newest Member of Parliament, Jared O’Mara MP, and thanks all candidates for taking part in the General Election;

(d)       notes there have been two Council By-Elections since the last business Council meeting in April 2017 and welcomes both new Sheffield Councillors to the Town Hall and thanks all candidates for taking part in these elections; and

(e)       gives thanks to the police and all staff at the polling stations and the count for their hard work on and around the General Election on 8^th June, and for the smooth running of the General Election and both Council By-Elections.

South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner

13.1

It was formally moved by Councillor Joe Otten, and formally seconded by Councillor Penny Baker, that this Council:-

(a)       notes the recent High Court judgment, which ruled that South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr. Alan Billings, acted “unlawfully” in suspending former Chief Constable, David Crompton, and then asking him to resign;

(b)       notes that the High Court further stated the decisions made by Dr. Billings were “irrational, perverse, unreasonable, misconceived and wholly disproportionate”;

(c)        further notes that in the light of the suspension, the independent comment from HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Sir Tom Winsor, was to describe the action against the Chief Constable as “conspicuously unfair, disproportionate and so unreasonable that I cannot understand how the PCC has reached this view”;

(d)       notes that Dr. Billings failed to criticise the conduct of police counsel at the Hillsborough inquest – this being a grievance of the Hillsborough victims’ families – in the evidence he gave for his decision, even though he was dismissing Mr. Crompton for seeking to defend that conduct;

(e)       believes that this ruling reveals Dr. Billings to be incompetent and irrational;

(f)        notes that removing Mr. Crompton from his post is likely to cost taxpayers more than £500,000 in legal fees, plus additional staff expenses;

(g)       recalls previous calls by the Sheffield Liberal Democrats for Dr. Billings to resign over his gross mishandling of this situation; and

(h)       in light of the High Court judgment, endorses those calls for Dr. Billings to resign and requests him to consider his position.

13.2

Whereupon, it was formally moved by Councillor Peter Rippon, and formally seconded by Councillor Mark Jones, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of paragraphs (b) to (h) and the addition of new paragraphs (b) to (f) as follows:-

(b)       accepts the ruling of the High Court and notes that the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has confirmed he will not be appealing the court judgement and that the Council’s representatives on the Police and Crime Panel are able to question the PCC and scrutinise his actions in this matter at the Police and Crime Panel;

(c)        regrets that the Police and Crime Commissioner positions were created by the coalition government and that the Police and Crime Commissioner is accountable to the public through the mechanisms of the legislation to introduce Police and Crime Commissioners, which was only able to be passed due to the support of Liberal Democrat MPs, which means that, ultimately, judgement is passed on the Commissioner’s decisions at the next Police and Crime Commissioner election;

(d)       notes the comments of Councillor Paul Scriven on 28th July 2016 in the BBC article “South Yorkshire’s Chief Constable ‘should be sacked’” which was after the decision of the Police and Crime Commissioner to suspend David Crompton "I was saying 18 months ago that David Crompton was not part of the solution he was part of the problem and he  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

Armed Forces Community

14.1

It was formally moved by Councillor Steve Wilson, and formally seconded by Councillor Julie Dore, that this Council:-

(a)       wishes to pay tribute to all those serving, or who have served, in our armed forces, and places on record our enormous gratitude to them for keeping us all safe;

(b)       notes that Armed Forces Day took place on Saturday 24^th June; an occasion giving support to the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community, from currently serving troops to Service families, veterans and cadets;

(c)        reaffirms the importance of such events and notes the success of recent events held in Sheffield in support of Armed Forces Day, including a veterans parade and a short ceremony led by the Lord Mayor;

(d)       notes that this year’s event marks the 35th anniversary of the Falklands War and the sinking of HMS Sheffield;

(e)       regrets the loss of life caused by the sinking of HMS Sheffield and places on record our sympathies to the friends and families of the 20 crew members who were killed in the missile attack of 4^th May 1982;

(f)        notes work undertaken by this Council to improve support of our armed forces communities, including a grant of £180,695 which Sheffield City Council successfully led a bid for from the Ministry of Defence’s Covenant Fund, in partnership with Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley Councils, and Sheffield Hallam University; and

(g)       notes that this grant, awarded in April, will help South Yorkshire gain a better understanding of the local Armed Forces community and strengthen the delivery of the Community Covenant; the grant money is being spent on research and training at Sheffield Hallam University and was officially launched to coincide with national Armed Forces Day in June.

14.2

Whereupon, it was formally moved by Councillor Ian Saunders, and formally seconded by Councillor Tony Damms, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of the following words at the end of paragraph (e) - “and recognises all who survived that, and other, attacks during all wars, and that support must be given to all those who suffered mental health related issues (such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) as result of conflict, some of whom live in Sheffield”.

14.3

On being put to the vote, the amendment was carried.

14.4

The original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)       wishes to pay tribute to all those serving, or who have served, in our armed forces, and places on record our enormous gratitude to them for keeping us all safe;

(b)       notes that Armed Forces Day took place on Saturday 24^th June; an occasion giving support to the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community, from currently serving troops to Service families, veterans and cadets;

(c)        reaffirms the importance of such events and notes the success of recent events held in Sheffield  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

Safety of LGBT People in the Chechen Republic

15.1

RESOLVED: On the Motion of Councillor Julie Dore, seconded by Councillor Neale Gibson, that this Council:-

(a)       is horrified by the reports coming out of the Chechen Republic, Russia, that as many as 100 gay men have been detained, tortured and killed because of their sexuality;

(b)       notes that the Russian Government has ultimate responsibility for the safety of its citizens, yet it appears to have been wilfully in disregard of this duty as Chechen authorities committed the most terrible abuses due to appalling and disgusting prejudices, which have no place anywhere in the world;

(c)        notes that whilst the Foreign and Commonwealth Office described these reports as "credible" and expressed concern, our whole Council believes the UK's representations on this issue should have been escalated to a much higher political level;

(d)       believes there has been a significant deterioration in the human rights situation for LGBT people across Russia in recent years and the Government should use the UK's influence to fight discrimination and promote equality; and

(e)       reaffirms our commitment to LGBT rights throughout the world and directs that a copy of this motion be sent to the Foreign Secretary.

Freedom of Information Requests

16.1

It was formally moved by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, and formally seconded by Councillor Adam Hanrahan, that this Council:-

(a)       notes that in 2016 nearly one in three requests to this Council for information under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act were refused either in part or as a whole;

(b)       notes this was a 35% increase in the refusal rate compared to 2014/15;

(c)        notes that Sheffield, unlike some other core cities, does not publish data on FOI or Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) request refusal rates;

(d)       believes that failure to publish an unredacted copy of the Amey contract or any documentation for the Guodong deal has contributed to a lack of trust in this Administration;

(e)       agrees that it is right to withhold personal information, but withholding information on issues that are strategically important for the future of our city should not be done on a routine basis; and

(f)        requests the Leader of the Council to carry out a review of the relevant policies and procedures and publish the outcome and recommendations of that review within the next three months, and immediately request the Chief Executive to publish FOI request refusal rates on a monthly basis.

16.2

Whereupon, it was formally moved by Councillor Olivia Blake, and formally seconded by Councillor Jack Scott, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of all the words after the words “That this Council” and the addition of the following words:-

(a)       notes that under 30% (less than one third) of FOIs received in 2016 were refused in part or full and that consideration should be given to the fact that a partial refusal can mean only a very small element of a large request is refused; for example, all other information under a request may be provided but where one question is exempted (refused) due to the information being available already in the public domain, such as the Sheffield City Council website, then this would count as a partial refusal;

(b)       notes that the above can be construed as a problem of how refusals in FOIs are legally classified, as signposting to relevant information should in no way count as a refusal to grant information when the avenue for finding this information is made easily accessible (Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act);

(c)        further notes that the exemptions from disclosure which were most used during 2016 were Section 21, where information is accessible by other means (i.e. via the Council website) and Section 40, where the request was for, or included, information considered personal data which would have been refused or redacted in the response provided to protect the Data Protection Act rights of those individuals;

(d)       contends that the Liberal Democrats public claims that there has been a 35% increase in the refusal rate in the last year, is completely inaccurate and that, in actuality, less FOIs were refused in 2016 than the year before it -  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

Brexit and Support to Small Businesses

17.1

It was formally moved by Councillor John Booker, and formally seconded by Councillor Pauline Andrews, that this Council:-

(a)       believes there needs to be a bonfire of excessive EU regulations when the UK leaves the EU so that smaller businesses can compete successfully on the global stage;

(b)       further believes Britain's 5.5 million small businesses are the life blood of our economy, making up 60 per cent of jobs in the private sector, according to the Federation of Small Businesses;

(c)        also believes in (i) cutting business rates by 20 per cent for the 1.5 million British businesses operating from premises with a rateable value of less than £50,000, (ii) making HM Revenue and Customs investigate big business or public sector bodies that repeatedly make late payments to smaller customers, (iii) improving access to trade credit insurance to remove the drag on growth for businesses struggling to secure loans, and give small traders the confidence to expand their businesses and (iv) encouraging local trade by pushing every local authority to offer at least 30 minutes free parking in town centres and shopping parades;

(d)       notes that local, regional and national governments have immense spending power totalling around £230 billion, and that whilst in the EU they are required to offer contracts right across Europe, which has made it harder for British business to compete, and forced them to jump through expensive bureaucratic hoops, and believes that Brexit offers the perfect opportunity to open up government order books to smaller businesses, and encourage local, regional and national procurement strategies that will deliver better value for taxpayers;

(e)       acknowledges that it takes courage and determination to set up your own business, and that many self-employed people work for less than the national living wage, especially when they start out, and believes that there should be no requirement for quarterly tax returns, and no increases in Class IV National Insurance or taxes for Britain’s self-employed strivers and that taxes and red-tape should be kept to the minimum necessary; and

(f)        places on record its belief that workers’ rights must be protected once the UK leaves the EU, and that we must enforce the minimum and living wage and reverse government cuts to the number of minimum wage inspectors in England and Wales, and significantly tighten up the rules on zero hours contracts and severely limit their use.

17.2

Whereupon, it was formally moved by Councillor Mazher Iqbal, and formally seconded by Councillor Ben Miskell, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of all the words after the words “That this Council” and the addition of the following words:-

(a)       believes that leaving the EU presents an opportunity to empower local businesses to compete successfully on the global stage;

(b)       notes that the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) are very fond of stating that ‘red tape and regulations need to be cut’ and that there should be a ‘bonfire  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

Child Tax Credit Changes

18.1

It was formally moved by Councillor Jack Scott, and formally seconded by Councillor Mike Drabble, that this Council:-

(a)       notes with concern and alarm that child poverty has worsened in recent years and believes that the new changes to Child Tax Credit will make this situation worse; and further believes that levels of child poverty in this country are a disgrace and it should be seen that a central task of any Government should be to help prevent, reduce and eradicate child poverty;

(b)       believes that the Government is in neglect of its duties by changing the Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit provision to two children per family; and notes that the changes were introduced as part of the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016, despite Parliamentary opposition from the Labour Party, citing in particular the lack of an equality impact assessment for any changes;

(c)        notes that Child Poverty Action Group have raised concerns that this change will push more children and families into poverty, and that the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a report which suggests that the two child limit could push 200,000 children into poverty;

(d)       highlights in particular the appalling so-called ‘rape clause’; which requires a mother seeking benefits for a third child to prove she has been sexually assaulted or that the child was conceived through abuse or within an abusive relationship;

(e)       endorses entirely the view of the Fawcett Society, which has stated: "Women have been consistently and repeatedly hit hardest by austerity measures and tax and benefit changes. Child poverty is rising. The new two child limit in the Tax Credit system will see another 200,000 children pushed into poverty, and the disgraceful ‘rape clause’ that accompanies it pushes women into disclosing sexual violence in order to obtain financial support.";

(f)        believes that the so-called ‘rape clause’ forces women into a horrifying ordeal; having to recount their sexual abuse via an eight-page document in order to prove that their abuse is worthy of government support, clearly showing how badly conceived the policy is;

(g)       believes that rather than making suffering victims and survivors go through this ordeal, the policy should be entirely scrapped as it is extremely damaging to survivors of abuse and will lead to a greater number of children in child poverty; and

(h)       calls upon the Government to immediately reverse, what this Council believes to be, this disastrous, unfair and spiteful policy and directs that a copy of this Motion be submitted to the Prime Minister and Sheffield's Members of Parliament.

18.2

Whereupon, it was formally moved by Councillor Joe Otten, and formally seconded by Councillor Sue Auckland, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the deletion of the following words at the end of paragraph (b) – “despite Parliamentary opposition from the Labour Party, citing in particular the lack of an equality impact assessment for any changes”;

2.         the addition of new paragraphs (c) and (d) as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

Public Parks

19.1

It was formally moved by Councillor Gail Smith, and formally seconded by Councillor Roger Davison, that this Council:-

(a)       notes that 14^th to 23^rd July is “Love Parks” week;

(b)       believes that Sheffield has some of the best public parks in the country and our parks are something which sets Sheffield apart as the “Outdoor City”; and

(c)        calls on the Authority to get involved in Love Parks week and become an official supporter of the campaign.

19.2

Whereupon, it was formally moved by Councillor Mary Lea, and formally seconded by Councillor Talib Hussain, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of paragraph (c) and the addition of new paragraphs (c) and (d) as follows:-

(c)        notes that this Administration is committed to promoting our green spaces and is fully supporting the upcoming ‘Love Parks week’ and that Sheffield City Council will be an official supporter of the campaign; and

(d)       notes the Administration’s considerable achievements in securing the best possible parks and green spaces for the city, despite relentless government cuts, including:-

(i)         a huge £1.5m investment in our parks over the next three years;

(ii)        the biggest deal of its kind in the country for tennis in parks; with courts at nine sites being created, or otherwise brought back into use after becoming, in many cases, derelict and unplayable;

(iii)       30 signed Run Routes have been created at 14 locations across the city, providing simple to follow trails through Sheffield’s parks and woodlands;

(iv)       state of the art 3G football pitches and football hub at Thorncliffe, High Green;

(v)        improved wheelchair and disability access to our parks to make Sheffield an outdoor city for all;

(vi)       officially recognised even more areas with fields in trust status, such as Ochre Dike Playing Fields which is one of more than 800 green open spaces in Sheffield;

(vii)      creation of 14 additional woodlands and, in the last tree planting season alone, more than 8,600 extra trees in 40 locations; and

(viii)     Sheffield boasts one of the largest numbers of 'Friends Of' groups in the UK, in comparison with other major cities, and by working in this partnership, the Administration ensures that our green spaces are well used and maintained.

19.3

On being put to the vote, the amendment was carried.

19.4

The original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)       notes that 14th to 23rd July is “Love Parks” week;

(b)       believes that Sheffield has some of the best public parks in the country and our parks are something which sets Sheffield apart as the “Outdoor City”;

(c)        notes that this Administration is committed to promoting our green spaces and is fully supporting the upcoming ‘Love Parks week’ and that Sheffield City Council will be an official supporter of the campaign; and

(d)       notes the Administration’s considerable achievements in securing the best possible  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

Charges To Access Services In Hospitals

20.1

At the request of Councillor Pauline Andrews and with the consent of the Council, the Notice of Motion Numbered 18 on the Summons for this meeting was withdrawn in accordance with Council Procedure Rules 11(x) and 17.10.