Agenda and minutes

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, Integrated Transport, Pensions and Police - Section 41 of the Local Government Act, 1985 – Council Procedure Rule 16.6(i).

That this Council:-

(a)       notes the record of the current Administration, which includes:

(i)         ending the weekly collection of black bins;

(ii)        ceasing the funding for the free collection of green bins and green sacks;

(iii)       further reducing funding for Sheffield’s household waste recycling centres; and

(iv)       delays in the city-wide roll out of the flexible blue bin and box offer;

(b)       believes that cutting recycling services at the same time as weekly black bin collections always amounted to a recipe for disaster;

(c)        recalls the fully-costed budget amendment put forward by the main opposition group at the Full Council meeting on 9^th March 2012, which would have retained weekly black bin collections and free green waste collections;

(d)       further recalls the decision of the current Administration not to formally bid for funding under the Department for Communities and Local Government’s scheme to save weekly bin collections, unlike Labour-controlled Wolverhampton and Liberal Democrat-controlled Cambridge;

(e)       further notes with distress reports that, prior to the change of bin collections, Sheffield had the highest reported number of complaints of fly-tipping in the country;

(f)         expresses disappointment at the complete failure of the current Administration to effectively communicate the change of collection to some local residents, despite spending £400,000 on a propaganda strategy for the policy;

(g)       regrets that due to the inept communications of the current Administration many residents have missed their first collection;

(h)        laments the shambolic miscommunication of the amnesty on additional sacks and unclosed lids, which was previously denied by members of the Administration and was not mentioned in the information leaflet distributed to households;

(i)         understands that, outside of mitigating criteria, residents can only apply for a larger bin if they compose a household of six or more individuals;

(j)         in addition, deplores the complete mishandling of Sheffield’s recycling centres, in particular, closing Blackstock Road three days a week, which has seen serious threats to road safety, as cars tail back along roads;

(k)        understands that further strikes at Sheffield’s recycling centres are anticipated, which will only serve to exacerbate the situation;

(l)         believes the current Administration’s handling of the changes within Sheffield’s waste management amounts to sheer incompetence; and

(m)      calls upon the Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste and Streetscene to offer an immediate public apology to all Sheffield residents and get a grip on the deteriorating situation.

That this Council:-

(a)       notes that the latest estimates indicate that the British economy contracted by 0.5% in the second quarter of 2012 which means that the economy has been shrinking for three consecutive quarters in the country's second recession in four years;

(b)       further notes that construction fell by 3.9%, manufacturing output down 0.9% and the service sector shrank by 0.1%;

(c)        regrets that the UK is just one of two countries in the G20 in recession and believes that it is now beyond doubt that the Government’s economic plan has failed and has caused a double dip recession and the Government have completely failed to produce a credible plan for jobs and growth;

(d)       further regrets that at the current time there are still more than one million young people unemployed and believes that more action should be taken to tackle youth unemployment;

(e)       notes that as a result of the Government’s reckless economic mismanagement the deficit is up by more than a quarter compared to the same period last year with fewer people in work and fewer businesses succeeding, and the Government is having to borrow more not less as welfare bills rise and tax revenues fall;

(f)         regrets that because of the Government’s mismanagement of the economy, with slower growth and higher unemployment, spending reductions are now set to continue beyond the current Parliament;

(g)       believes that the Government should now change course and take action to secure growth and supports Labour’s five-point growth plan for jobs and growth which includes:

(i)         repeating the bank bonus tax and using the money to build 25,000 affordable homes and guarantee a job for 100,000 young people;

(ii)        bringing forward long term investment projects, such as schools, roads and transport, to create jobs;

(iii)       reversing the Government’s VAT rise now for a temporary period;

(iv)       an immediate one-year cut in VAT to 5% on home improvements, repairs and maintenance; and

(v)        a one-year national insurance tax break for every small firm which takes on extra workers;

(h)        further believes that these policies are better placed to grow the economy than recent suggestions by Conservative MPs Kwasi Kwarteng, Priti Patel, Dominic Raab, Chris Skidmore and Elizabeth Truss in their book “Britainia Unchained” who blame British workers for the poor state of the economy;

(i)         completely condemns these comments by Conservative MPs which include "The British are among the worst idlers in the world. We work among the lowest hours, we retire early and our productivity is poor.”;

(j)         believes that these comments are completely out of touch with reality and are an insult to millions of British people who work long hours for low pay; and

(k)        further believes that instead of mounting attacks on hard working British people these MPs would be better served calling on the Government, which has created a double dip recession and continues to hit hard working families through tax rises and spending cuts at the same  ...  view the full agenda text for item 12.

That this Council:-

(a)       condemns the decision of the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts to cease performing children’s heart surgery at Leeds General Infirmary;

(b)       acknowledges that the decision means that there will no longer be specialist surgery anywhere within the Yorkshire and Humber Region and children and families from Sheffield will face increased journey times to alternative provision which may put lives at risk;

(c)        notes that 13.7 million people live within a two hour drive time of Leeds and the birth rate in Yorkshire and Humber over the last 5 years and projected forward to 2015 is double the national average;

(d)       believes that there is a great deal of concern surrounding the decision-making process;

(e)       is aware that there is now to be a review of services to Adults with Congenital Heart Disease which will take place during the Summer/Autumn 2013 and that in Leeds surgeons treat both children and adults on the same site providing continuity of care;

(f)         believes the decision is short-sighted, flawed and will have a hugely negative impact on families and children in the City and throughout the Yorkshire and Humber region who will face severe logistical difficulties and disruption at a time of massive worry about the health of their child and is not in their best interests;

(g)       also believes the decision to cease the provision for children in isolation without considering the impact on the provision of services for people with Congenital Heart Disease is not in the best interests of people from across the region; and

(h)        supports the decision taken by the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Yorkshire and the Humber at its meeting on 24^th July, 2012, to refer the decision to the Secretary of State for Health for reconsideration.

That this Council:-

(a)       recalls its opposition to the closure of the paediatric cardiac surgical centre at Leeds General Infirmary;

(b)       notes the NHS’ Safe and Sustainable Review into National Children’s Heart Surgery provision, which was launched in 2009 by the previous Government with the aim of raising standards of care;

(c)        notes with concern, reports that the review team ignored independent analysis of patient flow;

(d)       highlights the decision of the review to investigate England and Wales in isolation, ignoring associated problems with the Glasgow unit, which also currently fails to meet the ‘safe and sustainable’ benchmark;

(e)       thanks the 600,000 people who signed the petition against the closure of the Leeds unit and welcomes the cross-party campaign to save the unit;

(f)         reaffirms its opposition to the closure of the Paediatric Cardiac Surgery unit at Leeds General Infirmary and calls upon the Secretary of State for Health to refer the decision to the Independent Reconfiguration Unit; and

(g)       directs that a copy of this motion is sent to all Sheffield MPs and the Secretary of State for Health.

That this Council:-

(a)       welcomes the successful staging of the London 2012 Olympic Games and notes that the Paralympic Games are currently underway;

(b)       celebrates the success of our Yorkshire athletes,  and takes particular pride in the success of Sheffield’s Jessica Ennis for winning gold in the Heptathlon, noting that if Yorkshire were a country it would have finished 12^th overall in the Olympic rankings;

(c)        welcomes that the Games have attracted over 20 million pounds of external funding in to Sheffield's economy, and over 50,000 additional visitors to Sheffield;

(d)       is proud that 250 athletes and officials involved in eight sports from 10 countries have made full use of four of Sheffield’s facilities for pre games training and overall, Sheffield has held over 70 international events and training camps connected to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games;

(e)       notes that 51 of 'Team GB' will have trained in Sheffield and the City is home to five British teams, namely GB Volleyball, GB Boxing, GB Diving, GB Table Tennis and GB Para Table Tennis.

(f)         is proud that Sheffield will be named as one of only three National Centres for Sport and Exercise Medicine as part of the Olympic legacy bid commitments made by the UK;

(g)       thanks local people for supporting events associated with the Games held in Sheffield, including the Torch Relay, Sheftival, Paralympic flame events and Jessica Ennis’ homecoming celebration; and

(h)        would like to thank the City Centre Management and Events Teams, Activity Sheffield, Sheffield International Venues and Streetforce for their contribution to the success of these and other events held in the City over the summer, including Tramlines and the Sheffield Grand Prix cycling event.

That this Council:-

(a)       calls upon the British Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary to condemn the communal violence by Myanmar (formally Burma) security forces of the minority Rohingya communities in the North East of the country, and to respond  to the Human Rights Watch report on the killings published in June and to make representations to the Myanmar Government to call for action to be taken to protect minority communities in the Country;

(b)       calls upon all Sheffield MP’s on behalf of the people of the City to make representations to the Myanmar Embassy to condemn the violence and lack of action by the Myanmar Government;

(c)        questions why there has been so little coverage in the British media, in particular the BBC, ITV and SKY have been noticeable in their absence of reporting;

(d)       rejects the comments of Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin who said the authorities had exercised "maximum restraint" in restoring law and order;

(e)       calls upon the Myanmar Government to recognise the Rohingya Muslims who have lived in the area for over 800 years;

(f)         demands that the Myanmar Government end abuses, grant full humanitarian access and invite in international monitors and allow open access to the area; and

(g)       calls upon neighbouring Bangladesh to comply with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ agreement and accept refuges from Myanmar.

That this Council:-

(a)       notes the overwhelming success of the London 2012 Olympic Games;

(b)       commends the 29 Gold, 17 Silver & 19 Bronze medals won in the Games, the highest tally for Great Britain since the 1908 Olympic Games;

(c)        praises the logistical operation undertaken by London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, in particular, Sheffield’s Lord Sebastian Coe;

(d)       applauds the energy and delight with which all the volunteers welcomed the world to the United Kingdom;

(e)       congratulates Jessica Ennis and all of TeamGB on their great success at these Olympic Games, especially those from or based in Sheffield, including coaching and support staff;

(f)         also eagerly welcomes the London 2012 Paralympics Games, and wishes TeamGB good luck at those Games;

(g)       believes that participation in sports at any level can have profoundly positive effects on mental and physical well-being and social cohesion, and hopes the example of TeamGB will inspire not just future elite athletes, but also participation in sports and activity at all levels; and

(h)        therefore encourages all Sheffielders inspired by the summer of sport to get involved with sport and volunteering.

That this Council:-

(a)       welcomes the announcement of a City Deal for the Sheffield City Region, with an unprecedented shift in power and investment from the Government to Sheffield City Region;

(b)       understands the deal has the potential to deliver 4,000 new apprenticeships, 2,000 employees with new training, nearly £40 million to redevelop the city centre, and 12,000 new jobs at the City’s enterprise zone;

(c)        thanks Liberal Democrats in Government for securing this historic deal, in particular the Deputy Prime Minister;

(d)       recalls that the deal follows hundreds of millions of pounds of investment in the region’s infrastructure, including the recent announcement of the electrification of the Midland Main Line, the start of the Streets Ahead project, and the financial backing for a Sheffield University Technical College;

(e)       believes the deal underpins this Government’s commitment to re-balancing the nation’s economy, away from the City of London so shamelessly courted by Governments of the last thirty years, and towards cities of the North;

(f)         calls upon local authorities, the local enterprise partnership and business leaders in the Sheffield City Region to work together to ensure the City Deal is a success and that Sheffield becomes a deliverer of growth; and

(g)       directs that an annual report is presented to this Council setting out progress made in meeting the goals set out in the City Region’s deal.

That this Council:-

(a)       notes with extreme concern the decision of the Russian judiciary to convict the members of the band, Pussy Riot, to two years in jail for hooliganism;

(b)       deplores attempts by any administration to curtail free speech, stifle genuine debate, or restrict opposition voices; and

(c)        directs that a copy of this motion is sent to all Sheffield MPs and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.