Items
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1. |
STATEMENT CONCERNING HILLSBOROUGH
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2. |
FORMER COUNCILLOR FRANK TAYLOR
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3. |
Apologies for Absence
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4. |
Declarations of Interest
Members to declare any
interests they have in the business to be considered at the
meeting
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5. |
Minutes Of Previous Council Meeting PDF 59 KB
To receive the records of the
proceedings of the special and ordinary meetings of the Council
both held on 5th September, 2012, and to approve the
accuracy thereof.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
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6. |
Public Questions and Petitions and Other Communications
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
Minutes:
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7. |
Members' Questions PDF 95 KB
5.1
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Questions relating to urgent
business – Council Procedure Rule 16.6(ii).
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5.2
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Supplementary questions on
written questions submitted at this meeting – Council
Procedure Rule 16.4.
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5.3
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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).
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(NB. Minutes of meetings of the
four South Yorkshire Joint Authorities have not been circulated
with the Council Summons on this occasion, as no such minutes are
available further to those circulated at the September Council
meeting.)
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Minutes:
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8. |
Representation, Delegated Authority and Related Issues PDF 48 KB
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
Minutes:
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9. |
NOTICE OF MOTION CONCERNING ECONOMIC RECOVERY
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That this Council:-
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(a)
acknowledges that the Government public sector net borrowing was
£14.4bn in August, the biggest deficit for the month since
records began with borrowing currently 22% more than last
year;
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(b)
notes we are experiencing the slowest economic recovery in modern
memory due to this Government’s mis-management of economic policy;
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(c) regrets that
for August 2012, corporation tax receipts fell by 2.1% and benefits
payments rose by 4.9% showing that Government cuts are forcing more
people into the welfare system and stifling the success of
businesses;
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(d)
believes these figures make it more likely that the Government will
fail to achieve its aim of wiping out the structural budget deficit
by 2015;
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(e) is
dismayed at the failure of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) to boost
growth in the economy; in a report from The Commons Public Accounts
Committee the RGF was called “nothing short of
scandalous” criticising the Government’s management of
the Fund after finding that only £60m of the £1.4bn
fund had reached front-line projects;
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(f) holds
the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the
Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills responsible
for the failings;
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(g)
recognises that quantitative easing is not enough to stimulate the
economy, the Government must do more to stimulate
growth;
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(h) regrets that
because of the Government’s mis-management of the economy, with slower growth
and higher unemployment, spending reductions are now set to
continue beyond the current Parliament;
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(i) 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:
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(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;
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(ii) bringing
forward long term investment projects, such as schools, roads and
transport, to create jobs;
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(iii)
reversing the Government’s VAT rise now for a temporary
period;
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(iv)
an immediate one-year cut in VAT to 5% on home improvements,
repairs and maintenance; and
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(v) a one-year
national insurance tax break for every small firm which takes on
extra workers;
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(j) is aware
that child poverty is rising as a result of the failure of this
Government to manage the economy; more than one in four children in
the UK lives in poverty, many in working families; under current
Government policies, child poverty is projected to rise from
2012/13 with an expected 300,000 more children living in poverty by
2015/16 and this upward trend is expected to continue with 4.2
million children projected to be living in poverty by
2020;
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(k) notes the
irony of the Liberal Democrat Party, who’s Leader has backed
a cut in the top rate of tax resulting in a £3 billion tax
cut for millionaires in the Budget while asking millions of
pensioners and families to pay more, holding their annual
conference around the theme “fair tax in tough
times”;
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(l) believes
there is nothing fair about ...
view the full agenda text for item 9.
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Minutes:
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10. |
FORMER COUNCILLOR FRANK TAYLOR
Minutes:
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11. |
NOTICE OF MOTION CONCERNING EDUCATION REFORM
That this Council:-
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(a) believes this
Government is making a shambles of education reform;
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(b) is disappointed that
the new English Baccalaureate Certificate seems to have been
thought up without proper consultation with unions, teachers or
school leaders and are not based on evidence or on expert opinion
from education professionals or businesses and that the Secretary
of State for Education (the Rt. Hon. Michael Gove, MP), should have
engaged with experts and companies to ensure young people get the
skills for jobs of the future;
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(c) is concerned
that the new system will create a two tier system that will see
many leave school with no or inferior qualifications and
notes a source quoted in the Mail on Sunday
suggesting that the long term objective is to bring back a two tier
system: "Schools will be given time to
raise their game and adjust to that. If they can’t, or decide
their pupils simply aren’t up to taking the new exam they may
be forced to find a different option. That could reopen the debate
about having another, less difficult exam.’
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(d) worries that
students with learning difficulties have been overlooked in these
proposals; the British Dyslexia Association said a renewed emphasis
on exams rather than coursework and the breaking of two-year
studies into smaller units and the extra stress associated with
once-and-for-all exams could disadvantage candidates with some
learning difficulties; the changes would also damage their chances
of going on to higher education;
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(e) is concerned that
the over emphasis on academic subjects will marginalise sport and
arts and this approach has already been demonstrated through
changing focus away from vocational education, cuts to support for
vocational education services and cuts to funding to support work
experience placements;
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(f) believes
that these changes are out of date, from a Conservative-led
Government totally out of touch with modern Britain and will
produce an elitist system;
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(g) thinks that GCSE
English exam papers should be remarked in England as they were in
Wales; many students will struggle to go on to further education
due to receiving lower than expected grades in English;
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(h) notes a recent
report from Ofsted indicating that the
Pupil Premium is not working in the way it was intended, because it
fails to offset the cuts the Government has made to the schools
budget, the report highlights that only 1 in 10 head teachers say
the Pupil Premium is having a significant effect on supporting
pupils from less well-off backgrounds, and that the funding is
being used to plug holes in schools budgets, created by the biggest
cuts in education spending since the 1950s; and
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(i)
believes that this Government is making
it difficult for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to get the
education they deserve and directs that a copy of this motion be
sent to the Secretary of State for Education to relay these
concerns to Government.
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Minutes:
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12. |
NOTICE OF MOTION CONCERNING BROADBAND SERVICES
That this Council:-
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(a)
believes a superfast broadband network
will be the foundation of a new British economic dynamism, creating
hundreds of thousands of jobs and adding billions to our Gross
Domestic Product;
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(b)
supports the commitment of the Coalition
Government to ensure the UK has the best broadband network in
Europe by 2015;
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(c) however, notes the recent report of The Country Land
and Business Association, which claims that up to a fifth of people
in rural areas still do not have adequate broadband services and
that economic development in rural areas is being put at risk
because of failures to provide adequate access to the
internet;
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(d)
recalls the Council’s Rural
Communities Strategy 2010-13, which commits to finding solutions
for rural communities that did not have adequate broadband
access;
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(e)
understands that many rural communities
in Sheffield still do not have adequate broadband access;
and
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(f)
therefore,
directs the Chief Executive to bring a report to the
Council’s Cabinet detailing progress in delivering broadband
for rural communities and setting out future steps the Council can
take to ensure access is fully rolled-out.
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Minutes:
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13. |
NOTICE OF MOTION CONCERNING ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE CREDIT
That this Council:-
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(a)
welcomes the UK-wide campaign to end ‘legal loan
sharking’;
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(b)
believes that the lack of access to affordable credit is socially
and economically damaging; unaffordable credit is causing a myriad
of unwanted effects such as poorer diets, colder homes, rent,
council tax and utility arrears, depression (which impacts on job
seeking behaviour) and poor health;
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(c) is aware that
some loan and credit companies are charging annual interest rates
equivalent to over 2500% (despite the Bank of England base rate
being just 0.5%); borrowing at these rates repeatedly tips
customers into inescapable cycles of debt and poverty;
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(d)
further notes that unaffordable credit is extracting wealth from
the most deprived communities;
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(e)
anticipates that the situation is likely to get worse as wages are
not increasing at the rate of inflation and an increasing number on
low incomes are accessing 'pay day' loans and at the same time
people will struggle to adjust to universal credit payments which
will be paid monthly, resulting in thousands of residents
struggling to balance their personal finances;
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(f) believes
it is the responsibility of all levels of government to try to
ensure affordable credit for all, and therefore pledges to use best
practice to promote financial literacy and affordable lending; this
will help to ensure that wealth stays in the local
economy;
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(g)
pledges to help promote credit unions which are community based
organisations offering access to affordable credit and promoting
saving in Sheffield;
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(h) calls on the
Government to introduce caps on the total lending rates that can be
charged for providing credit; and
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(i)
believes that cleaning up the finance
industry is essential to a sustainable economic
recovery.
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Minutes:
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14. |
NOTICE OF MOTION CONCERNING CARRIAGE OF BICYCLES ON TRAMS AND TRAINS
That this Council
recognises the fact that
many European cities allow bicycles on their trams and also
local trains using the rail network, all without any reported
problems, and therefore supports 'The Sheffield Cycle Forum'
campaign to call upon the partners on the Tram Train pilot project
which is to be trialed on the new
proposed link between Sheffield and Rotherham, to allow the
carrying of bicycles as part of that pilot and requests that
the South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority make
representations to Stagecoach indicating support for this
campaign
Minutes:
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15. |
NOTICE OF MOTION CONCERNING HOUSEHOLD WASTE RECYCLING CENTRES
That this Council:-
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(a)
recalls the decision of the incoming Administration in May 2012 to
reduce the budget for Household Waste Recycling Centres by a
further £204,000;
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(b)
understands that Blackstock Road has
the highest tonnage of any recycling centre, and is therefore
dismayed at the Administration’s decision to close
Blackstock Road three days a week,
while another centre remains open seven days a week;
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(c) notes reports
of queues of more than 100 cars, which have formed outside
Blackstock Road Recycling Centre,
causing serious concerns for road safety;
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(d)
furthermore, believes the introduction of fortnightly black bin
collections, the ceasing of other recycling services, and the
failure to avoid repeated strikes, has only served to exacerbate
the situation;
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(e)
regrets the Administration’s treatment of residents in the
south and south-west of the City who use the Blackstock Road Recycling Centre, and believes the
Administration has made insufficient effort to mitigate the effects
of this unfair decision; and
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(f)
challenges the Administration to
reconsider the unfair reduction in hours at Blackstock Road and provide the service that local
people deserve.
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Minutes:
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16. |
NOTICE OF MOTION CONCERNING CARRIAGE OF BICYCLES ON TRAMS AND TRAINS (2)
That this
Council:-
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(a)
recalls that in a motion passed unanimously in June 2012, which
welcomed investment in a tram/train pilot for Sheffield and
Rotherham, the Council also resolved to make efforts to ensure that
bicycles would be carried on the new tram/trains;
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(b) is
disappointed to learn that, due to Stagecoach’s conditions of
carriage, it is now anticipated that bicycles will not be
carried;
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(c) notes that
heavy rail franchises are expected, as a general principle, to
carry bicycles;
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(d)
believes that, as this is a national pilot, it is vital that the
feasibility of carrying bicycles on tram/trains is tested and that
Sheffield leads the way in terms of integrated
transport;
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(e)
notes that chairs and buggies needed by vulnerable travellers such
as disabled people and young children would have priority over
bicycles in the same way as they do on trains;
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(f) calls on
Stagecoach to amend the conditions of carriage to accommodate the
carriage of bicycles on the trial tram-trains;
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(g)
calls on the Department for Transport, which is promoting the
pilot, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive which is
leading on delivery, and the other partners, namely Network Rail
and Northern Rail, to also bring pressure to bear on Stagecoach to
resolve this issue; and
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(h) requests that copies of this motion be sent to the
Chief Executives of Stagecoach, all the bodies named in paragraph
(g) above, the Leader of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and
all MPs representing Rotherham and Sheffield.
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Minutes:
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17. |
NOTICE OF MOTION CONCERNING CARNAGE UK
That this Council:-
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(a)
recalls the ‘Carnage UK’ commercially organised bar
crawls that have taken place in Sheffield in recent years which
have provoked controversy, particularly noting an incident in
October 2009;
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(b)
notes with great concern the planned event in Sheffield on October
8th which is being advertised with the theme
‘Pimps and Hoes’ and believes that such a title is
completely inappropriate and has caused offence;
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(c) supports comments by the Women’s Officer at
Sheffield University Student Union “As a representative of
women students, and having worked in a refuge for women trafficked
in to sexual slavery, I feel that this theme utterly trivialises
violence against women - specifically violence against women in the
sex industry. Just to be clear - the definition of a 'pimp' is a
man who uses manipulation and or violence to coerce women (and
sometimes men) in to prostitution in order to take their earnings.
I am angry and disappointed that Carnage has chosen such a
flagrantly sexist marketing strategy. I urge [them] to reconsider
[their] theme."
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(d)
notes that similar concerns have been expressed by the President of
Sheffield Hallam University Student Union and Sheffield Central MP,
Paul Blomfield;
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(e)
continues to support the vibrant nightlife in Sheffield’s
many excellent bars, pubs and clubs, noting that this provides a
boost to the local economy; and
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(f) welcomes
the work undertaken by both Sheffield University and Sheffield
Hallam University Student Unions to promote responsible drinking
and encourages Carnage to refocus their approach based on this more
responsible model and to take into account local feeling about
their events both in the student community and amongst Sheffield
people as a whole.
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Minutes:
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18. |
NOTICE OF MOTION CONCERNING UNIVERSITY TECHNICAL COLLEGE
That this Council:-
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(a)
welcomes news that construction has begun on a University Technical
College for Sheffield, one of only 18 across the
country;
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(b)
believes the University Technical College will provide vital
training and skills for the next generation of Sheffielders, helping to tackle the chronic
long-term problems of youth unemployment;
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(c) thanks the
Coalition Government for providing the financial backing for the
College, delivering a grant of £9.9 million;
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(d)
praises companies such as Siemens Metals Technologies who have
thrown their support behind the important project; and
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(e)
recommends a joint meeting of the
Children, Young People and Family Support and the
Economic and Environmental Wellbeing Scrutiny Committees to
undertake a detailed examination to understand what further support
the Council can provide to the development of the
College.
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Minutes:
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19. |
NOTICE OF MOTION CONCERNING THE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES ACT
That this Council:-
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(a)
supports the bottom up process in the Sustainable Communities Act
that encourages Councils and their communities to drive the action
and assistance that central Government gives to promote thriving
local economies and sustainable communities;
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(b)
notes that the Act enables Councils to make proposals to Government
including requests for new powers or a transfer of powers or public
money and function from central control to local
control;
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(c) notes that
Sheffield City Council was the first Council to opt in to the Act
and that Government agreed to implement one of the Council’s
proposals, namely allowing the Council to help plan and run the
Post Office network in the City, leading to a 5% growth in Post
Office revenue in the City;
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(d)
notes that Sheffield City Council’s engagement of residents
under the Act has been recognised as “excellent”
and an example of best practice in Local Works’ Best Practice
Guide;
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(e)
notes that new regulations for the Act made in June 2012 improve
the process and make it more favourable for Councils in the
following ways :
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(i)
Councils’ proposals are submitted directly to the
Government;
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(ii) there will no
longer be short listing;
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(iii)
Councils can submit proposals whenever they are ready as the
process is now ongoing;
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(iv)
there will be a time limit of six months on the Government to
consult and try to reach agreement with the Selector (currently the
Local Government Association) regarding Councils’ proposals
and to then respond to those proposals; and
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(v) Councils that
choose to submit proposals may now decide how to consult and try to
reach agreement with representatives of communities in their areas
on what proposals to submit;
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(f) notes
that the Government has formally invited all Local Authorities to
use the Act by submitting proposals;
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(g)
resolves to request the Cabinet to use the Act by responding to
this invitation, engaging in some form of public consultation and
submitting proposals for action and assistance from central
Government each year for the next three years and to then review
the outcome of this activity and consider whether to continue to
use the Act; and
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(h) further
resolves to:
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(i) inform
the local media of this decision;
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(ii) write to local
MPs, informing them of this decision; and
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(iii)
write to Local Works informing them of
this resolution to use the Act.
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Minutes:
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