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

(NB. Minutes of recent meetings of the three South Yorkshire Joint Authorities have been made available to all Members of the Council via the following link https://meetings.sheffield.gov.uk/council-meetings/full-council )

That this Council:-

(a)       welcomes the vote of tenants on the Future of Council Housing, which showed overwhelming support to return the management of Council housing to the Council;

(b)       reaffirms that the previous Administration had no preferred option for the management of Council housing and was dedicated to putting tenants in control of their future;

(c)        notes the ruling of the Information Commissioner that documents relating to the change, specifically the Project Business Case, should have been released when requested;

(d)       notes the report in The Sheffield Star on 16^th November, 2012, which accused the Council of trying to “suppress publication of the report”, claimed the Council has “very serious questions” to answer, and stated that “

            “There were legitimate concerns [the Council] should have put before the tenants in an open and honest way – rather than to have tried to sweep it under the carpet and resist making it public”;

(e)       believes the current Administration, and in particular the Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods, misled tenants by failing to provide them with fair, impartial and balanced information;

(f)         is disappointed that it appears that the Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods did not trust the tenants of this City to make an informed judgement and regrets that, as a result of his Administration’s reckless actions, the vote may now be open to legal challenge;

(g)       feels that the Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods has made a mockery of the Leader of the Council’s pledge that her Administration would be open and transparent; and

(h)        believes that the seriousness of these failings warrants an independent investigation and recommends that one is instigated without delay.

That this Council:-

(a)       believes that developing the local economy and bringing the jobs, industries and businesses of the future to our area is a central challenge facing Sheffield and fully supports, advocates and endorses the key priority of the present Administration of being a business friendly Council with a focus on jobs;

(b)       supports the present Administration’s ambition for Sheffield to be the most business friendly city in the UK, through supporting businesses to succeed in Sheffield, offering support to help start and grow businesses and taking care of businesses using Council services;

(c)        notes that the present Administration and key members of the business community have worked hard to developed constructive and productive relationships and believes that this partnership working has never been stronger, something key to supporting job creation and business development in the City;

(d)       further welcomes that one of the first actions of the present Administration was to hold a business summit to listen to the views and asks of the business community and notes that the Council now holds three business summits every year;

(e)       welcomes the introduction of other measures to engage with the business community including a business visits programme, aimed at sharing information about the Council and business and to listen to what the Council can do better to support business;

(f)         notes that Sheffield is primarily a small and medium sized enterprise economy, with 97% of the business base employing fewer than 50 employees and to develop the local economy it is essential to help businesses grow, and help new businesses to start up, in addition to ensuring established businesses are sustained;

(g)       welcomes the focus of the present Administration on skills as key to supporting business and creating jobs in the City, noting the importance of providing the right skills to meet business needs and to support growth and provide a better future for Sheffield’s people;

(h)        further welcomes work with local businesses to create employment opportunities for young people and wholeheartedly supports the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme where the Council has worked with many small businesses offering a subsidy to get young people into employment alongside the opportunity to study for a Level 2 qualification; 

(i)         remembers this is in stark contrast to the previous Administration who’s Leader broke a promise to commit £1 million of Council resources to support the previous Government’s Future Jobs Fund;

(j)         is proud that the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme pioneered the City Deal for skills which adopts the model used in the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme to create 4,000 apprenticeships in small and medium sized enterprises by 2016 and welcomes that the vision of the present Administration is responsible for this;

(k)        further welcomes the present Administration’s Keep Sheffield Working Fund which supports projects facilitating job creation such as the recently announced export scheme, helping Sheffield business expand into international markets and welcomes the collaboration between the Council, Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, South Yorkshire International Trade Forum and UK Trade and Investment in  ...  view the full agenda text for item 9.

That this Council:-

(a)       regrets that since this Government came to power there are more homeless people and people visiting food banks in Sheffield than ever before;

(b)       notes that the need for people to visit food banks has increased drastically over the past two years;

(c)        further notes that The Trussell Trust said its food bank network had fed almost 110,000 people since April 2012, compared with a total of 128,697 in the whole of 2011-12;

(d)       is aware that there are now seven food banks in Sheffield, which has more than doubled since the Coalition Government came to power;

(e)       is concerned about the disproportionate impact of homelessness on young people, who are more financially vulnerable and have less accommodation options open to them;

(f)         believes that it is doing what it can to help prevent homelessness in Sheffield but is faced with budget cuts which will mean less people will receive support when there is greatest need;

(g)       believes that this need for emergency shelter and food supplies has increased due to tough economic pressures;

(h)        is aware that many families who need emergency food are working families that are struggling to pay bills as well as feed their families;

(i)         is also aware that the majority of people who need emergency food need help due to disruptions in benefit payments;

(j)         expects this situation to get worse with the introduction of universal benefits; and

(k)        is thankful that the churches and volunteer groups in Sheffield give up their time and resources to help people who need emergency support and hopes they will continue to do this.

That this Council:-

(a)       believes that Christmas trading provides an important boost and seasonal cheer to local businesses, particularly retailers in Sheffield’s City and District Centres;

(b)       notes that other local authorities, including neighbouring Rotherham and Barnsley and nearby Chesterfield, have announced that they will be offering free parking in the run up to Christmas this year;

(c)        recalls the budget amendment of the main opposition group, which proposed to allocate funds for the provision of free Christmas parking;

(d)       welcomes the decision to cut parking charges but believes if the current Administration were serious about their pledge to be “business-friendly” they would go further and provide a repeat of the previous Administration’s free Christmas parking scheme in Sheffield’s City and District Centres;

(e)       furthermore questions the decision of Town Hall “scrooges” to deny traders in Millhouses additional parking provision over the Christmas period; and

(f)         calls upon the Administration to reconsider their Christmas parking policy with immediate effect.

That this Council:-

(a)       congratulates the new Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Shaun Wright, for his election victory last month;

(b)       notes that Commissioner Wright won the election with 51% of the vote;

(c)        believes this Coalition Government policy was a complete shambles;

(d)       regrets that these elections cost £75m and saw the lowest ever turnout in a national poll;

(e)       is not surprised that with all ballots counted, turnout was approximately 14.9%;

(f)         believes the PCC elections were wrongly timed, under publicised and lacked the support to make the elections credible;

(g)       is concerned that the Electoral Commission described it as "a concern for everyone who cares about democracy";

(h)        believes that the cost of the elections could have paid for thousands of frontline police officers;

(i)         is concerned that since the election, two Chief Constables have already resigned from their posts, suggesting the new position does not work well with the existing structure;

(j)         will work with our new PCC to ensure the vision that “people of South Yorkshire can live, work and learn in a place of safety and peace” is a reality;

(k)        supports the Commissioner in his aim to further develop neighbourhood policing, make sure victims and witnesses get a better deal, renew our focus on preventing crime and re-offending and ensure better co-ordination, communication and partnership between agencies; and

(l)         believes that despite the shambles of the PCC Elections, the Council is committed to working together with our elected PCC to ensure the safety of local residents and the effective running of South Yorkshire Police.

That this Council:-

(a)       welcomes the news that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has now been agreed;

(b)       hopes this temporary ceasefire can be turned into a durable peace;

(c)        condemns the recent violence which resulted in the death of 158 people including women and children;

(d)       supports calls for a full scale UN diplomatic initiative to end the violence, urging the Secretary General of the United Nations to travel to the region and believes sustained international engagement will be vital in helping to bring this conflict to an end;

(e)       believes this is due to deeper causes of the latest crisis, reflecting the failure over years and decades to achieve a two-state solution;

(f)         is thankful that a full-scale ground invasion was avoided as it would have been a disaster for the peoples of both Gaza and Israel, risking escalating the death toll and further damaging the hope for peace and security;

(g)       believes that real security for the citizens of Israel and Gaza will only be achieved through the re-invigoration of a serious political dialogue, aimed at establishing a lasting and regional peace; and

(h)        further believes that now the violence has stopped, talking should start so that progress can be made towards agreeing a negotiated two-state solution which will bring the security and peace that the people of the region deserve.

That this Council:-

(a)       notes that, despite the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions and expand the green economy,  the Energy Bill will not include a decarbonisation target for electricity production for 2030 and relies on gas power stations in the short to medium term;

(b)       recognises that the unreliable supply and high price of imported gas is likely to increase demand for UK shale gas despite the fact that the method of producing it (“fracking”) makes it one of the most  carbon-hungry and environmentally damaging fossil fuels, akin to tar sands and arctic drilling, which have all been described as "extreme extraction";

(c)        will lead the way in our  own region by declaring our opposition to “extreme extraction” methods which involve using disproportionate amounts of energy to extract the fuel, and which destabilise and pollute the ground, water and atmosphere; and

(d)       will instead work to attract all possible funding to the City for projects which increase energy efficiency, sustainability and self sufficiency and which create jobs in the green economy. 

That this Council:-

(a)       recalls the motion proposed by Councillor Clive Skelton on 13^th June 2012, which urged the current Administration to rule out the closure of Bole Hill View Dementia Resource Centre;

(b)       notes with disappointment that the current Administration have now confirmed their plan to consult on closing Bole Hill View in March 2014;

(c)        believes Bole Hill View provides an invaluable service of help and support to those who suffer from dementia and their families;

(d)       thanks those who have already publicly shared their experiences of Bole Hill View, alongside the hundreds of local people who have signed petitions in support of the Centre;

(e)       welcomes the decision of the trade union UNISON to oppose the closure of Bole Hill View; and

(f)         urges the current Administration to reassess its spending priorities in order that Bole Hill View remains open.

That this Council notes with great concern recently published figures indicating the failure of the Government’s Work Programme, with only 3.53% of people enrolled on the scheme finding a job, missing the 5.5% target.

That this Council:-

(a)       notes the slump in green waste recycling in 2012 in the peak months of April to September and believes this is a result of the current Administration’s decision to end the free collection of green waste and their mismanagement of local recycling centres;

(b)       further notes the report of The Sheffield Star on 20^th November 2012, which stated:

            “Coun Jack Scott, Sheffield Council cabinet member responsible for environment, said the fall had coincided with the authority taking a tougher line on the problem. But he has now revealed the decrease is partly due to a change in how Sheffield Homes records figures for dumping on estates.”

(c)        reminds Members that these latest embarrassments follow a string of failures under the tenure of the current Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Streetscene, including:

(i)         a failure to effectively communicate changes, despite spending £400,000, which resulted in hundreds of families missing their first black bin collection under the new fortnightly system;

(ii)        utter confusion over an amnesty on closed lids and additional sacks, which saw the Council and Veolia offering contradictory advice;

(iii)       over a thousand complaints a day during the first week of fortnightly bin collections;

(iv)       complete mismanagement of local recycling centres and the failure to avoid strikes; and

(v)        a swift u-turn on a proposal to offer the charged-for green bin service across the City, but only after 14,000 greens bins had already been chipped and pelletted;

(d)       believes this represents one of the most inept starts to a Cabinet career in Sheffield City Council history;

(e)       feels that this farcical catalogue of errors was reflected in a recent poll on The Star’s website, which saw 54% of local people state that waste collections were not working in Sheffield;

(f)         notes the announcement of funds awarded under the Coalition Government’s £250 million Weekly Collection Support Scheme, which saw a number of councils awarded over £10 million;

(g)       laments the decision of the current Administration in refusing to swallow their pride and submit a more ambitious bid to the fund, which could have saved local services for thousands of Sheffielders;

(h)        believes that the current Administration failed to stand up for Sheffield by not submitting a more ambitious bid, and regrets that it will now be extremely difficult to revert back to weekly black bin collections; and

(i)         calls upon the Administration to undertake a genuine review of the City’s waste services as opposed to the Administration’s last consultation on waste services, which was criticised in the local press for its “weighted” questions.