Agenda and minutes

1.1

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Sue Auckland, Jackie Drayton, Karen McGowan, Vickie Priestley, Andrew Sangar and Steve Wilson.

2.1

During consideration of item 5 – Notice of Motion regarding Recent Transport Innovations and Investment in Sheffield (See Minute 5 below), Councillors Talib Hussain and Mohammad Maroof declared personal interests in relation to those parts of the item that related to low emission taxi vehicles, on the grounds that they were taxi drivers.

3.1

Petitions

3.1.1

Petition Objecting to the Closure of the Hydrotherapy Pool at Seven Hills School

The Council received an electronic petition containing 1,249 signatures, objecting to the closure of the hydrotherapy pool at Seven Hills School.

Representations on behalf of the petitioners were made by Lisa Siddall. She stated that her son was one of the children that attended swimming lessons at the pool and had done so for the past two years. The staff and standard of teaching at the swim school were outstanding. The proposal to close the hydrotherapy pool was of concern as it would affect children and parents and there was no comparative facility and teaching available for children with physical disabilities at Seven Hills School. Children received substantial benefits from swimming and being in the water.

The reasons given for the proposal to close the pool were cost and the upkeep associated with the pool. However, the Shoals swim school had offered to meet the running costs of the pool and to provide a day each week when they would give free swimming lessons to children at the school. Shoals swim school also offered work experience and former students worked at the pool as lifeguards. Parents were devastated at the prospect of the pool closing and were not satisfied with the explanation given for the closure of the pool. It was considered that the benefits of the pool outweighed those of the alternative gym facilities, which it was proposed was put in place of the pool.

Lisa Siddall referred to the dedication of the Shoals swim school team to enable a girl with cerebral palsy to swim and achieve 200 metres and who was learning to dive. Swimming was endorsed as one of the most beneficial forms of exercise. She said that she had started the petition so that the decision could be looked at in more depth and consideration given as to how the pool might be kept open.

The Council referred the petition to Councillor Jayne Dunn, the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills. Councillor Dunn stated that the existing pool was a cold water pool and a hydrotherapy pool needed to be heated to a higher temperature. A new hydrotherapy pool would be installed as part of the redevelopment of the space at the school and which would be operational for two and a half days each week. While the redevelopment was taking place, children would be given access to alternative provision off site, so that hydrotherapy for children could continue. The redeveloped gym facility would also provide other types of movement activity for children such as rebound therapy.

Councillor Dunn said that she would be examining SEND (Special Education Needs and Disabilities) provision in Sheffield and how there could be more joined up working in this regard and she would also work with Councillor Mary Lea (the Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Leisure) to enable really good provision across the City.

3.2

Public Questions

3.2.1

Public Question Concerning Somaliland  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

4.1

Urgent Business

4.1.1

With the permission of the Lord Mayor (Councillor Magid Magid), Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed asked the Leader of the Council (Councillor Julie Dore) the following questions relating to urgent business, under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.6(ii):-

To ask the Leader of the Council when she was asked to support and give her approval for the legal proceedings to commit four tree campaigners to the High Court in Sheffield and to ask the Leader of the Council when she informed her cabinet colleagues, including Cllr Dagnall, that she had been involved and had given her approval for the legal proceedings to commit four tree campaigners to the High Court in Sheffield?

4.1.2

In response, Councillor Dore indicated that she had provided an answer on this matter earlier at the meeting, when responding to the public question asked by Mr. Dillner.

4.2

Questions

4.2.1

A schedule of questions to Cabinet Members, submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16, and which contained written answers, was circulated.  Supplementary questions, under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.4, were asked and were answered by the appropriate Cabinet Members until the expiry of the 30 minute time limit for Members’ Questions (in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16.7).

4.3

South Yorkshire Joint Authorities

4.3.1

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 expiry of the 30 minute time limit for Members’ Questions (in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16.7).

5.1

It was moved by Councillor Jack Scott, and seconded by Councillor Michelle Cook, that this Council:-

(a)       notes the recent innovations and changes in how people are able to travel throughout Sheffield and believes that, under this Administration, travelling in the city is becoming more integrated and greener;

(b)       notes the recent success of the Ofo bikes, which are proving so popular that the innovative bike sharing scheme is now the country’s second largest outside of London;

(c)        notes that this Administration is investing £1.9 million to provide cleaner buses and bring them up to the E6 standard, which will in turn be one of the best standards set outside of London;

(d)       further notes that record investment in tackling air pollution in Sheffield is now underway with the beginnings of £1.3m investment from the “Early Measures Fund” to help transform the City’s air;

(e)       notes that the funding secured from the Early Measures Fund is a direct result of this Administration’s successful lobbying in order to meet the ambitious standards set out in its Air Quality Strategy;

(f)        notes that under this Administration, the Council will be making Sheffield’s largest ever investment in specific Air Quality Measures;

(g)       recalls the miserly £5,000 of investment for electric taxis proposed by the Green Group in its budget amendments for 2017/18, and that this is in the sharpest possible contrast to the actions from this Administration who have secured around £500,000 to electrify and revolutionise Sheffield’s taxi fleet for the year ahead;

(h)       notes under this Administration we have seen the opening of the first new park and ride of recent years through IKEA and celebrates its popularity, convenience and environmental impact;

(i)         believes that the Better Bus funding agreement will make journeys quicker and more reliable and prioritise public transport;

(j)         notes that this Administration’s Clean Air strategy commits the Council to working alongside the city’s bus companies to improve the bus fleet and reduce emissions through replacement low-emission buses or re-powering vehicles with cleaner engine technology;

(k)        further notes that as part of the Clean Air Strategy the Administration is rolling out anti-idling zones outside schools, and other targeted locations, and is establishing 20mph speed limits across the city centre to make roads safer and to encourage more sustainable modes of travel such as cycling and walking;

(l)         notes the decisions last month by the Council’s Cabinet to invest £2.5m in cycle infrastructure and invest in new schemes for pedestrians;

(m)      highlights that the new Parking Strategy has put environment issues at its core, encouraging active modes of transport and, in addition, that attention should be drawn to the highly successful first ever “+1” scheme which encouraged public transport use in to the city centre in the weeks running up to Christmas;

(n)       believes that the new transport vision and strategy is likely to further revolutionise travel in the city, and is encouraged that this strategy will be going to Cabinet in the near future;

(o)       notes  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.1

It was moved by Councillor Mark Jones, and seconded by Councillor Moya O’Rourke, that this Council:-

(a)       believes local communities do not want fracking in their area and that the locally elected Labour Administration have supported our communities’ ability to decide what the future of fracking should be in their areas, rather than having to endure the diktats from on high by an over-zealous Government;

(b)       supports the actions of local community groups, such as Sheffield Climate Alliance, Frack Free South Yorkshire and Mosborough Against Fracking in opposing the policy framework initiated by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition government in what this Council believed to be its wholly reckless and irresponsible dash for shale gas;

(c)        believes Britain urgently needs a renewable energy revolution and supports the position taken by the Labour Party calling on the Government to ban fracking, and focus on unlocking the jobs and growth that a low-carbon energy infrastructure can provide for our industry, workforce and communities; in contrast to the Conservative Party’s apparent fixation on shale gas - regardless of evidence, public opinion or the impacts this will have on local communities;

(d)       notes with bitter disappointment that the Government have recently announced a series of measures to support the development of shale gas extraction which are being imposed on local communities, local councils and local wishes, to force through changes at the behest of fracking companies;

(e)       notes that at present, decisions on shale gas exploration planning applications have a statutory time frame of 16 weeks where an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required, and that the stated aim of the new measures from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy is supposedly in order to meet these time frames;

(f)        believes, however, that all applications where an EIA is required already have significant central government provisions over performance - including Right of Appeal against timely non-determination, call-ins, and special measures designation, and therefore begs the question that with such powers already in place why does fracking require more?;

(g)       contends that the emphasis and support for all types of planning applications should be a government priority, including addressing the long standing delays in the planning inspectorate, and, furthermore, as delays in the Planning Inspectorate system are a big problem on all fronts, believes it is likely that other schemes, such as prioritising housing and strategic infrastructure planning, will suffer delays if fracking is given special and preferential treatment;

(h)       believes that giving fracking special treatment will be counter-productive as it will reinforce public concerns that government wants to press on with fracking regardless of public opinion or evidence on the potential environmental and health impacts;

(i)         believes that the Government’s measures appear to be a toxic combination of caving into the fracking industry and reinforcing existing bad policy, which will set a dangerous precedent in taking away local decision making on planning decisions;

(j)         contends that it is scandalous to take away local decision making powers and put it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.1

It was moved by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, and seconded by Councillor Robert Murphy, that this Council:-

(a)       thanks everyone involved in the running of this year's local elections and thanks the people of Sheffield for exercising their right to vote;

(b)       notes that this Council moved to a strong leader and cabinet model of governance under provisions within the Local Government Act 2000 introduced by the Rt. Hon. Tony Blair’s government, and believes that recently it has been clear that there is a disconnect between the Executive and backbench councillors at this Council;

(c)        notes that under the powers of the Localism Act 2011, Sheffield City Council has the ability to move from the current system of strong leader and cabinet to a committee system of governance;

(d)       notes that since the Localism Act 2011 came into law a number of councils have chosen to move to a committee system and more are considering the change;

(e)       notes that when the Liberal Democrats were in control of Sheffield City Council, the Localism Act had not yet come into law and therefore were unable to use its powers to change the council structure at the time;

(f)        notes that even Labour councillors have called in decisions made by their own Cabinet and Cabinet Members, for example, the executive decisions made on the development of Central Library and Mount Pleasant;

(g)       believes that, currently, too many decisions that affect local people are not transparent and are made away from public scrutiny, and introducing a committee system would mean that decision making would be more transparent and help to restore public confidence in Sheffield City Council;

(h)       resolves to investigate a switch to a committee system which would give more control of decision making to all elected councillors and not just a selected few; allowing local communities a more direct path to decisions made about their futures; and

(i)         believes that there is a better, different way for a city council to operate and that this motion demonstrates that it is possible, even in difficult times, to be responsive and work with local people.

7.2

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Tony Damms, seconded by Councillor Ian Saunders, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of paragraphs (b) to (i) and the addition of new paragraphs (b) to (g) as follows:-

(b)       notes that the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Centre for Public Scrutiny (CPS) estimates that around only 30 councils operate under the committee system out of the 418 principal (unitary, upper and second tier) councils in the UK and, furthermore, this includes a proportion of councils who have always operated under the committee system (such as small shire districts between 2000 and 2012 who were permitted to retain their committee arrangements);

(c)        further notes that the Centre for Public Scrutiny believe more authorities have moved from the committee system to the strong leader/Cabinet model than the other way round  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.1

It was moved by Councillor Douglas Johnson, and formally seconded by Councillor Kaltum Rivers, that this Council:-

(a)       notes the world-wide scourge of modern society consuming and disposing of large amounts of single-use plastic;

(b)       notes the recent analysis of public health data by the Local Government Association showing that one in 25 school children aged 10 or 11 are severely obese;

(c)        notes that tooth decay in children is a strong indicator of inequality and has a serious adverse effect on childhood health and life chances, leading to school absence and unnecessary surgery;

(d)       notes that Green Group councillors asked for the Healthier Communities and Adult Social Care Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee to look at the issue of dental health in 2017;

(e)       notes that the Green Group budget amendment in 2018 included a proposal to introduce drinking water fountains in the city centre and major parks, helping to improve health and reduce consumption of disposable plastics; and

(f)        therefore welcomes the introduction of new publicly accessible drinking fountains in Sheffield City Centre.

8.2

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Mary Lea, seconded by Councillor Dawn Dale, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of paragraphs (d) to (f) and the addition of new paragraphs (d) to (h) as follows:-

(d)       notes that this Administration has recently outlined a series of measures to tackle sugar, junk food and obesity in Sheffield;

(e)       further notes that in March, Cabinet took the decision to approve the Food and Wellbeing Strategy which includes a measure to resist sponsorship from junk food companies and to stop such adverts near schools, where the Council has the power to do so;

(f)        notes that this Administration’s Food and Wellbeing Strategy aims to create a low sugar Sheffield to reduce diet-related ill-health including obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay, and that, in particular, the Strategy sets out to tackle obesity and children’s dental health in the 20 percent most deprived areas of Sheffield;

(g)       notes that the plan will also see healthier food and drinks in Council leisure centres and park cafes, and that this builds on the successful GULP (Giving Up Loving Pop) campaign in schools, which encourages young people, their families and school staff to give up sugary drinks; and

(h)       believes that public provision of drinking water is an important initiative, both for the reduction of single-use plastics and for health, and acknowledges the Green Party’s praise of the Labour administration’s work towards this.

8.3

It was then moved by Councillor Colin Ross, seconded by Councillor Penny Baker, 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 the Liberal Democrats’ May 2017 manifesto included pledges to:-

(i)         pass a Zero Waste Act, including legally-binding targets for reducing net consumption of key natural resources, and introducing incentives  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

9.1

RESOLVED: On the Motion of Councillor Julie Dore, seconded by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, that this Council appoints His Honour Judge Jeremy William Richardson QC to the position of Honorary Recorder for Sheffield with effect from 6th June 2018 for a period no longer than the duration of the Judge’s tenure of the post of Resident Judge at Sheffield Combined Court Centre, in accordance with the details outlined in the report of the Chief Executive now submitted.

10.1

RESOLVED: On the Motion of Councillor Peter Rippon, seconded by Councillor Dianne Hurst, that the minutes of the ordinary meeting of the Council held on 28^th March 2018 and the annual meeting of the Council held on 16^th May 2018, be approved as true and accurate records.

11.1

RESOLVED: On the Motion of Councillor Peter Rippon, seconded by Councillor Dianne Hurst, that:-

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

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