Agenda and minutes

Members to declare any interests they have in the business to be considered at the meeting.

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.

4.1       Questions relating to urgent business – Council Procedure Rule 16.6(ii).

4.2       Supplementary questions on written questions submitted at this meeting – Council Procedure Rule 16.4.

4.3       Questions on the discharge of the functions of the South Yorkshire Joint Authorities for Fire and Rescue and Pensions – Section 41 of the Local Government Act 1985 – Council Procedure Rule 16.6(i).

            (NB. Minutes of recent meetings of the two South Yorkshire Joint Authorities have been made available to all Members of the Council via the following link -

            http://democracy.sheffield.gov.uk/ecCatDisplay.aspx?sch=doc&cat=13165&path=0)

That this Council:-

(a)       believes that it is a national scandal that child poverty is rising and school budgets are being cut, and that the country’s children deserve much better than this Government are providing;

(b)       notes that child poverty is rising and food bank usage is increasing for those in and out of work, caused in part by the following:-

(i)         damaging changes to benefits such as universal credit and child benefits;

(ii)        a lack of investment in youth services;

(iii)       cuts to funding for Sure Start;

(iv)       a shortfall worth millions in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities funding;

(v)        supposed fair funding for schools, which this Council believes is anything but fair, as Sheffield schools are losing out on millions;

(vi)       the scrapping of the Educational Maintenance Allowance; and

(vii)      children and young people’s mental health is suffering at the same time as mental health services are becoming increasingly stretched;

(c)        congratulates children and young people for speaking up and protesting about austerity and on the impact of climate change and the need to radically improve our environment, and tribute is paid to the local school children of Watercliffe Meadow Primary School, and children joining from other schools, for their recent demonstrations and for the many letters they have sent to the Government demanding more for their school;

(d)       believes that it does not need to be like this for the city’s young, as continued austerity is a political choice and a Labour government would instead listen to the concerns of young people by reversing the negative impacts of austerity and take head on the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation; and

(e)       notes that a Labour government would give votes to 16 year olds, invest in a proper National Education Service, invest millions more for Sheffield schools and colleges, scrap tuition fees and give our young people the skills and labour market they deserve.

That this Council:-

(a)       notes that following sustained pressure from Sheffield City Council, the Government have finally agreed to cover the cost of recladding of Hanover Tower – the only council-owned tower block which failed the post-Grenfell safety test;

(b)       notes that following the Grenfell disaster, Councillors acted quickly and decisively to reassure tenants by moving forward plans to fit sprinklers in all 24 council-owned tower blocks;

(c)        believes that this was the right thing to do and that the Authority needed to do this for tenant safety, regardless of the cost or the fact that national regulations did not at the time require this;

(d)       notes that the Labour Party has always maintained that the cost of post-Grenfell safety measures should not fall on cash-strapped local authorities and that the Government needs to fund this;

(e)       notes that, together with ten local authorities, of different political persuasions, this Authority is demanding that the Government funds the sprinkler systems for all tower blocks, all of which are now recommended under national fire regulations, and notes that Sheffield Councillors took this case direct to 10 Downing Street on 26 March;

(f)        believes that by working in collaboration with other councils and a wider national campaign, it gives added weight to our demands to fund sprinkler safety measures for all council-owned tower blocks;

(g)       further notes this Council’s commitment to social housing and that this year’s Housing Revenue Account means that tenants will also see around £400 million of investment over the next five years to make sure homes and estates are well maintained;

(h)       notes, in addition, that Sheffield Councillors are calling for government action to make private tower blocks in Sheffield safe for residents and to ensure that those living in the buildings are not left having to pay for this;

(i)         notes that Sheffield Councillors are supporting the work of Labour MPs in their demands to the Government to hold developers and freeholders to account for the situation, and believes that if the law is currently not up to the task, then the Government needs to change it; and

(j)         believes that private rented tenants should have greater protection – and calls on the Government to end Section 21 eviction powers which means private tenants can be evicted through no fault of their own; so that private rented tenants in Sheffield know that as long as they meet their legal obligations, the home is theirs, instead of the current situation whereby landlords can evict a blameless tenant which means the rental market will keep failing to provide the certainty we associate with having a place to call home.

That this Council:-

(a)       notes:-

(i)         the importance of local businesses across the city to the prosperity and vibrancy of Sheffield;

(ii)        that local economies and opportunities are improved when local businesses can thrive and be encouraged by pubic bodies;

(iii)       the employment and wealth that local business contributes to Sheffield; and

(iv)       that according to the Centre for Cities, the Sheffield economic area needs to improve on key areas such as business closures (ranked 44^th of 62 areas), business start-ups (50^th of 62), GVA per employee (53^rd of 62) and ratio of private to public sector employment (45^th of 62);

(b)       also notes that Sheffield is home to many innovative and successful businesses that create employment and wealth, but, like all cities that want to improve business friendly policies, local growth and employment opportunities, knows more can always be done;

(c)        wishes to do all it can to foster a culture of making Sheffield a great place to do business, encourage local small and medium sized businesses to set up and thrive here and to complement larger businesses by being part of their supply chains;

(d)       believes that more should be explored to support and encourage local business and help the local economy to grow; and

(e)       directs the Chief Executive to bring a report back to this Council within three months to give practical examples of what more can be done to support the local economy, including such ideas as:-

(i)         a local currency called the Sheffield Pound to encourage people to spend their money with local, independent businesses;

(ii)        more pop up shops in local shopping areas and the city centre;

(iii)       a full weekend festival of busking and street art to be held across the City;

(iv)       improving the amount of goods and services the public sector buys from local small business;

(v)        encouraging large companies engaged on public sector contracts to use at least 50% of local businesses in their supply chain;

(vi)       supporting and developing local cooperative and community interest companies in the City;

(vii)      developing and supporting "pop up market days" in the city centre and local shopping areas that promote and celebrate local food and drink, arts, gifts and crafts;

(viii)     offering business rates relief on office space for tech start-ups that offer jobs to first-time employees such as school and college leavers and graduates from local universities;

(ix)       offering business rates relief to landlords who volunteer their vacant properties for pop up shops; and

(x)        training and support for ‘getting the most from online trading’ for local small and medium sized businesses, including retail business.

That this Council:-

(a)       (i) believes joining the European Union was the biggest political blunder in Great Britain's history, and that, had we not joined, Britain would be more democratic, significantly richer and happier and (ii) further believes that never in living memory have the citizens in the United Kingdom been so at odds with their elected representatives;

(b)       notes that (i) the Conservative Party contested the 2015 General Election on the explicit promise of a binding referendum on membership of the EU, (ii) on 7th September 2015, a bill setting out its terms and format passed by 316 votes to 53 votes, a huge 85.6% mandate, (iii) in the “people's vote” that followed on 23rd June 2016, despite "Project Fear" and incessant media and government propaganda, a decisive 7.9% (1.3m) more people voted to leave than remain, (iv) on 8th February 2017, Parliament passed the Article 50 Bill, explicitly setting the 29th of March 2019 as the exit date, by 494 votes to 122 votes, a massive 80.2% vote to leave the EU, and on that date, and (v) the 29th of March 2019 will be 1,009 days after the Referendum, and believes that another delay after this date accomplishes nothing but damage to the UK;

(c)        contends that once the momentous decision was taken to proceed with a Referendum on continued membership of the EU, and after the result to leave was officially declared, the duty of all elected representatives should have been to work in a professional and diligent way, free of discrimination, to carry out the democratic will of the people, working for a positive future and leaving self-interest and personal ambition behind;

(d)       believes that the behaviour of the majority of MPs in the House of Commons over a considerable number of months has been disgraceful, and that, despite both the Conservative Party and the Labour Party stating in their General Election Manifestos that they would take the United Kingdom out of the EU, they now appear to be captivated by the EU; and

(e)       (i) notes that, should the United Kingdom Independence Party’s position on the EU be adopted, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland can look forward to the day when it becomes a sovereign nation once again; where all citizens can unite as one, working for a better society, free from discrimination on the grounds of their race, religion, ethnic origin, education, beliefs, sexual orientation, class, social status, sectarianism or any other basis prescribed by law and (ii) believes this would be in the interests of promoting liberty, democracy and respect for human rights and the essential, traditional freedoms of the people of the United Kingdom and those under the protection of the United Kingdom.

To receive the record of the proceedings of the ordinary meeting of the Council held on 6^th February 2019 and the special meeting of the Council held on 6^th March 2019, and to approve the accuracy thereof.

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.