Agenda item

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed

That this Council:-

 

(a)       notes that the election of the regional mayor for Sheffield City Region has been postponed until May 2018;

 

(b)       notes with concern the press statement issued by the Leader of Barnsley Council (Councillor Sir Stephen Houghton) and the Mayor of Doncaster (Ros Jones) in support of exploring a Yorkshire-wide devolution option;

 

(c)        asserts that there is currently no Yorkshire-wide devolution deal on the table and notes the comments made by Northern Powerhouse Minister, Andrew Percy MP “I would urge leaders in South Yorkshire not to walk away because they will be in a position like the North-East where we take the proposal off the table because they have rejected it.”;

 

(d)       believes that the economic geography of the Sheffield City Region is distinct from the rest of Yorkshire and has strong links across the county borders with areas such as Bassetlaw and Chesterfield;

 

(e)       wants the best for our local economy and is therefore disappointed that devolved powers and funding for Sheffield City Region are now at risk because of local leaders’ parochial disagreements;

 

(f)        believes this is further evidence, along with the disagreements on HS2, of a lack of effective local leadership; and

 

(g)       calls on the Leader of the Council to do everything in her power to reassure the public and businesses of Sheffield and to get the SCR Devolution Deal back on track.

 

Minutes:

 

Sheffield City Region Devolution Deal

 

 

11.1

It was formally moved by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, and formally seconded by Councillor Martin Smith, that this Council:-

 

 

 

(a)      notes that the election of the regional mayor for Sheffield City Region has been postponed until May 2018;

 

 

 

(b)      notes with concern the press statement issued by the Leader of Barnsley Council (Councillor Sir Stephen Houghton) and the Mayor of Doncaster (Ros Jones) in support of exploring a Yorkshire-wide devolution option;

 

 

 

(c)      asserts that there is currently no Yorkshire-wide devolution deal on the table and notes the comments made by Northern Powerhouse Minister, Andrew Percy MP “I would urge leaders in South Yorkshire not to walk away because they will be in a position like the North-East where we take the proposal off the table because they have rejected it.”;

 

 

 

(d)      believes that the economic geography of the Sheffield City Region is distinct from the rest of Yorkshire and has strong links across the county borders with areas such as Bassetlaw and Chesterfield;

 

 

 

(e)      wants the best for our local economy and is therefore disappointed that devolved powers and funding for Sheffield City Region are now at risk because of local leaders’ parochial disagreements;

 

 

 

(f)       believes this is further evidence, along with the disagreements on HS2, of a lack of effective local leadership; and

 

 

 

(g)      calls on the Leader of the Council to do everything in her power to reassure the public and businesses of Sheffield and to get the SCR Devolution Deal back on track.

 

 

11.2

Whereupon, it was formally moved by Councillor Julie Dore, and formally seconded by Councillor Jack Scott, 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 election of a Sheffield City Region Mayor has been delayed due to the High Court ruling in December which required the City Region to undertake further consultation before the Secretary of State can make a final decision;

 

 

 

(b)      remains fully committed to the Sheffield City Region and the devolution deal which was hard fought following extensive negotiations with central government and will see significant investment for economic development into Sheffield City Region and greater local control of powers currently determined by central government in areas such as skills;

 

 

 

(c)      agrees that the geography of Sheffield City Region reflects our functional economic area and that the model of devolution which the Government is offering is fundamentally about economic regeneration in recognised travel-to-work areas, and welcomes the inclusion of Chesterfield and Bassetlaw as full constituent members of the Combined Authority;

 

 

 

(d)      welcomes that all partners are still committed to the Sheffield City Region and the Devolution Deal, which is the only deal on the table; and

 

 

 

(e)      believes that the additional consultation required should be undertaken as quickly as possible to ensure that the Sheffield City Region deal is finalised and all parliamentary approvals are secured as soon as possible to allow the region to secure the additional investment crucial to growing the economy and creating more jobs in Sheffield City Region.

 

 

11.3

On being put to the vote, the amendment was carried.

 

 

11.3.1

(NOTE: Councillors Magid Magid, Douglas Johnson, Robert Murphy and Alison Teal voted for paragraph (a) of the amendment, and abstained from voting on paragraphs (b) to (e) of the amendment, and asked for this to be recorded.)

 

 

11.4

It was then formally moved by Councillor Robert Murphy, and formally seconded by Councillor Alison Teal, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of a new paragraph as follows:-

 

 

 

( )       calls on the Leader of the Council to be open to all options that would benefit Sheffield and the wider region through greater devolution of powers and funding.

 

 

11.5

On being put to the vote, the amendment was negatived.

 

 

11.6

The original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-

 

 

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

 

(a)      notes that the election of a Sheffield City Region Mayor has been delayed due to the High Court ruling in December which required the City Region to undertake further consultation before the Secretary of State can make a final decision;

 

(b)      remains fully committed to the Sheffield City Region and the devolution deal which was hard fought following extensive negotiations with central government and will see significant investment for economic development into Sheffield City Region and greater local control of powers currently determined by central government in areas such as skills;

 

(c)      agrees that the geography of Sheffield City Region reflects our functional economic area and that the model of devolution which the Government is offering is fundamentally about economic regeneration in recognised travel-to-work areas, and welcomes the inclusion of Chesterfield and Bassetlaw as full constituent members of the Combined Authority;

 

(d)      welcomes that all partners are still committed to the Sheffield City Region and the Devolution Deal, which is the only deal on the table; and

 

(e)      believes that the additional consultation required should be undertaken as quickly as possible to ensure that the Sheffield City Region deal is finalised and all parliamentary approvals are secured as soon as possible to allow the region to secure the additional investment crucial to growing the economy and creating more jobs in Sheffield City Region.

 

 

 

11.6.1

(NOTE: Councillors Magid Magid, Douglas Johnson, Robert Murphy and Alison Teal voted for paragraph (a) of the Substantive Motion, and abstained from voting on paragraphs (b) to (e) of the Substantive Motion, and asked for this to be recorded.)