Agenda item

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:

 

 

 

3.1

Petitions

 

 

3.1.1

Petition Requesting a Review of the Licensing of Sexual Entertainment Venues in the City

 

 

 

The Council received an electronic petition containing 27 signatures, requesting the Council to review the licensing of Sexual Entertainment Venues in the City.

 

 

 

Representations on behalf of the petitioners were made by Charlotte Mead and Lisa Markham. Charlotte Mead said that the Council had been urged to consider the effects that strip clubs had on communities. She said that this had not happened and some local people had therefore taken matters into their own hands.

 

 

 

Charlotte Mead stated that two male former police officers had visited the Spearmint Rhino on two occasions in February 2019 and had identified breaches of licensing conditions and possible unlawful activity. Lisa Markham read three excerpts from a report, which described in detail the type of activity that had taken place at the venue and Charlotte Mead then read the club’s rules which set out expected behaviours for dancers and formed part of the licence. She said that the findings of this investigation showed the links between the so called acceptable part of the sex industry, sexual entertainment and prostitution and it appeared that there were breaches of licencing conditions and also unlawful activity taking place in the Spearmint Rhino.

 

 

 

Charlotte Mead said the Council was licensing the premises and that it was not acceptable for Councillors to choose not to be involved or pretend that issues were not happening. It was stated that this was a matter of upholding the law and the Council’s Public Sector Equality Duty, which she said the Council had failed to do in recent years.

 

 

 

She said that objections had been made to the premises since 2015 and a request had also now been made to meet and share evidence with the Licensing Service and it was also requested that the Cabinet Member attended that meeting. It was requested that the licence for the Spearmint Rhino was immediately revoked. Councillors were requested to ensure that they had the relevant knowledge of the facts with regards these matters and to make Sheffield a sexual entertainment free city.

 

 

 

The Council referred the petition to Councillor Lewis Dagnall, the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport. Councillor Dagnall stated that issues concerning Sexual Entertainment Venues were sensitive and there were strong views on different sides of the argument on this issue. He said that Parliament had legislated for a framework permitting lawful sexual entertainment venues and which were regulated by local authorities. The Council had operated a policy for Sexual Entertainment Venues and it granted licenses appropriately. 

 

 

 

Councillor Dagnall identified several issues in relation to Sexual Entertainment venues, as follows:

 

 

 

Firstly, issues concerning a potential breach of the law, which should be reported to South Yorkshire Police. Secondly, there were issues concerning a breach of the license, in relation to which he would pass the information provided by the petitioners to the Council’s Licensing Service and the most appropriate course of action was for the petitioners to meet with the Licensing service and formally report the evidence which was available. The establishment to which the petitioners referred had a 12 month rolling license, which would be subject to review in April, so evidence would be taken into account when the Licensing Committee considered the matter.

 

 

 

Councillor Dagnall said that with regard to the Sexual Establishment Policy, the Council would be commencing a consultation and, if people had views with regard to policy he encouraged them to contribute to the consultation. He said that he understood that the petitioners had also written to the Leader of the Council and she had offered to meet with regard to these matters. Upon the completion of the consultation, the Council would carefully consider the evidence received and consider next steps. Licensing was a non-executive function of the Council and it was considered that the Licensing Committee was well placed to make decisions regarding these matters.

 

 

3.1.2

Petition Requesting the Council to Introduce Selective Landlord Licensing City-Wide

 

 

 

The Council received a joint electronic and paper petition containing 1,050 signatures, requesting the Council to introduce selective landlord licensing city-wide.

 

 

 

Representations on behalf of the petitioners were made by James Rodgers. He asked that the Council consider the introduction of Landlord Licensing on a city-wide basis. He said that the private rented sector was changing and was not only a temporary housing option but was a long term option for many families. The numbers of families with children and that rented homes had risen significantly in the past decade and there was concern that children should not be adversely affected by living in poor housing.

 

 

 

He said the introduction of Landlord Licensing in some areas of the City was welcome, although issues of safety and security were not only confined to those areas and that was why the petition called for the introduction of Landlord Licensing for the City as a whole. He said that, whilst power to resolve the housing crisis rested with national government, it was also considered that, where solutions existed, local authorities should implement them.

 

 

 

The Council referred the petition to Councillor Jim Steinke, the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety. Councillor Steinke welcomed the petition, which he said raised issues relating to standards in private rented housing and the need for policies and practices in that regard. He said that it was also recognised that Selective Licensing did work and he referred to the Selective Licensing schemes introduced on London Road, Chesterfield Road and Abbeydale Road. Landlords had signed up to the schemes and the Council had been successful in pursuing those landlords who had not registered and in taking necessary action. He said that the scheme in Page Hall had also resulted in clear improvements and it was recognised that there was a need to look beyond those particular schemes.

 

 

 

Councillor Steinke said that there were some very good landlords in the City and Council welcomed that fact and should continue to support them. However, it was recognised that there were also some rogue landlords and ways needed to be found to address the associated problems and without some of the restrictive regulations which existed at present. He said that the Council was also looking at practice in other places and he referred to Liverpool, which had introduced city-wide Selective Licensing. He also said that it was important to find solutions which worked effectively in relation to private rented housing.

 

 

3.1.3

Petition Requesting a Memorial for Anna Campbell, a former Sheffield Student who died fighting ISIS

 

 

 

The Council received an electronic petition containing 82 signatures, requesting a memorial for Anna Campbell, a former Sheffield student, who died fighting ISIS (Islamic State group).

 

 

 

There was no speaker to the petition and, at the request of the lead petitioner, Kevin Kennedy Ryan,the Lord Mayor (Councillor Magid Magid) read a statement accompanying the petition and which explained that Anna Campbell was a student at the University of Sheffield and had been active in student politics and she had travelled to Syria to fight. Her sacrifice was likened to that of international brigades who fought in the Spanish Civil war and were remembered in memorials, including the Peace Gardens in Sheffield and it was felt to be fitting that Anna was similarly remembered.

 

 

 

The Council referred the petition to the Cabinet Member for Finance and Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Olivia Blake. Councillor Blake commented that it was tragic that Anna Campbell had lost her life. She said that the Leader of the Council would be approaching the University of Sheffield and the Students’ Union to discuss an appropriate memorial because Anna Campbell had been a student in Sheffield.

 

 

3.2

Public Questions

 

 

3.2.1

Public Question Concerning Sheffield City Region

 

 

 

Nigel Slack referred to the Sheffield City Region deal and asked whether Councils throughout the region would be working with the Mayor to secure retroactive access to the funding that had been available to other city regions for the last two years?

 

 

 

Councillor Julie Dore, the Leader of the Council, affirmed that she would expect Councils to work with the Mayor. 

 

 

3.2.2

Public Questions Concerning Webcasting Council Meetings

 

 

 

Nigel Slack asked the following questions in relation to webcasting of Council meetings:

 

1.     Was any attempt made to consult with campaigning members of the public or community groups over their understanding of the needs of such a system for webcasting?

 

2.     There is no mention in the contract specification over the means of archiving the recordings or of any intention to index, identify speakers, or to enable the public to select individual segments of a recording. Was this part of the solution chosen and if so how is that to be done?

 

3.     There is a list of things this supplier has not been asked to provide and whether they will be provided under this project is completely opaque. The winning supplier is neither a specialist in streaming services nor a leader in the public sector. Why choose someone apparently new to this sector when other suppliers have over 100 councils using their services and years of experience?

 

4.     No consultation with interested community parties, no open call for suppliers to bid on this project (including Sheffield not for profits), bid details not made public for comment or potential improvement, where is the transparency in this decision?

 

 

 

Councillor Olivia Blake, the Cabinet Member for Finance and Deputy Leader of the Council, responded that a new conferencing system had been introduced in the Council Chamber, which was a replacement for the previous ageing system and had capabilities to facilitate the Council to conduct meetings and was portable. Cameras had also been installed and a further provider (Public-i) was being used by the provider of the conferencing system to deliver functionality, including on line access for the public. She said that a written answer would also be provided to Mr Slack with more detailed answers.

 

 

 

Councillor Blake commented that this would be an improvement and something which the Council had set out to do, including in relation to openness and democracy. The review of full Council had also given an opportunity for consultation on what people wanted to see with regards meetings of Council.

 

 

3.2.3

Public Question Concerning Policing

 

 

 

Nigel Slack commented that the impact of austerity cuts on police budgets was affecting front line responses and that evidence was mounting of increased levels of break-ins in the city centre, including extensive damage to Council assets. He said that the City's Ambassadors were now acting as part time security patrols for buildings and were themselves being left unsupported by police in sometimes dangerous situations to which they end up being the only responders.  He also said that businesses were even being forced to close after being targeted multiple times in short periods.

 

 

 

He asked what the Council was doing to pressure the Police and Crime Commissioner to maintain front line services, despite the other pressures on his budgets.

 

 

 

Councillor Jim Steinke, the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety, stated that he had recently met with the Police Commissioner to discuss issues and he also attended the monthly Police and Crime Commissioner Public Accountability Board at which such issues were raised. He said that an increase in police numbers had been agreed by the Commissioner with the Police and decisions were to be made as to where those additional police officers would be deployed. There had been an argument presented for more police officers in the city centre, which was being considered. There was also a review concerning the role of PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers) and a local authority response would be made to that review and to the potential options presented. 

 

 

 

In terms of the focus of Police and Crime Commissioner grants budget, he said that work was being done to look at how that might be utilised in Sheffield in relation the Council’s priorities, including community safety and the City Centre.

 

 

 

Councillor Steinke said that there had been recent incidents in which the City Centre Ambassadors, the Police and City Centre CCTV had worked together to prevent significant incidents and that type of activity could be built upon further.

 

 

3.2.4

Public Question Concerning Verdon Street Sports Centre

 

 

 

Safiya Saeed referred to sessions provided for boys and young men aged 11 to 20 at the Verdon Street recreation centre and which had so far, engaged up to 75 boys and including those with mental health needs, learning difficulties, drug problems, identity issues and those excluded from school.

 

 

 

She made reference to issues of concern in Burngreave, including stabbings which had taken place and to the effect on residents. She also said that the recreation centre had thrived and had a part time worker in place there, but that job role had now ended. She said that there was a need for such a worker to be in place to support individuals and community and voluntary groups using the recreation centre.

 

 

 

Safiya Saeed explained that some 25 to 30 boys attended sessions on Saturdays and more help was needed to support the provision of activities, including access and ownership, together with access to the building and field. She said that the charges for activities for young people should be reduced and the wider benefits considered of such activities provided by volunteers. She was a volunteer, but she felt alone and ignored. She said that she wanted some action to be taken and for work to be done together on these issues.

 

 

 

Councillor Mary Lea, the Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Leisure, stated that the issues outlined in the question by Safiya Saeed were also described in the notice of motion for this meeting of Council concerning the effects of austerity on children. She congratulated her for what she had achieved and suggested that a meeting was arranged to look together at the range of issues described. She said that she was aware that local councillors were also involved in the issue and she would include them in invitations to that meeting. She noted that the building on Verdon Street was the responsibility of a number of Council portfolios, including her own Cabinet portfolio and the property portfolio.

 

 

3.2.5

Public Question Concerning Community Safety

 

 

 

Sahira Irshad referred to issues which had previously been raised on behalf of Mums United and concerning community safety and to the response from the Cabinet Member in which the potential use of a mobile camera had been mentioned. She commented that responses had not been made to subsequent requests for further meetings.

 

She said that there were increasing cases of knife crime relating to young people and problems including cultural and social isolation, exclusion, apathy and austerity. The community wanted children to be safe and the problems faced in Landsdowne were also experienced in other communities.  She said that parents were disillusioned and urgent action was required and this included listening to mothers and a commitment to take action in relation to community safety. She said that Mums United would work with the Council and asked that the Council listened to them. She asked how long people had to wait until a commitment was made by the Council for action on this issue.

 

 

 

Councillor Jim Steinke, the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety, stated that action had been taken and Council Officers and local Councillors had worked closely with residents in Lansdowne and specifically with the Tenants and Residents Association (TARA) and there was a wish to demonstrate some of the positive things that had been done in relation to Landsdowne, including regular needle searches taking place, and increased police patrols. In relation to mobile cameras, this was a responsibility of the police and whilst the details of mobile camera activity would not necessarily be publicised, there was need to reassure residents, which was being done with the Landsdowne TARA.

 

 

 

Councillor Steinke said that there had also been concerns about lighting at the football pitch and these were being discussed with the TARA, which from the Council’s perspective, was the body of people which the Council was currently working with. He said that Mums United also had a role and a meeting had been held with Mums United. He said that he would be pleased to meet with them again to explain action which had been taken and he suggested that a face to face meeting was arranged to examine the outstanding issues that Mums United would wish to be addressed.

 

 

3.2.6

Public Question Concerning Sexual Entertainment Venues

 

 

 

Naomi referred to the licensing of Sexual Entertainment Venues and stated that in circumstances where women worked in a Sexual Entertainment Venue, they should be safe and have rights. She referred to the circumstances with regard to the Spearmint Rhino, which she said had shown that this was not the case. She said that women were not able to make money there without engaging in sex acts and breaking rules concerning their health and safety.  She also asked whether the Council would acknowledge failures in regard to the safety of women and the protection of their workers’ rights.

 

 

 

Councillor Lewis Dagnall, the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, stated that he would invite Naomi to write to the Licensing Service in relation to any evidence of the allegations and which could then be treated formally and he emphasised that such allegations would be taken very seriously and he would expect allegations to be subject to due process so they could be appropriately considered.