Agenda item

Notice Of Motion Regarding "Ensuring Tenant Safety in Sheffield, and Demands For Government To Do Much More " - Given By Councillor Jim Steinke And To Be Seconded By Councillor Sophie Wilson

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.

 

 

Minutes:

6.1

It was moved by Councillor Jim Steinke, and seconded by Councillor Sophie Wilson, 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.

 

 

6.2

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Penny Baker, seconded by Councillor Steve Ayris, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

 

 

 

1.         the substitution, in paragraph (d), of the words “Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats have”, for the words “Labour Party has”;

 

2.         the addition of the words “, including consultation with tenants” at the end of paragraph (f);

 

3.         the deletion of paragraph (i) and the addition of new paragraphs (i) and (j) as follows:-

 

(i)         believes that central government are not holding developers to task and that the law is not robust enough to hold developers to account for the situation;

 

(j)         calls on the Government to tighten up the law and make sure tenants are not left covering the cost of important safety measures, and hold developers to account;

 

4.         the re-lettering of original paragraph (j) as a new paragraph (k), and the addition of a new paragraph (l) as follows:-

 

(l)         is concerned that almost two years following the Grenfell Tower disaster, the Government’s ‘Building a Safer Future: An Implementation Plan’ contains little or no detail on timetables for implementing the recommendations set out by Dame Judith Hackitt in her Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, and therefore calls on the Government to:-

 

(i)         publish its timetable for when legislation will be brought forward on Building Regulations and Fire Safety and on holding developers to account through stricter accountability and enforcement; and

 

(ii)        ensure that tenants of neither the social-rented nor private-rented sector are left to cover the cost of vital safety measures.

 

 

6.3

It was then moved by Councillor Rob Murphy, seconded by Councillor Douglas Johnson, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of new paragraphs (k) to (u) as follows:-

 

 

 

(k)        notes that re-cladding work on Hanover Tower is still not complete, but is pleased that residents will soon have safe cladding and restored insulation to keep their homes warm and fuel bills down;

 

 

 

(l)         notes that one firm of private contractors was paid to put the cladding up in the first place, then paid again to take it down, then paid a third time to put the right cladding up;

 

 

 

(m)      notes that the cost of this removal and reinstatement of cladding is costing almost £4m, after councillors were originally informed the cost would be a tenth of that amount, but welcomes the fact that Council tenants will now be relieved of this cost by taxpayer funding;

 

 

 

(n)       requests the Administration to report back to the next Council meeting on proposals to spend the £3.9m funding now released to the Housing Revenue Account;

 

 

 

(o)       notes that the Council’s inquiry into how the original, defective cladding was approved, fitted and signed off is still ongoing, nearly two years after the Grenfell Tower disaster, with no answers as to who was responsible or lessons to be learnt;

 

 

 

(p)       notes that the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee was “concerned that conflicts of interest are pervasive within the industry. From builders choosing their own inspection services, manufacturers selecting product testers for their perceived leniency, Fire Rescue Authorities inspecting the work of their own commercial trading arms, to private sector companies’ influence over the fire safety guidance in which they have a commercial interest.”

 

 

 

(q)       believes that residents in private sector high-rise housing across the city may remain in buildings with combustible cladding that has been signed off by building inspectors and that their situations remain unresolved;

 

 

 

(r)        notes that the Council has the information as to which buildings are at risk, but has declined to release it, on the grounds it is commercially sensitive;

 

 

 

(s)        therefore, calls on the Administration to ensure residents have accurate and up-to-date information about the safety of their homes;

 

 

 

(t)         asks the Administration to ensure, so far as possible, that no tenant or leaseholder loses out as a result of increased heating costs; and

 

 

 

(u)       resolves to write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to call on the Government to fund replacement cladding which is a product of a failed building regulation system.

 

 

6.4

After contributions from two other Members, and following a right of reply from Councillor Jim Steinke, the amendment moved by Councillor Penny Baker was put to the vote and was carried, except for part 1 of the amendment which was negatived.  Furthermore, the new paragraphs set out in parts 3 and 4 of the amendment were carried on the basis that they were to be additional to the motion and that the original paragraph (i) was not to be deleted, as had been proposed within part 3 of the amendment.

 

 

6.5

The amendment moved by Councillor Rob Murphy was then put to the vote and was negatived.

 

 

6.6

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 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, including consultation with tenants;

 

 

 

(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;

 

 

 

(j)         believes that central government are not holding developers to task and that the law is not robust enough to hold developers to account for the situation;

 

 

 

(k)        calls on the Government to tighten up the law and make sure tenants are not left covering the cost of important safety measures, and hold developers to account;

 

 

 

(l)         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; and

 

 

 

(m)      is concerned that almost two years following the Grenfell Tower disaster, the Government’s ‘Building a Safer Future: An Implementation Plan’ contains little or no detail on timetables for implementing the recommendations set out by Dame Judith Hackitt in her Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, and therefore calls on the Government to:-

 

(i)        publish its timetable for when legislation will be brought forward on Building Regulations and Fire Safety and on holding developers to account through stricter accountability and enforcement; and

 

(ii)       ensure that tenants of neither the social-rented nor private-rented sector are left to cover the cost of vital safety measures.

 

 

 

6.6.1

The votes on the Substantive Motion were ordered to be recorded and were as follows:-

 

 

 

For paragraphs (a), (c) to (h) and (j) to (m) of the Substantive Motion (73)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Tony Downing) and Councillors Bob Pullin, Richard Shaw, Chris Rosling-Josephs, Sophie Wilson, Denise Fox, Bryan Lodge, Karen McGowan, Michelle Cook, Kaltum Rivers, Jackie Drayton, Talib Hussain, Mark Jones, Douglas Johnson, Rob Murphy, Martin Phipps, Adam Hanrahan, Anne Murphy, Mazher Iqbal, Mary Lea, Zahira Naz, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Andy Bainbridge, Moya O’Rourke, Roger Davison, Paul Scriven, Abdul Khayum, Abtisam Mohamed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Lewis Dagnall, Cate McDonald, Chris Peace, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Bob Johnson, George Lindars-Hammond, Josie Paszek, Terry Fox, Pat Midgley, David Barker, Gail Smith, Mohammad Maroof, Jim Steinke, Alison Teal, Julie Dore, Ben Miskell, Dianne Hurst, Peter Rippon, Dawn Dale, Peter Price, Garry Weatherall, Mike Chaplin, Tony Damms, Jayne Dunn, David Baker, Penny Baker, Vickie Priestley, Jack Clarkson, Francyne Johnson, Olivia Blake, Ben Curran, Neale Gibson, John Booker, Adam Hurst, Mike Levery, Mick Rooney, Jackie Satur and Paul Wood.

 

 

 

 

 

Against paragraphs (a), (c) to (h) and (j) to (m) of the Substantive Motion (0)

-

NIL

 

 

 

 

 

Abstained from voting on paragraphs (a), (c) to (h) and (j) to (m) of the Substantive Motion (1)

-

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Magid Magid).

 

 

 

 

 

For paragraph (b) of the Substantive Motion (68)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Tony Downing) and Councillors Bob Pullin, Richard Shaw, Chris Rosling-Josephs, Sophie Wilson, Denise Fox, Bryan Lodge, Karen McGowan, Michelle Cook, Jackie Drayton, Talib Hussain, Mark Jones, Adam Hanrahan, Anne Murphy, Mazher Iqbal, Mary Lea, Zahira Naz, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Andy Bainbridge, Moya O’Rourke, Roger Davison, Paul Scriven, Abdul Khayum, Abtisam Mohamed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Lewis Dagnall, Cate McDonald, Chris Peace, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Bob Johnson, George Lindars-Hammond, Josie Paszek, Terry Fox, Pat Midgley, David Barker, Gail Smith, Mohammad Maroof, Jim Steinke, Julie Dore, Ben Miskell, Dianne Hurst, Peter Rippon, Dawn Dale, Peter Price, Garry Weatherall, Mike Chaplin, Tony Damms, Jayne Dunn, David Baker, Penny Baker, Vickie Priestley, Jack Clarkson, Francyne Johnson, Olivia Blake, Ben Curran, Neale Gibson, John Booker, Adam Hurst, Mike Levery, Mick Rooney, Jackie Satur and Paul Wood.

 

 

 

 

 

Against paragraph (b) of the Substantive Motion (5)

-

Councillors Kaltum Rivers, Douglas Johnson, Rob Murphy, Martin Phipps and Alison Teal

 

 

 

 

 

Abstained from voting on paragraph (b) of the Substantive Motion (1)

-

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Magid Magid).

 

 

 

 

 

For paragraph (i) of the Substantive Motion (54)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Tony Downing) and Councillors Chris Rosling-Josephs, Sophie Wilson, Denise Fox, Bryan Lodge, Karen McGowan, Michelle Cook, Kaltum Rivers, Jackie Drayton, Talib Hussain, Mark Jones, Douglas Johnson, Rob Murphy, Martin Phipps, Anne Murphy, Mazher Iqbal, Mary Lea, Zahira Naz, Andy Bainbridge, Moya O’Rourke, Abdul Khayum, Alan Law, Abtisam Mohamed, Lewis Dagnall, Cate McDonald, Chris Peace, Bob Johnson, George Lindars-Hammond, Josie Paszek, Terry Fox, Pat Midgley, David Barker, Mohammad Maroof, Jim Steinke, Alison Teal, Julie Dore, Ben Miskell, Mike Drabble, Dianne Hurst, Peter Rippon, Dawn Dale, Peter Price, Garry Weatherall, Mike Chaplin, Tony Damms, Jayne Dunn, Francyne Johnson, Olivia Blake, Ben Curran, Neale Gibson, Adam Hurst, Mick Rooney, Jackie Satur and Paul Wood.

 

 

 

 

 

Against paragraph (i) of the Substantive Motion (19)

-

Councillors Bob Pullin, Richard Shaw, Adam Hanrahan, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Roger Davison, Paul Scriven, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Gail Smith, David Baker, Penny Baker, Vickie Priestley and Mike Levery.

 

 

 

 

 

Abstained from voting on paragraph (i) of the Substantive Motion (1)

-

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Magid Magid).