Agenda item

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Ian Auckland, seconded by Councillor Joe Otten, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the deletion of paragraphs (c) to (f) and (h) to (u);

2.         the re-lettering of paragraph (g) as a new paragraph (h);

3.         the addition of the new paragraphs (c) to (g) and (i) to (p) as follows:-

(c)        however, regrets that yet again the actions of the current Administration do not live up to their rhetoric;

(d)       recalls that when the majority group were last in control of the Council, Sheffield was labelled the worst place to do business in South Yorkshire;

(e)       notes that, even since adopting their business-friendly mantra, the current Administration have rejected a number of policies that would have supported local businesses, including:

(i)         creating a Sheffield Investment Fund to help local business access finance;

(ii)        bringing forward a Cabinet report on meeting the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce three point manifesto;

(iii)       repeating the previous Administration’s free parking scheme in district and local centres;

(iv)       providing additional parking capacity for Millhouses traders over the Christmas period; and

(v)        containing economic impacts of decisions in all future Cabinet reports;

(f)         contrasts this record with that of the previous Administration, who introduced the following policies:

(i)         created First Point for Business;

(ii)        reformed the Council’s Planning Department and Transport & Highways Department to make them more responsive to local businesses;

(iii)       initiated Showcase Sheffield and Buy Local policies;

(iv)       funded a £250,000 Economic Fighting Fund and a BiG initiative, which helped people to set up in business and supported sustainable business growth;

(v)        organised “Access to Finance” summits;

(vi)       supported schemes to encourage footfall in the city-centre such as the Food Festival, Tramlines, a Christmas ice-rink and the Wheel of Sheffield; and

(vii)      helped to develop a Local Enterprise Partnership for Sheffield, described as one of the strongest bids in the country;

(g)       believes these actions, among many others, helped to transform Sheffield – in the opinion of local businesses – from the worst place to do business in South Yorkshire to the best;

(i)         reiterates that all participants on the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme will receive at least Level 2 training, which will be funded by the Coalition Government, and thanks the Government for this support;

(j)         reminds Members that it was the main opposition group that first suggested doubling the number of young people on the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme;

(k)        is pleased that a radical apprenticeship scheme forms a key pillar of the Government’s City Deal with Sheffield and thanks Liberal Democrats in Government, in particular the Deputy Prime Minister, for helping to secure the deal;

(l)         believes the Sheffield City Deal is a radical agreement and the boldest step the Government have taken to truly put the region in the driving seat for economic growth;

(m)      however, for the avoidance of doubt, highlights the following Government measures which have also supported the local economy:

(i)         £65 million that was recently awarded within Sheffield City Region, as part of the third round of the Government’s Regional Growth Fund, following similarly successful bids in the first two rounds;

(ii)        an enterprise zone for Sheffield City Region, which could produce as many as 12,000 new jobs;

(iii)       £9.9 million for the construction of Sheffield University Technical College, which will provide the next generation of Sheffielders with the skills the City requires;

(iv)       £1.2 billion to allow Sheffield’s Streets Ahead project to proceed;

(v)        millions of pounds invested in Sheffield’s buses, trams, trains and highways;

(vi)       millions of pounds to support construction and infrastructure through the New Homes Bonus and the Growing Places Fund; and

(vii)      over £100,000 through the High Street Innovation Fund, which will fund the Administration’s Chapel Walk project.

(n)        furthermore, welcomes the Tax Increment Financing that the Government has made available that should enable the Sevenstones development to progress and hopes the current Administration will ensure work is finally started on the project;

(o)       believes the current Administration continue to use our great city as a political battering ram against the Government, instead of supporting jobs and the local economy; and

(p)       recommends the current Administration adopt a mature and constructive relationship with the Government to ensure Sheffielders get the best possible deal.

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

It was then moved by Councillor Jillian Creasy, seconded by Councillor Robert Murphy, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the insertion of a new paragraph (g) as follows, and the re-lettering of original paragraphs (g) to (k) as new paragraphs (h) to (l):-

(g)       notes however that a large proportion of the Council’s contracted out services are with a handful of multinational companies whose profits leave the City rather than being reinvested in the local economy;

2.         the deletion of original paragraphs (l) and (m) and the addition of a new paragraph (m) as follows:-

(m)      believes it is time to rethink the future of the city centre and to look away from multinational shopping chains and towards the needs of local shops and businesses, a wider range of entertainment and greater resilience in terms of community cohesion, energy supply and flooding;

3.         the deletion of original paragraph (o) and the addition of a new paragraph (o) as follows:-

(o)       will work to attract all possible funding to the City for projects which increase energy efficiency, sustainability and self sufficiency and which create jobs in the green economy.

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

After a right of reply from Councillor Leigh Bramall, the original Motion was put to the vote and carried, as follows:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)       believes that developing the local economy and bringing the jobs, industries and businesses of the future to our area is a central challenge facing Sheffield and fully supports, advocates and endorses the key priority of the present Administration of being a business friendly Council with a focus on jobs;

(b)       supports the present Administration’s ambition for Sheffield to be the most business friendly city in the UK, through supporting businesses to succeed in Sheffield, offering support to help start and grow businesses and taking care of businesses using Council services;

(c)        notes that the present Administration and key members of the business community have worked hard to develop constructive and productive relationships and believes that this partnership working has never been stronger, something key to supporting job creation and business development in the City;

(d)       further welcomes that one of the first actions of the present Administration was to hold a business summit to listen to the views and asks of the business community and notes that the Council now holds three business summits every year;

(e)       welcomes the introduction of other measures to engage with the business community including a business visits programme, aimed at sharing information about the Council and business and to listen to what the Council can do better to support business;

(f)         notes that Sheffield is primarily a small and medium sized enterprise economy, with 97% of the business base employing fewer than 50 employees and to develop the local economy it is essential to help businesses grow, and help new businesses to start up, in addition to ensuring established businesses are sustained;

(g)       welcomes the focus of the present Administration on skills as key to supporting business and creating jobs in the City, noting the importance of providing the right skills to meet business needs and to support growth and provide a better future for Sheffield’s people;

(h)        further welcomes work with local businesses to create employment opportunities for young people and wholeheartedly supports the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme where the Council has worked with many small businesses offering a subsidy to get young people into employment alongside the opportunity to study for a Level 2 qualification; 

(i)         remembers this is in stark contrast to the previous Administration who’s Leader broke a promise to commit £1 million of Council resources to support the previous Government’s Future Jobs Fund;

(j)         is proud that the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme pioneered the City Deal for skills which adopts the model used in the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme to create 4,000 apprenticeships in small and medium sized enterprises by 2016 and welcomes that the vision of the present Administration is responsible for this;

(k)        further welcomes the present Administration’s Keep Sheffield Working Fund which supports projects facilitating job creation such as the recently announced export scheme, helping Sheffield business expand into international markets and welcomes the collaboration between the Council, Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, South Yorkshire International Trade Forum and UK Trade and Investment in supporting the project;

(l)         welcomes the commitment of the present Administration to the regeneration of the City Centre and supports their efforts to reinvigorate the Sevenstone development, which had been held back under the previous Administration and by the present Government’s abysmal economic mismanagement;

(m)      regrets that the development was hindered by this present Government, of which the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam is Deputy Prime Minister, whose lack of commitment to the development  was demonstrated through their decision to cut £12 million of support to the development as one of their first actions in Government and believes that actions speak louder than the Deputy Prime Minister’s empty words;

(n)        recalls with regret that the previous Administration completely failed to stand up for Sheffield when this decision was taken at the same time the Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills cancelled the £80 million loan for Sheffield Forgemasters and regrets that the main opposition group continue to put party interests before the City;

(o)       regrets that this Government’s short sighted economic approach was again demonstrated recently through their refusal to invest in proposals for a 650MW “clean coal” power station at Hatfield Colliery, near Doncaster, with public money and recalls that the scheme had previously been picked out by the EU as the most advanced Carbon Capture and Storage project in Europe, putting it in pole position for a grant of around £250m from Brussels;

(p)       supports the development of the Moor Market and welcomes that work on the market is currently progressing well and welcomes the recent positive reports about the wider development of The Moor in the local media;

(q)       further supports the decision of the present Administration to support local market traders through reversing the shocking decision of the previous Administration to remove the subsidy on the rents for market traders, leading to a huge increase in rents for traders and recalls comments from traders that this move could have left Sheffield without any market at all;

(r)        further supports other measures supporting City Centre traders such as the introduction of a Shopper Rate for car parking over the Christmas period and the Chapel Walk project which aims to give start up businesses support to become stand alone High Street retailers;

(s)        further supports the actions taken by the present Administration to clamp down on street trading in the City Centre which threatens many businesses and is extremely concerned about reports that the Liberal Democrat MP, Jo Swinson, is advocating giving ‘pedlars’ a new freedom to trade and believes that this has the potential to sabotage the work undertaken by the present Administration to eradicate this practice and believes that this policy would be anti-business;

(t)         notes the consultation on the economic growth strategy for Sheffield and welcomes the vision articulated for Sheffield’s economy which includes a dynamic private sector, world class, high technology sectors, a skilled and productive workforce, an unrivalled quality of place, an inclusive economy and an enhanced reputation; and

(u)        resolves to continue to work to support the local economy and to develop the economic strategy working with local businesses to bring much needed jobs and business growth to the City.

(Note: 1. The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Vickie Priestley) and Councillors Simon Clement Jones, Shaffaq Mohammed, Rob Frost, Sylvia Anginotti, Colin Ross, Joe Otten, Keith Hill, Penny Baker, Diana Stimely, Roger Davison, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Janice Sidebottom, Ian Auckland, Bob McCann, Anders Hanson, Katie Condliffe, David Baker, Alison Brelsford and Trevor Bagshaw voted for Paragraphs (a) (b) (f) (g) (h) (p) (t) and (u); and against Paragraphs (c), (d), (e), (I), (j), (k), (l), (m), (n), (o), (q), (r) and (s) of the Substantive Motion and asked for this to be recorded.

2. Councillors Jillian Creasy and Robert Murphy voted for Paragraphs (a) to (h), (j), (k), (p) (q) (s) (t) and (u); against Paragraph (o) and abstained on Paragraphs (i), (l), (m), (n) and (r) of the Substantive Motion and asked for this to be recorded.)