Agenda item

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Joe Otten

That this Council:

           

(a)       notes the proposal of the Administration to remove 100 miles of road from Sheffield’s gritting routes and cease the recruitment of new snow wardens;

           

(b)       believes that Labour politicians have decided to hit the west of the city and rural areas hardest while protecting their own favoured areas;

           

(c)        regrets that these plans could put local residents’ safety at risk, while leaving some elderly and vulnerable people trapped in their homes for days;

           

(d)       furthermore notes with concern the impact these changes will have on rural businesses, in particular farms, and the damage this could cause to their trade;

           

(e)       recalls that the main opposition group opposed these plans at the Council’s Budget Meeting in March and identified alternative funds to meet these savings; and

           

(f)        calls upon the Administration to drop these proposals and maintain a safe and comprehensive gritting service for the city.

Minutes:

 

Winter Maintenance Service

 

 

 

It was moved by Councillor Joe Otten, seconded by Councillor Vickie Priestley, that this Council:-

 

 

 

(a)       notes the proposal of the Administration to remove 100 miles of road from Sheffield’s gritting routes and cease the recruitment of new snow wardens;

           

(b)       believes that Labour politicians have decided to hit the west of the city and rural areas hardest while protecting their own favoured areas;

           

(c)        regrets that these plans could put local residents’ safety at risk, while leaving some elderly and vulnerable people trapped in their homes for days;

           

(d)       furthermore notes with concern the impact these changes will have on rural businesses, in particular farms, and the damage this could cause to their trade;

           

(e)       recalls that the main opposition group opposed these plans at the Council’s Budget Meeting in March and identified alternative funds to meet these savings; and

           

(f)        calls upon the Administration to drop these proposals and maintain a safe and comprehensive gritting service for the city.

 

 

 

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Jack Scott, seconded by Councillor Karen McGowan, 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 therefor:-

 

 

 

(a)       notes that Sheffield City Council is now into its fourth year of unprecedented cuts by this Government, which includes the Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP, noting that, so far, the Council has had to find savings of £238 million and by next year it will have lost half of its direct government funding;

 

 

 

(b)       regrets that there is still millions of pounds worth of cuts to come at the same time that the Government, which includes Nick Clegg, has protected some of the wealthiest areas of the country in the South of England, some of whom are receiving next to no cuts;

 

 

 

(c)        notes the Administration’s proposals for the Winter Maintenance Service will reduce the amount spent on gritting by £100,000 and, following these changes, the Council will still provide an effective Winter Maintenance Service that reaches the vast majority of people within the city;

 

 

 

(d)       confirms that no areas will be cut off and 50% of all roads will still be gritted; 

 

 

 

(e)       is shocked at the hypocrisy of the main opposition group and remembers the appalling record of the previous Administration who sold 200 tonnes of grit to Rotherham and later complained to the Government that they were short of grit;

 

 

 

(f)        further confirms that making cuts to gritting is not something the present Administration want to do and would not be doing this if there was a genuine alternative;

 

 

 

(g)       regrets that when the Council is facing the level of cuts that this Government, which includes the Deputy Prime Minister, are imposing on it, there is not a single service in the Council that is being protected from cuts, except child safeguarding;

 

 

 

(h)       believes that for the main opposition group and Deputy Prime Minister to fully support the cuts to Sheffield and then pretend to be outraged about their consequences is nothing more than a cynical and hypocritical political act of cowardice; 

 

 

 

(i)         regrets that due to the cuts, like many other areas, Sheffield is now being forced to cut its gritting routes and if the Deputy Prime Minister genuinely cared about stopping these changes to gritting he is the only person in the city who could give us the funding we need not to do this; and

 

 

 

(j)         confirms that if the Government gave the Council back the money it has cut, the Administration would very happily withdraw these proposals immediately and believes this issue is a test of the Deputy Prime Minister and main opposition group if they want to stand up for this city or defend what this Council believes is a right wing government.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

The votes on the Amendment were ordered to be recorded and were as follows:

 

 

 

 

For paragraphs (a), (b), (c) and (g) of the Amendment (61)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Talib Hussain) and Councillors Julie Dore, Mike Drabble, Jack Scott, Roy Munn, Helen Mirfin-Boukouris, Chris Rosling-Josephs, Denise Fox, Bryan Lodge, Karen McGowan, Jayne Dunn, Stuart Wattam, Brian Webster, Jackie Drayton, Ibrar Hussain, Jillian Creasy, Robert Murphy, Sarah Jane Smalley, Anne Murphy, Geoff Smith, Harry Harpham, Mazher Iqbal, Mary Lea, Pauline Andrews, Steve Wilson, Joyce Wright, Sheila Constance, Alan Law, Chris Weldon, Steve Jones, Bob Johnson, George Lindars-Hammond, Josie Paszek, Terry Fox, Pat Midgley, David Barker, Isobel Bowler, Tony Downing, Nasima Akther, Nikki Bond, Qurban Hussain, John Campbell, Lynn Rooney, Paul Wood, Peter Price, Sioned-Mair Richards, Leigh Bramall, Tony Damms, Gill Furniss, Jack Clarkson, Richard Crowther, Philip Wood, Olivia Blake, Ben Curran, Neale Gibson, John Booker, Adam Hurst, Alf Meade, Mick Rooney, Jackie Satur and Ray Satur.

 

 

 

 

 

Against paragraphs (a), (b), (c) and (g) of the Amendment (18)

-

Councillors Simon Clement-Jones, Richard Shaw, Rob Frost, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Penny Baker, Roger Davison, Diana Stimely, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Ian Auckland, Steve Ayris, Denise Reaney, David Baker, Katie Condliffe and Vickie Priestley.

 

 

 

 

 

Abstained on paragraphs (a), (b), (c) and (g) of the Amendment (1)

-

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Peter Rippon).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For paragraphs (d), (e), (f), (h), (i) and (j) of the Amendment (57)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Talib Hussain) and Councillors Julie Dore, Mike Drabble, Jack Scott, Roy Munn, Helen Mirfin-Boukouris, Chris Rosling-Josephs, Denise Fox, Bryan Lodge, Karen McGowan, Jayne Dunn, Stuart Wattam, Jackie Drayton, Ibrar Hussain, Anne Murphy, Geoff Smith, Harry Harpham, Mazher Iqbal, Mary Lea, Pauline Andrews, Steve Wilson, Joyce Wright, Sheila Constance, Alan Law, Chris Weldon, Steve Jones, Bob Johnson, George Lindars-Hammond, Josie Paszek, Terry Fox, Pat Midgley, David Barker, Isobel Bowler, Tony Downing, Nasima Akther, Nikki Bond, Qurban Hussain, John Campbell, Lynn Rooney, Paul Wood, Peter Price, Sioned-Mair Richards, Leigh Bramall, Tony Damms, Gill Furniss, Jack Clarkson,  Richard Crowther, Philip Wood, Olivia Blake, Ben Curran, Neale Gibson, John Booker, Adam Hurst, Alf Meade, Mick Rooney, Jackie Satur and Ray Satur.

 

 

 

 

 

Against paragraphs (d), (e), (f), (h), (i) and (j) of the Amendment (18)

-

Councillors Simon Clement-Jones, Richard Shaw, Rob Frost, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Penny Baker, Roger Davison, Diana Stimely, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Ian Auckland, Steve Ayris, Denise Reaney, David Baker, Katie Condliffe and Vickie Priestley.

 

 

 

 

 

Abstained on paragraphs (d), (e), (f), (h), (i) and (j) of the Amendment (5)

-

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Peter Rippon) andCouncillors Brian Webster, Jillian Creasy, Robert Murphy and Sarah Jane Smalley.

 

 

 

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 Sheffield City Council is now into its fourth year of unprecedented cuts by this Government, which includes the Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP, noting that, so far, the Council has had to find savings of £238 million and by next year it will have lost half of its direct government funding;

 

 

 

(b)       regrets that there is still millions of pounds worth of cuts to come at the same time that the Government, which includes Nick Clegg, has protected some of the wealthiest areas of the country in the South of England, some of whom are receiving next to no cuts;

 

 

 

(c)        notes the Administration’s proposals for the Winter Maintenance Service will reduce the amount spent on gritting by £100,000 and, following these changes, the Council will still provide an effective Winter Maintenance Service that reaches the vast majority of people within the city;

 

 

 

(d)       confirms that no areas will be cut off and 50% of all roads will still be gritted; 

 

 

 

(e)       is shocked at the hypocrisy of the main opposition group and remembers the appalling record of the previous Administration who sold 200 tonnes of grit to Rotherham and later complained to the Government that they were short of grit;

 

 

 

(f)        further confirms that making cuts to gritting is not something the present Administration want to do and would not be doing this if there was a genuine alternative;

 

 

 

(g)       regrets that when the Council is facing the level of cuts that this Government, which includes the Deputy Prime Minister, are imposing on it, there is not a single service in the Council that is being protected from cuts, except child safeguarding;

 

 

 

(h)       believes that for the main opposition group and Deputy Prime Minister to fully support the cuts to Sheffield and then pretend to be outraged about their consequences is nothing more than a cynical and hypocritical political act of cowardice; 

 

 

 

(i)         regrets that due to the cuts, like many other areas, Sheffield is now being forced to cut its gritting routes and if the Deputy Prime Minister genuinely cared about stopping these changes to gritting he is the only person in the city who could give us the funding we need not to do this; and

 

 

 

(j)         confirms that if the Government gave the Council back the money it has cut, the Administration would very happily withdraw these proposals immediately and believes this issue is a test of the Deputy Prime Minister and main opposition group if they want to stand up for this city or defend what this Council believes is a right wing government.

 

 

 

(Note: Councillors Brian Webster, Jillian Creasy, Robert Murphy and Sarah Jane Smalley voted for Paragraphs (a), (b), (c) and (g) and abstained on Paragraphs (d), (e), (f), (h) (i) and (j) of the Motion and asked for this to recorded.)