Meeting documents

Council
Wednesday 6 July 2011

Council Agenda 6th July 2011

Meeting to be held at 2.00 p.m. in the Town Hall

Order of Business

1. Apologies for Absence

2. Declarations of Interest

3. Minutes of Previous Council Meetings

To receive the record of the proceedings of the meetings of the Council held on 18th May and 1st June, 2011 and to approve the accuracy thereof.

4. 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.

5. Members' Questions

5.1 Questions relating to urgent business - Council Procedure Rule 16.6(ii).

5.2 Supplementary questions on written questions submitted at this meeting - Council Procedure Rule 16.4.

5.3 Questions on the discharge of the functions of the South Yorkshire Joint Authorities for Fire and Rescue, Integrated Transport, Pensions and Police - Section 41 of the Local Government Act, 1985 - Council Procedure Rule 16.6(i).

6. Representation, Delegated Authority and Related Issues

To consider any changes to the memberships and arrangements for meetings of Committees etc., delegated authority, and the appointment of representatives to serve on other bodies.

7. Annual Report Of The Lord Mayor 2010/11

Councillor Alan Law to present his annual report on his term of office as Lord Mayor during the Municipal Year 2010/11.

8. Petition - Birch Avenue And Woodland View Care Homes

Councillors Clive Skelton and Ibrar Hussain (Chair and Deputy Chair of the Healthier Communities and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee) to report on the outcome of the Committee's consideration of the proposed closure of Birch Avenue and Woodland View Care Homes, which had been the subject of a petition and debate at the meeting of the Council held on 6th April, 2011.

9. Proportional Allocation of Seats on Council Committees - Update

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive.

10. Council Constitution

(a) Minor Changes to the Constitution

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive.

(b) Updated Financial Procedure Rules (Financial Regulations)

Report of the Executive Director, Resources.

11. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Bryan Lodge

That this Council:-

(a) is pleased to welcome that the new Council Administration has fulfilled its commitment to realign the budget and refocus spending on key priorities over the next year, as was promised ahead of the recent local elections;

(b) welcomes that the new commitments underline the Administration's determination to support local people and those who are vulnerable, and to continue to encourage business growth and investment and boost training opportunities for young people in the City;

(c) also welcomes that community safety and services for children, families and young people are areas where funding will be restored whilst the voluntary, community and faith (VCF) sector will see their grant aid boosted to support their work across the City;

(d) supports the key areas that have been financed as part of the revised budget, including:

(i) creating apprenticeships for young people aged 16 - 19 years old through a Youth Employment Fund (£500k);

(ii) funding 10 FTE Police Community Support Officers (300k);

(iii) supporting activities for children and families by reinstating subsidies for childcare (£247k);

(iv) supporting young people through study support services (£131k);

(v) supporting voluntary, community and faith organisations in the City with some restored grant aid (£135k);

(vi) boosting Activity Sheffield funding which will ensure Verdon Street Recreation Centre and Highfield and Pitsmoor adventure playgrounds stay open, along with support from development officers (£79K);

(vii) boosting funds for self-directed support in adult social care to ensure personalised budgets are available for new recipients at the same level as those already in receipt of funding to ensure fairness for service users (£400k);

(e) welcomes that the Council has also reintroduced a free rat treatment service for all households;

(f) further welcomes that other changes include ensuring the library service for Weston Park Hospital patients continues, further funding for Museums Sheffield to open three of their venues for longer and continuing to support traditional employment industries in Sheffield through the Alliance for Regional Aid;

(g) is pleased to welcome that restoring some grant aid funding for VCF organisations was achieved without cutting funding to the small grants fund; and

(h) wholeheartedly endorses all the above measures which emphasise the new Administration's willingness to stand up for Sheffielders, listen to local people's concerns and provide as much support as possible within the tight financial constraints imposed by the coalition Government.

12. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Ian Auckland

That this Council:-

(a) welcomes that under the previous Administration the number of local parks and green spaces with 'Green Flag' status doubled, bringing the number of local sites recognised for being well maintained and high quality to 12;

(b) welcomes the fact that Sheffield has more 'Green Flag' parks and green spaces than any other place in the Yorkshire and Humber region;

(c) notes Millhouses Park recently had an inspection and, given recent improvements such as the Splash project, Fishway project and the new outdoor gym, hopes that the Park will gain 'Green Flag' status; and

(d) furthermore notes that several other parks and green spaces are around the required standard to gain 'Green Flag' status, including Hillsborough Park, Rivelin Valley Park and Burngreave Recreation Ground, and therefore requests that 'Green Flag' status is applied for in consultation with local “Friends Of” groups.

13. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Harry Harpham

That this Council:-

(a) acknowledges that maintaining safety in Sheffield's neighbourhoods is a vital part of supporting our communities and welcomes the commitment of the new Administration to achieving this;

(b) welcomes the work of local police in making our communities safe and notes that this has led to a reduction in crime in Sheffield in recent years;

(c) recognises that years of additional investment in the police force and community safety by the previous Government has played a key role in achieving these reductions in crime;

(d) notes that the recently published survey by the Police Federation indicated that South Yorkshire Police officers are extremely concerned about the impact that the cuts to policing will have, with 93% of Police Officers believing that the standard of their service to the community will fall 'following cuts made to the policing budget';

(e) believes that South Yorkshire Police are being put in an impossible position by the 20 per cent cut in funding from central Government;

(f) further notes the concerns that have been raised about the impact of the cuts in South Yorkshire, by Chief Constable Med Hughes, as was reported in the Star newspaper on Monday 4th April 2011 in an article entitled 'Police chief's fears over 'savage' cuts', which stated, 'Chief Constable Med Hughes says crime will rise as police forces shrink, unemployment soars, councils slash services and courts allow repeat offenders to remain on the streets';

(g) recalls the Notice of Motion moved by Councillor Bob McCann and seconded by Councillor Sylvia Anginotti at the Full Council meeting on 3rd March 2010, which included the following extract:

'supports the national Liberal Democrat policy of using the savings brought about by scrapping national ID Cards to put an extra 3,000 Police Officers on the streets, 63 of which would be in Sheffield and South Yorkshire'

(h) further remembers the claim of Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP in the 2010 General Election Campaign that, “We've set out clearly not only what we will do, but how we will pay for it.”;

(i) regrets that instead of putting an extra 63 police officers on the streets of South Yorkshire, the coalition Government is cutting police in South Yorkshire by 400 and the total staff of South Yorkshire Police will reduce by 1,100 posts, and further regrets that this is yet another example of a broken promise by Nick Clegg MP and the Liberal Democrat Party;

(j) believes that locally the Liberal Democrats have an equally appalling record, exemplified by the previous Administration's decision to cut all 25 of the Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) posts funded by the Council;

(k) believes that the previous Administration failed to sufficiently prioritise safety in Sheffield's communities;

(l) notes that it has been left to the new Administration to stand up for Sheffield and protect our communities; and

(m) welcomes the decision of the new Administration to reinstate 10 of the PCSO posts cut by the previous Administration, noting that the new Administration have already fulfilled this key manifesto commitment.

14. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Colin Ross

That this Council:-

(a) opposes the proposal by NatWest Bank to close local branches at Highfield, Bradway and Earl Street in the City Centre;

(b) believes that the withdrawal of local banking services goes against this Council's policy of Thriving District and Local Centres;

(c) is disappointed that NatWest are yet to provide a full and transparent rationale for the grounds for closure in each case;

(d) notes that the withdrawal of these banking services will leave many residents with an unacceptable distance to an alternative local branch, which will prove particularly difficult and expensive for elderly residents on a low income;

(e) urges that NatWest, which is a majority state owned bank, urgently reconsider their proposal and keep these three local branches open;

(f) in the meantime, urges NatWest to extend its proposed closure date so that its customers can be properly notified and consulted; and

(g) directs that a copy of this motion is sent to the relevant authorities within NatWest and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

15. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Julie Dore

That this Council:-

(a) notes that the Pensions Bill was passed through Second Reading in the House of Commons on 20th June, 2011;

(b) is concerned that by increasing the women's state pension age to 66 between 2018 and 2020, the Government are reneging on their promise to protect women from the changes to the state pension until 2020;

(c) notes the concerns that have been raised by the women affected by the changes who face a delay in their state pension with just 7 years prior notice and sympathises with the distress and disruption that this will cause, including the women in Sheffield who recently presented a petition to the office of Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP, opposing the change;

(d) regrets that Nick Clegg MP did not vote against the Bill, failing to stand up for the women affected by the changes, including his constituents who petitioned him not to support this legislation;

(e) notes that it is still not too late for the Government to change course on this particularly unfair policy and urges them to do so; and

(f) directs that a copy of this motion be sent to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the Minister for Pensions and all Sheffield MPs.

16. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed

That this Council:-

(a) welcomes the decision to drop plans for a Shadow Mayor in Sheffield prior to the expected elected mayor referendum in May 2012;

(b) believes that the referendum should be funded by central Government rather than local taxpayers, and therefore calls on the Government to commit to funding the eventual full cost of holding the referendum; and

(c) directs that the Chief Executive take this issue up on behalf of the Council and that a copy of this motion is sent to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

17. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Jillian Creasy

That this Council:-

(a) agrees with the description of Sure Start in the introduction to the current Review of Early Years Services, which states that its primary purpose is “to bring services closer to families, so that they get the advice, help and information they need”;

(b) notes that members of the current Administration publicly criticised cuts to Sure Start and supported the Defend Sure Start Campaign, helping to collect signatures for the 5000 strong petition and voting to “applaud and support the campaign”;

(c) acknowledges that the recent budget adjustments have only reduced the cut to childcare, not to Sure Start Childrens' Centres' core purpose provision in the City and that Sure Start has lost out in comparison to other Early Years Services; and

(d) will therefore now do everything possible, for instance via the Review of Early Years Services and any future budget adjustments, to support the work of Sure Start Childrens' Centres to enable them to continue to provide universal, open access, non-threatening, non-stigmatising services for parents most in need.

18. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Ben Curran

That this Council:-

(a) acknowledges the homelessness figures published by the Department of Communities and Local Government;

(b) is concerned that these figures show a 10% increase in homelessness across the UK and a 38% increase in homelessness in Sheffield over the same period in 2010;

(i) only include households accepted by the local authority as being homeless and in priority need;

(ii) exclude rough sleepers, people living in B&B accommodation, people residing in refuges and night shelters, people who are living in severe overcrowding, those at immediate risk of eviction, those in short term arrangements with friends/family, squatters, and people due discharge from institutions without accommodation to go to;

(d) fears that the Government's cuts to the Supporting People programme and other housing support programmes have contributed to this increase;

(e) fears a future increase in homelessness figures as changes to housing benefit are implemented;

(f) thanks the organisations in Sheffield that work to prevent, tackle and reduce homelessness in our City;

(g) will continue to work with partners and other organisations to help prevent and tackle homelessness in Sheffield;

(h) endeavours to mark World Homeless Day on 10th October 2011 and each following year to ensure that the homeless citizens of Sheffield never become forgotten citizens; and

(i) directs that a copy of this motion be sent to agencies working with the homeless and in homelessness prevention in Sheffield, as well as all Sheffield MPs.

19. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Ian Saunders

That this Council:-

(a) notes the NHS Safe and Sustainable Review into the way that children's congenital heart surgery services should be provided in the future;

(b) is concerned by the likely closure of the surgical centre at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) as the only such unit in the Yorkshire and Humber region;

(c) is also concerned by the implications of this likely closure for critically ill children and their families in Sheffield who use this service;

(d) resolves to continue to raise the profile of this issue locally to make the people of Sheffield aware of the knock-on effect of this closure;

(e) fully supports maintaining the paediatric cardiac surgery unit at the LGI for the continued benefit of sick children and their families in Sheffield; and

(f) directs that a copy of this motion is sent to the Secretary of State for Health and all Sheffield MPs.

Access To The Meeting

The Council is composed of 84 Councillors with one-third elected three years in four. Councillors are democratically accountable to the residents of their Ward. The overriding duty of Councillors is to the whole community, but they have a special duty to their constituents, including those who did not vote for them

All Councillors meet together as the Council. Meetings of the Council are normally open to the public. Here Councillors decide the Council's overall policies and set the budget each year. The Council appoints the Leader and at its Annual Meeting will appoint Councillors to serve on its Committees. It also appoints representatives to serve on joint bodies and external organisations.

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A copy of the agenda and reports is also available on the Council's website:

http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/council-meetings/full-council

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