Agenda and minutes

To receive the record of the proceedings of the meeting of the Council held on 3^rd July, 2013 and to approve the accuracy thereof

Report of the Chief Executive

Councillor John Campbell to present his annual report on his term of office as Lord Mayor during the Municipal Year 2012/13.

Report of the Chief Executive

Report of the Chief Executive.

That this Council:

(a)       welcomes the redevelopment of The Moor, which was secured by the previous Administration and is progressing at pace;

(b)       thanks the Government for its support in enabling St Pauls (Phase 3) to proceed, notably through the Growing Places Fund and the city-centre development deal;

(c)        contrasts these successes with the calamitous collapse of the Council’s partnership over the Sevenstones New Retail Quarter, following months of dither and delay by the current Administration;

(d)       also notes with dismay the £62,000 taxpayer bill for the Council’s disastrous attempt to fight a Next homestore planning application on appeal;

(e)       highlights the following comments as damning indictments of the Administration’s business policy:

(i)         Lord Wolfson, Chief Executive of Next - Sheffield City Council is “closing its doors for business”;

(ii)        Sheffield Chamber of Commerce - “Sheffield’s going backwards”; and

(iii)       South Yorkshire Federation of Small Businesses  - Sheffield City Council has “lost touch with the business reality of the 21st Century”;

(f)        believes progress at The Moor and St Pauls demonstrates that Sheffield is ripe for investment but regrets that the current Administration’s rabid ‘anti-business’ attitude is damaging this potential;

(g)       furthermore, recalls the Administration’s abject failure to manage the Council’s capital budget and laments its staggering indifference to the damage this budget scandal has caused for jobs and businesses across Sheffield;

(h)       estimates that the current Administration’s incompetence has cost the City thousands of new jobs;

(i)         calls upon the Chief Executive to instigate an immediate independent inquiry into the failure to deliver the city-centre new retail quarter; and

(j)         further, sincerely hopes that the farce over Next will not be repeated with the application for an Ikea superstore and calls upon the Administration to work closely with all partners to ensure this application is successful.

That this Council:

(a)       is extremely concerned about the growing cost of living crisis under the present Government;

(b)       notes that working people are today an average of £1,350 worse off a year since the present Government came to power and forecasts show that over the course of this Parliament, that figure will reach £6,660;

(c)        further notes that in the Yorkshire & Humber region the average fall in wages in real terms for all employees between 2010 and 2012 is 8.1% or £1,721 per year;

(d)       is dismayed at the growth of highly unaffordable credit from payday loans with interest rates often higher than 5000% APR.

(e)       is particularly concerned by evidence suggesting that their use is highest amongst our country's most deprived groups;

(f)        believes that credit unions offer far more suitable schemes for those in need of short-term credit and commits to further promote the activities of Sheffield Credit Union;

(g)       notes the excellent campaign by Paul Blomfield MP in proposing Parliamentary legislation to regulate the activities of payday lenders and calls on all Sheffield MPs to support his bill;

(h)       praises the University of Sheffield for banning payday loan companies from advertising on campus;

(i)         further supports other campaigns about payday loans including Unite the Union's 'Stop the sharks' campaign and Labour Student's campaign to tackle payday loan companies targeting students; and

(j)         commits to reviewing advertising policy on Council sites to look to exclude payday loan advertising.

That this Council:

(a)       is concerned that youth unemployment has edged towards a million, increasing by 15,000 on the quarter, to 974,000;

(b)       regrets that the Deputy Prime Minister’s flagship Youth Contract has paid out for less than 4,700 placements for its target group of 18- to 24-year-olds who have been out of work for more than six months;

(c)        supports efforts by the present Administration through the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme, however, regrets that this local action is not backed up by national action from the Government;

(d)       is concerned that long-term unemployment continues to rise and the number of people out of work for more than twelve months increased on the quarter to 909,000;

(e)       regrets that more than half of the long-term unemployed have been out of work for more than two years, with 474,000 people being unemployed for more than two years, its highest level since June 1997;

(f)        believes that long-term unemployment is spiralling out of control because the Government’s Work Programme has underperformed;

(g)       believes that the country urgently needs a real plan to get Britain back to work on a national level and supports Labour’s Compulsory Jobs Guarantee, to get anyone locked out of employment for more than two years into a real paying job which they would be required to take;

(h)       is concerned that Remploy, Sharrow Industries and other vulnerable groups of workers, for instance, have suffered disproportionately due to Government cuts; and

(i)         is committed to assisting disabled people in employment and recognises that, wherever possible, through the Council’s procurement and commissioning processes, opportunities for these workers should be sought and bidders should evidence how they can assist the Council in achieving this goal and securing employment and support for these vulnerable workers.

That this Council:

(a)       is delighted that the 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ will take place in “God’s Own County” and will conclude its Yorkshire phase in Sheffield;

(b)       hopes the event will inspire hundreds of Sheffielders – young and old – to get out of their houses and onto their bikes;

(c)        therefore, welcomes news that the Liberal Democrats in Government have secured £5 million to improve cycle routes in the Peak District;

(d)       believes record investment in cycle infrastructure is yet another demonstration of the Liberal Democrats’ commitment in Government to building a stronger economy and a fairer society;

(e)       however, regrets that Sheffield City Council failed to submit a bid to the separate £77 million fund targeted at urban areas, which could have supported cyclists in the city-centre;

(f)        understands from local cyclists that numerous schemes could have been progressed had the Council been prepared for such a process and notes that in other cities the fund is being used to pursue new cycle lanes and 20 mph zones;

(g)       regrets that city-centre cyclists are now losing out as a result of the Administration’s lack of preparation or sheer incompetence; and

(h)       calls upon the Administration to develop a rolling list of priorities to ensure that future opportunities are not missed.

That this Council:

(a)       notes that August 2013 marked the first year of the Streets Ahead Project, secured by the previous Labour Administration and the previous Government;

(b)       believes that the main opposition group have tried to erroneously claim that the Project was secured by the present Government when in fact all they have done is continue the previous Government’s plans and regrets that the smallest opposition group have criticised the Project;

(c)        continues to fully support the Project, which has delivered the following achievements during the first year;

(i)            resurfaced roads and pavements: 185 miles;

(ii)          street light upgrades: 4,000;

(iii)         energy saved from new street lights: 40%;

(iv)         street cleaning litter collected: 75 tonnes per week – the equivalent weight of nine double decker buses;

(v)          grass cutting: more than 2.8 million square metres of grass verges maintained each year – amount of grass cut equivalent to around 4,500 football pitches;

(vi)         roadside drainage gullies cleaned: 63,500; and

(vii)        distance travelled by city gritters last winter: Equivalent of five times around the world.

(d)       notes that the Project is on time and on budget;

(e)       welcomes that the scheme has directly created 282 new jobs including 29 apprentices and 15 graduate trainees, with hundreds more employed in the Project through suppliers; and

(f)                 looks forward to seeing work start in Meadowhead, Woodseats, Beauchief and Hutcliffe Wood in September as the Project moves into its second year.

That this Council:

a)        believes that homophobic bullying is unacceptable and must be stamped out;

b)            welcomes that Stonewall has named the Council as one of the best authorities in the country for its ground-breaking work with schools to stamp out bullying against gay and lesbian youngsters, scoring it 91 per cent across its index;

c)         notes comments from Wes Streeting, Stonewall Head of Education “Sheffield City Council deserves enormous congratulations on securing a Top 10 place in Stonewall’s Education Equality Index. Homophobic bullying has a detrimental impact on the attendance, achievement and life chances of young people, so it’s fantastic to see the work of the Council highlighted through the Index to inspire others to take action to make schools a safe and supportive place to help all young people to achieve their potential.”;

d)            further notes that Sheffield City Council, in partnership with a host of other organisations, has been at the forefront of an anti-homophobic bullying charter – which a number of secondary schools have now signed up to, with more being urged to come forward and join; and

e)             thanks all the officers, schools, staff and young people who have worked hard for us to achieve this recognition.

That this Council:

(a)     notes the presence of shale gas and coal bed methane in the Sheffield region;

(b)     notes the recent mass protests against shale gas drilling in both Lancashire and West Sussex;

(c)     notes the controversy about both the supposed benefits of extracting on-shore gas resources and the local environmental impacts;

(d)     notes the recent evidence that 60-80% of world fossil fuel reserves need to be left in the ground if average global temperature rise is to remain within 2 degrees;

(e)     believes that there is also compelling evidence that UK shale gas and coal bed methane would form part of that 60-80%;

(f)      notes that the large amounts of water needed for hydraulic fracturing to extract shale gas (known as fracking) would reduce water supplies in this region, which are also threatened by the impact of climate change; 

(g)     notes the well-documented risk of groundwater contamination as a result of fracking, which would exacerbate the pressure on water supplies and put residents at risk;

(h)     notes the unavoidable increase in  noise, visual intrusion and air pollution from heavy traffic in communities close to fracking sites;

(i)      therefore welcomes the work of the Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Streetscene in developing a Council policy on shale gas and coal bed methane extraction;

(j)      will seek to attract to the City appropriate funding for projects which increase energy efficiency, sustainability and self-sufficiency, stabilise energy bills, and create jobs in the green economy; and

(k)     directs officers to send a copy of this motion to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and the Minister of State for the Department for Energy and Climate Change and to all Sheffield MPs.

That this Council:

(a)       welcomes the recent High Court ruling that Barnet Council had acted unlawfully by driving up parking permit fees as a landmark victory for motorists;

(b)       notes that as a result of this Administration’s budgets, parking permit charges have been hiked by up to 260% and that the Council looks set to pocket a £1.2 million surplus from the zones this year;

(c)        confirms that this hike has not only hit struggling families but also damaged small businesses across Sheffield;

(d)       recalls the decision of the main opposition group to oppose these hikes and regrets that the smallest opposition group failed to oppose the changes at the 2013/14 Special Budget Council meeting in March;

(e)       believes it is wrong for an administration to fleece local motorists to pay for their own political pet projects; and

(f)        calls for an immediate review of parking permit charges in light of the recent High Court ruling.

That this Council:

(a)       calls upon Barclays Bank to reconsider their decision to withdraw the accounts it holds for UK money-transfer firms, something that is believed will negatively affect thousands of people and businesses across the City, particularly ethnic minority communities;

(b)       notes that in Sheffield it will particularly affect the large number of families from Somaliland and the decision will also impact the wider international community, because this vital function allows money-transfer firms to send funds from the UK to places like the Indian subcontinent and Africa;

(c)        further notes that remittance flows play an important role in providing direct support to families and poverty alleviation and local business traders are therefore concerned that this decision may lead to closure of these companies, which provide a vital service;

(d)       is also concerned that the market for money-transfer will be limited to a handful of companies causing fees to rise, resulting in decreases of remittances and at worst drive remittance giving underground;

(e)       believes that whilst it is right for Barclays to undertake reviews of its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism policies and take action against such activities, the criteria with which Barclays has decided to withdraw its accounts is unclear and further believes that Barclays needs to ensure it considers the wider value and contribution of money-transfer agencies to ethnic minority communities in Sheffield and across the country, as well as the economy of the UK and developing countries; and

(f)        urges Barclays to consider delaying the withdrawal of these accounts for an extended period of at least 6 months, while alternative solutions are sought.

That this Council:

(a)       notes the proposed changes to Sheffield bus routes recently published by the Sheffield Bus Partnership; and

(b)       regrets that the consultation was held over the summer holidays, a principle which was  slammed by the Cabinet Member for Communities and Inclusion as ‘ridiculous’.