Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Town Hall, Pinstone Street, Sheffield, S1 2HH

Contact: Paul Robinson, Democratic Services  Email: paul.robinson@sheffield.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Minutes Silence

Minutes:

2.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

3.

Declarations of Interest pdf icon PDF 65 KB

Members to declare any interests they have in the business to be considered at the meeting.

Minutes:

4.

Minutes Of Previous Council Meetings pdf icon PDF 62 KB

To receive the records of the proceedings of the Special and Ordinary meetings of the Council held on 2nd July 2014 and to approve the accuracy thereof.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

5.

Urgent item of business: Notice of Motion Given by Councillor Julie Dore

Minutes:

6.

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.

Minutes:

7.

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 and Pensions – Section 41 of the Local Government Act 1985 – Council Procedure Rule 16.6(i).

 

            (NB. Minutes of recent meetings of the two South Yorkshire Joint    Authorities have been made available to all Members of the Council via the following link -

            http://sheffielddemocracy.moderngov.co.uk/ecCatDisplay.aspx?sch=doc&cat=13165&path=0)

 

Minutes:

8.

Representation, Delegated Authority and Related Issues pdf icon PDF 37 KB

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.

Minutes:

9.

Order of Notices of Motion on the Council Summons 2014-15 pdf icon PDF 500 KB

Report of the Chief Executive.

Minutes:

10.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Colin Ross

That this Council:

 

(a)       notes reports that the UK's economy has performed better than that of any other G7 country in the first six months of the year;

 

(b)       welcomes the latest employment statistics, which saw the largest annual fall in youth unemployment since records began, and that the number of Job Seeker Allowance claimants in Sheffield has fallen by 22% since May 2010;

 

(c)        notes that in the last year, Sheffield has reported a record number of people in work and a record low for the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs);

 

(d)       welcomes the latest growth deal, delivered by Liberal Democrats in Government, which has secured a £320 million cash boost for Sheffield City Region and will create over 28,000 jobs and training for 40,000 people;

 

(e)       notes that the Sheffield City Region Growth Deal is the fifth largest in the country and will specifically deliver:

 

(i)         infrastructure investment including improvements to Sheffield city-centre and an extended airport link road to Doncaster-Sheffield Airport;

 

(ii)        a £130 million Skills Bank, which will provide training for 40,000 people in the Sheffield City Region, including between 5,000 and 7,500 apprentices; and

 

(iii)       upgrades to further education facilities and a brand new British Glass Academy;

 

(f)        recalls that this latest Growth Deal follows the City Deal, pioneered by the Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP and agreed in 2012, which has:

 

(i)         seen Sheffield record the highest proportion of young people in apprenticeships out of England’s core cities;

 

(ii)        provided training and up-skilling to employees across the city; and

 

(iii)       helped ensure that the city’s New Retail Quarter will finally go ahead thanks to investment in the city-centre;

 

(g)       calls upon the Administration to ensure Sheffield City Region maximises the potential of this investment; and

 

(h)       therefore invites the Chair of Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and the Chair of Sheffield City Region Combined Authority to make a presentation to a Full Council meeting outlining their plans for the Growth Deal.

Minutes:

11.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Harry Harpham

That this Council:

 

(a)       supports the launch of the SHOUT (Social Housing Under Threat) campaign on 18 June 2014;

 

(b)       agrees with SHOUT that building social housing - social rented homes - is at the core of tackling the housing crisis nationally and locally in Sheffield and that social rented housing meets needs that other tenures cannot address;

 

(c)        notes under the Coalition Government the funding of social housing has become increasingly marginalised with the latest prospectus for bidders from the Homes and Communities Agency stating that 'social rent provision will only be supported in very limited circumstances.';

 

(d)       welcomes the action taken by the present Administration to put in place plans to build 800 new Council houses in the city, however, recognises that many more houses could be built with greater levels of investment;

 

(e)       regrets that social housing faces great challenges in meeting the needs of those affected by welfare cuts and rule changes over the last three years, including the damaging “bedroom tax”,and increased pressure from the escalating number of Council homes lost through the Right to Buy scheme;

 

(f)        is appalled at what this Council believes to be recent cynical attempts by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP, to feign opposition to the “bedroom tax”, which he implemented as part of the Coalition Government and believes that the bedroom tax should be abolished, not reformed as Nick Clegg has suggested; and

 

(g)       therefore resolves to support the work of the SHOUT campaign and take a lead in affirming the positive value and purpose of social rented housing.

Minutes:

12.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Mazher Iqbal

That this Council:

 

(a)       welcomes the news that all Sheffield libraries are now on track to remain open;

 

(b)       notes that libraries in other towns and cities across the country have closed due to government cuts and commends the fantastic efforts of community groups across the city who have come together to put forward business plans to run the associate libraries to keep libraries open in Sheffield;

 

(c)        welcomes that the Council will support associate libraries by funding building running costs, providing access to the Council’s library catalogue and computer service, helping train volunteers and providing ongoing advice and support;

 

(d)       continues to oppose the unprecedented level of cuts imposed on the Council by central government that have led to cuts in the funding of the library service, noting that by next year the Council will have lost 50% of its core government funding which is impacting on services across the Council; and

 

(e)       resolves to continue to work with all hub, co-delivered and associate libraries and to write to all community organisations who submitted business plans, and external partners who supported the groups, thanking them for their efforts in keeping open all libraries in the city, and to all staff for their continued dedication and commitment to the service in extremely difficult times.

Minutes:

13.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Ian Auckland

That this Council:

           

(a)       believes Sheffield needs a “pro-choice” transport policy, which helps and supports all modes of transport;

 

(b)       recalls the 2009 consultation on Penistone Road, in which increasing the speed limit was highlighted as the second most important issue by respondents;

 

(c)        welcomes that Government funding is available to undertake works on Penistone Road and notes Council reports that state increasing the speed limit would reduce journey times and improve air quality in the area;

 

(d)       regrets, therefore, that the intervention of anti-car Labour Councillors has seen the proposal to increase the speed limit to 40 mph dropped;

 

(e)       believes this latest decision follows a number of anti-car blunders by Labour Administrations in Sheffield, including:

 

(i)         dangerous bus-stop build-outs in Dore and Bents Green that have infuriated local residents and businesses;

 

(ii)        hikes in parking charges and parking permit fees that have hit local motorists; and

 

(iii)       disastrous bus-gate experiments at Meadowhead and Hillsborough;

 

(f)        notes with further concern that the Motorists’ Forum has been abolished and support withdrawn from Sheffield on the Move and believes that this sends a dangerous message about the Council’s regard for local motorists;

 

(g)       contrasts this with the action of the Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP and Liberal Democrats in Government who have helped secure £1.2 billion of investment for Sheffield to rejuvenate the city’s road network; and

 

(h)       calls upon the Administration to review its transport policy and bring a report to Cabinet within the next three months to outline how it will support all road users.

Minutes:

14.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Mary Lea

That this Council:

 

(a)       notes the People’s March for the NHS Jarrow to Parliament which came through Sheffield between 25th and 26th August 2014;

 

(b)       recognises the threat to our NHS from legislation including the Health and Social Care Act (2012) and the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; both of which put profits before people;

 

(c)        values the principle of our NHS to provide free, universal healthcare for all; and

 

(d)       supports the People’s March for the NHS along with its aims and intentions.

Minutes:

15.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Julie Dore

That this Council:

 

(a)       believes that the hosting of one of the world’s biggest sporting events, the Tour de France, was an extremely successful event for Sheffield;

 

(b)       welcomes that the event showcased the city and Yorkshire on the international stage and welcomes the increased profile that the Tour has given to Sheffield;

 

(c)        further welcomes the positive message that was sent to the world about the city, both in the fantastic scenery throughout the route and the enthusiasm of Sheffield people who wholeheartedly embraced the event;

 

(d)       further welcomes that the event has inspired more people to cycle in the city and notes that over 2,000 people took part in the recent Sheffield Sky Ride; and

 

(e)       thanks all staff and volunteers who worked incredibly hard to make the event possible.

Minutes:

16.

Notice of Motion Given by Councillor Jillian Creasy

That this Council:

(a)       supports the aims of the 999 Call for the NHS campaign, namely to have a health service which is universally accessible, free at the point of delivery and distributed according to clinical need not ability to pay;

(b)       congratulates Sheffield Save Our NHS for coordinating the welcome, support and publicity for the People’s March for the NHS as it passed through Sheffield on 25th and 26th August 2014;

(c)        recognises that one of the greatest threats to the NHS is privatisation of the provision of services which puts profit before people and erodes the open, accountable and democratic nature of this public service;

(d)       therefore notes with alarm the secretive negotiations currently taking place between the EU and the USA to create a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) backed up by Investor-State Dispute Settlements (ISDS) which give corporations legal protection for their profits and powers to sue governments that threaten their interests;

(e)       believes that TTIP could cause ill health, by undermining labour rights, which would affect pay and conditions, and by downgrading EU standards on food, farming and the environment;

(f)        therefore believes that promises to exclude the NHS from TTIP, or to use courts rather than secret ISDS tribunals to enforce it, are insufficient and that any government concerned about the health and well-being of the population should be pursuing trade deals which protect human rights and the environment rather than corporate profits, here and internationally; and

(g)       directs that copies of this motion be forwarded to the Minister for Trade and Investment and all Sheffield MPs.

Minutes:

17.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Jack Clarkson

That this Council:

 

(a)       calls on the Coalition Government to prevent tax avoidance by multi-national companies every year, of which it is has been estimated that the UK Treasury alone loses up to £12 billion a year, monies that could be spent on public services, welfare, health, education and the armed services, to better the people of this country;

 

(b)       notes with disappointment, that whilst ordinary people face falling household income and rising costs of living, some multi-national companies are avoiding paying billions of pounds in taxes from a tax system that fails to make them pay their fair share;

 

(c)        believes that developing countries and the UK alike would benefit from a fairer tax system where multi-national companies pay their fair share;

 

(d)       condemns the use of tax havens by some UK companies which is rife, with many of the FTSE companies routinely using tax havens;

 

(e)       calls on the UK Government to take on a lead role in creating a fairer tax system to end tax dodging by multi-national companies, and to prevent Corporation Tax avoidance which is unjust as it harms ordinary people around the world, increasing poverty and inequality;

 

(f)        believes that local authorities would benefit from a fairer tax system where multi-national companies pay their fair share, enabling authorities to provide quality public services; and

 

(g)       calls on the Government to listen to the strength of public feeling, and to act to end the injustice of tax dodging by large multi-national companies in developing countries and the UK.

Minutes:

18.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Ian Auckland

That this Council:

           

(a)       believes Graves Park is a jewel in the crown of Sheffield’s great outdoors and a key contributor to Sheffield’s deserved reputation as the greenest city in the country;

 

(b)       thanks the Friends of Graves Park for their tireless efforts to protect and restore the Park;

 

(c)        notes with disgust the images published in July, which appeared to show areas of the Park being used as a dumping ground by the Council;

 

(d)       recalls the decision in 1999 to restore the land in question to publically accessible parkland and regrets this has not happened;

 

(e)       regrets that this latest incident follows consistent attempts by Labour Cabinets to sell-off or dispose of parkland for development;

 

(f)        calls upon the Cabinet to reaffirm that it will:

 

(i)         respect the existing boundaries of Graves Park;

 

(ii)        restore the Norton Nursery site to fully accessible parkland in co-operation with the Friends of Graves Park; and

 

(iii)       renew the governance arrangements to ensure past mistakes are not repeated; and

 

(g)       therefore recommends an immediate review of the governance of the Graves Park Charity on options to take power out of the hands of the Cabinet and ensure that it is exercised locally.

Minutes:

19.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Andrew Sangar

That this Council:

           

(a)       recalls the Liberal Democrats’ 2010 manifesto commitment to introduce a triple-lock to ensure the state pension rises by inflation, earnings or 2.5%;

 

(b)       is proud that Liberal Democrats in Government have delivered the triple-lock, restoring the earnings link that was scrapped by Margaret Thatcher’s Government;

 

(c)        is pleased that this policy has ensured pensions have risen by £800 a year for Sheffield pensioners;

 

(d)       contrasts this with the measly 75p a week increase agreed by Gordon Brown and the last Labour Government;

 

(e)       welcomes calls by Liberal Democrats to legislate the triple-lock, guaranteeing an annual £790 increase and taking the state pension up to £131 a week by 2020; and

 

(f)        recognises that this policy will benefit thousands of Sheffield pensioners and calls upon the Council to support this policy and lobby for its implementation.

Minutes: