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.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

2.

Declarations of Interest pdf icon PDF 88 KB

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

Minutes:

3.

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:

4.

Notice Of Motion Regarding "Declaring a Climate Emergency" - Given By Councillor Jack Scott And To Be Seconded By Councillor Michelle Cook

That this Council:-

 

(a)       believes that climate change and sustainability are amongst the biggest issues of the 21st century and the effects of manmade and dangerous climate change are already manifestly occurring;

 

(b)       notes that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) detail that we are already seeing the consequences of a 1°C of global warming through more extreme weather, rising sea levels and diminishing Arctic sea ice, among other worrying changes;

 

(c)        notes that this Administration has previously categorised climate change as the biggest social justice issue of this century which requires bold, radical action, and last year implemented the Green City Strategy - setting the goal of becoming a zero carbon city by 2050, showing our city’s commitment towards making our contribution towards the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement;

 

(d)       recognises the critical role that cities have to play in delivering a zero carbon future and that whilst the present Government have, in this Council’s opinion, been woefully inadequate at rising to the scale of the climate change challenge, city leaders can take innovative solutions to address many of the causes and impact of climate change on a systemic level;

 

(e)       recalls that the city has already undertaken a number of innovative and bold initiatives that are aimed at reducing our impact on the climate and reducing our city’s carbon emissions, but recognises that limiting global warming cannot be achieved by a single organisation or a technological silver bullet, and requires changes to how we all live, work and play and believes every citizen has a role to play in securing a climate safe future;

 

(f)        further notes that, in recognition of this, the Administration established a Green City Partnership Board, with representation from key city stakeholders including our universities, the private sector and community and voluntary organisations, including the Sheffield Climate Alliance, with the agreed purpose of ensuring that Sheffield can achieve the Green City Strategy objectives and deliver a low carbon, resilient and sustainable city;

 

(g)       notes that, over the period 2013/14 to 2016/17, the Council has reduced its annual CO2 emissions by 19%, and that this Administration has also initiated schemes to reduce carbon emissions throughout the city, such as:-

 

(i)         as a landlord with over 40,000 homes, Sheffield City Council has invested in improving the fabric and insulation of our homes and installed high-efficiency gas central heating boilers in the majority of homes, and as a result, our homes have increased their SAP11 (Standard Assessment Procedure) energy rating from 64 out of 100 in 2005 to 71 in 2016-17;

 

(ii)        use of hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles as part of its vehicle fleet since 2017, noting that the vehicles use the wind powered mini-grid hydrogen refuelling station at the Advanced Manufacturing Park;

 

(iii)       continued development of the district heat network, turning local waste into electricity and heat for the city, with up to 45MW of heat produced and supplied to over 140 buildings connected to the District Energy Network; in addition, the  ...  view the full agenda text for item 4.

Minutes:

5.

Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan & HRA Budget 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 145 KB

Report of the Executive Director, Place.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

6.

Members' Questions pdf icon PDF 408 KB

4.1       Questions relating to urgent business – Council Procedure Rule 16.6(ii).

 

4.2       Supplementary questions on written questions submitted at this meeting – Council Procedure Rule 16.4.

 

4.3       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://democracy.sheffield.gov.uk/ecCatDisplay.aspx?sch=doc&cat=13165&path=0)

 

 

Minutes:

7.

Notice Of Motion Regarding "Opposition to Government Plans To Remove Deprivation and Poverty From Council Funding Formula" - Given By Councillor Olivia Blake And To Be Seconded By Councillor Robert Johnson

That this Council:-

 

(a)       notes that the Government have set out proposals for a new funding formula and further changes to the distribution of business rates, which would mark one of the biggest shake-ups of council funding in living memory;

 

(b)       notes that the proposed changes include the recommendation that grant allocations should no longer be weighted to reflect the higher costs of poverty and deprivation;

 

(c)        believes that this would be disastrous for urban, and predominately Labour-run, authorities and once again mean that poorer areas are bearing the greatest brunt of austerity at the expense of wealthier areas;

 

(d)       notes the condemnation of Leaders of urban councils who have written to Ministers to complain that under the “grossly unfair and illogical” proposals, potentially tens of millions of pounds would be switched to rural and suburban council areas;

 

(e)       notes that, at present, the distribution of revenue resource grants to councils is weighted to support poor areas due to deprivation being acknowledged as a driver of higher than average demand for social care, housing, and other neighbourhood services, as well as recognising that poorer areas are less able to raise taxes locally;

 

(f)        notes, however, the Government’s proposal would remove deprivation from the foundation formula that covers funds for waste disposal, public transport, libraries, leisure, planning, homelessness and recreation, which together amount to about 30% of a council’s budget, with, instead, funding distributed purely on a population basis – with an added weighting for the costs of rurality;

 

(g)       believes that the Government cannot justify how services such as waste collection, street cleaning, homelessness, public transport and libraries are needed solely on the basis of population numbers no matter where people live, and that it is well established and understood that the cost of providing services increases in more deprived areas – due, in part, to extra demand on services and as residents are less able to finance their needs themselves;

 

(h)       notes that Metropolitan districts in England have already suffered the sharpest real terms cuts since 2010 – with, on a nation-wide average, a reduction in revenue spending power of 33.9% compared with county councils seeing a reduction of 22.1% over the same period;

 

(i)         believes that the changes are a shameless attempt by this Government to prop up financially struggling authorities and declining services in Tory heartlands, with an estimated 76% of Conservative MPs representing constituencies covered by county councils, with Government Ministers bowing to pressure from the Conservative-dominated County Councils Network (CCN) to change the grants system - by agreeing with the CCN argument that its members are unfairly allocated less money per head of population than inner-city areas;

 

(j)         notes the recent Centre for Cities report which found that cities have borne nearly three-quarters (74%) of all real-terms local government funding cuts in the last decade despite being home to just 54% of the population - the equivalent to a reduction of £386 per city dweller since 2009/10, compared to £172 per person living  ...  view the full agenda text for item 7.

Minutes:

8.

Notice Of Motion Regarding "Guaranteeing No More Cuts and No More Fare Increases" - Given By Councillor Ian Auckland And To Be Seconded By Councillor Richard Shaw

That this Council:-

 

(a)       believes that the Sheffield Bus Partnership has failed the citizens of Sheffield by not improving services and keeping fares low which has led to:-

 

(i)         cuts to services available to the general public;

 

(ii)        extortionate fare increases, forcing people to use their cars over public transport as a cheaper and more accessible option; and

 

(iii)       a lack of public confidence in the reliability of the bus service, which is also contributing to decreasing passenger numbers; noting that punctuality of bus services has reduced, down to 84% from 87% over the past three years;

 

(b)       is concerned that increased car use will add to air pollution in the city centre if fewer people are using more energy efficient bus services;

 

(c)        is concerned that cuts to bus services are preventing people from getting to work, school, run errands and attend medical appointments;

 

(d)       notes that, under the Bus Services Act 2017, the Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority has the power to enact bus franchising and was agreed in the original 2015 Sheffield devolution deal;

 

(e)       believes that bus franchising will be a long-term solution to these problems, allowing bus operators and local authorities to work collaboratively to improve bus services and realise untapped growth potentials in regional and rural areas;

 

(f)        acknowledges the excellence of remaining municipal bus operators, and accepts the potential of a return of municipal enterprise in public transport services; however, notes that this would require new legislation, together with the assumption of substantial liabilities, risk and costs beyond that needed for a franchise approach; and

 

(g)       resolves to:-

 

(i)         call on this Administration to protect passengers from further fare increases, cuts to routes and unreliable services by using any available means, which could include, but not necessarily be limited to:-

 

(A)       giving notice to immediately terminate the Bus Partnership Agreement;

 

(B)       enlisting the support of South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive;

 

(C)       an active media campaign; and

 

(D)       a review of existing bus priority measures in order to deliver a more reliable, greener and efficient bus service;

 

(ii)        support the introduction of a statutory bus quality contract in Sheffield;

 

(iii)       give notice to terminate Sheffield City Council’s membership of the Sheffield Bus Partnership immediately;

 

(iv)       call on the Sheffield City Region Mayor to progress bus franchising under the powers of the Bus Services Act 2017; and

 

(v)        send copies of this motion to all the other parties to the Bus Partnership Agreement.

 

Minutes:

9.

Notice Of Motion Regarding "A Climate Emergency" - Given By Councillor Martin Phipps And To Be Seconded By Councillor Alison Teal

That this Council:-

 

(a)       notes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC’s) Special Report, published in October 2018, which describes the enormous harm that a 2°C rise in observed global mean surface temperatures above pre-industrial levels is likely to cause, but also tells us that a limit of 1.5°C may still be possible with ambitious action from national and local government, the private sector and local communities;

 

(b)       notes that carbon emissions result from both production and consumption;

 

(c)        notes that many cities around the world, including Bristol, Nottingham, Brighton, Bradford, Manchester and London, are responding by declaring a ‘Climate Emergency’ and committing resources to address this;

 

(d)       notes that this Council has already published a Green City Strategy, which aims to set out a course of ensuring Sheffield is a zero-carbon city by 2050;

 

(e)       believes that cities are uniquely placed to lead the world in reducing carbon emissions, as they are in many ways easier to decarbonise than rural areas – for example because of their capacity for heat networks and mass transit systems;

 

(f)        believes that local governments are well placed to make the case for climate action to national governments but also believes that local governments should not wait for their national governments to change their policies;

 

(g)       therefore, declares a ‘Climate Emergency’;

 

(h)       pledges to make plans to bring forward the Council’s existing target to be a zero carbon city from 2050 to 2030;

 

(i)         asks this Administration to make a decisive contribution towards this vital target by ensuring that the forthcoming procurement of the Council’s electricity supply is drawn from renewable sources;

 

(j)         directs the Chief Executive to produce a report to Council within six months on the actions the Council needs to take to meet this revised target; and

 

(k)        resolves to send a copy of this motion to all Sheffield MPs and the Secretary of State for the Environment.

 

Minutes:

10.

Changes To The Constitution: Terms Of Reference Of The Health And Wellbeing Board pdf icon PDF 173 KB

Report of the Chief Executive.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

11.

Minutes Of Previous Council Meeting pdf icon PDF 261 KB

To receive the record of the proceedings of the meeting of the Council held on 9th January 2019, and to approve the accuracy thereof.

 

Minutes:

12.

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.

Minutes: