Agenda and minutes

1.1

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Andy Bainbridge, Julie Grocutt, Alan Law, Shaffaq Mohammed, Zahira Naz and Chris Rosling-Josephs.

2.1

Councillor Angela Argenzio declared a personal interest in agenda item 6 – Notice of Motion regarding Adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Definition of Antisemitism – on the grounds of being a Trustee of Sheffield City of Sanctuary.

3.1

Public Questions

3.1.1

Public Question Concerning Sheffield Eagles

Andrew Tiers, Chief Executive of Sheffield Eagles Rugby League Club, thanked the Council for the recent civic reception to celebrate the Club’s success in winning the 1895 Cup final.

He remarked on the Club’s Director of Rugby, Mark Aston’s 35 years' service to sport in Sheffield and asked, in recognition of services to Rugby League and to Sheffield sport, that Mark Aston be recognised for those achievements through the granting of a Sheffield Legend.

Councillor Julie Dore, the Leader of the Council, congratulated Sheffield Eagles on their achievements and said that she was very pleased that the Club played at the Olympic Legacy Park. With regards to the nomination for a Sheffield Legend, Councillor Dore said that nominations were considered by an independent panel, chaired by the Lord Mayor.

3.2

Petitions

3.2.1

Petition Requesting a Pedestrian Crossing at 900 Abbeydale Road

The Council received a petition containing 62 signatures, requesting a pedestrian crossing at 900 Abbeydale Road.

Representations on behalf of the petitioners were made by Mary Reddican who said that she was presenting the petition on behalf of the occupants of Windsor House retirement apartments.  The petition requested that measures be put in place to allow a safe route for pedestrians to cross a busy road so they could use the bus service and local shopping facilities.

She said there had been a number of near misses and the road was wide with three lanes and an entrance and exit to a Tesco petrol station.  It presented a risk to both pedestrians and drivers and the Council was asked to consider whether changes could be made to reduce the risk and improve road safety.

The Council referred the petition to Councillor Bob Johnson, Cabinet Member for Transport and Development. Councillor Johnson said that it was always concerning to hear of people, particularly older people, having problems crossing busy roads and he said that he would arrange to meet with the petitioner, and with officers to see what measures could be put in place. He also made reference to the process for prioritising large highways schemes.

3.2.2

Petition Requesting Road Safety Measures at the Junction of Fossdale Road and Carter Knowle Road

The Council received a petition containing 123 signatures, requesting road safety measures at the junction of Fossdale Road and Carter Knowle Road.

Representations on behalf of the petitioners were made by Annie O’Gara who referred to serious concerns for the safety of drivers and pedestrians at the junction of Fossdale Road with Carter Knowle Road and to a recent incident of a near miss involving a small child and a car, which was not an isolated event.

She said that visibility for drivers was affected whereby they emerged blind into Carter Knowle Road because of cars parked up to the junction. The petition also asked the Council to review the procedure for determining the outcome of concerns relating to measures to prevent dangerous parking and with regard to people  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

4.1

Urgent Business

There were no questions relating to urgent business under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.6(ii).

4.2

Written Questions

A schedule of questions to Cabinet Members, submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16, and which contained written answers, was circulated.  Supplementary questions, under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.4, were asked and were answered by the appropriate Cabinet Members until the expiry of the 30 minute time limit for Members’ Questions (in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16.7).

4.3

South Yorkshire Joint Authorities

Questions relating to the discharge of the functions of the South Yorkshire Joint Authorities for Fire and Rescue and Pensions, under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.6(i), were not able to be asked before the expiry of the 30 minute time limit for Members’ Questions (in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16.7).

5.1

It was moved by Councillor Roger Davison, and seconded by Councillor Steve Ayris, that this Council:-

(a)       recognises that the most successful societies, both economically and in the protection of human rights, are those governed by liberal/social democratic style administrations;

(b)       agrees that scrutiny and the opportunity for every citizen to debate issues, contributes to a healthy democracy, both locally and nationally;

(c)        notes that Britain has a parliamentary democracy and notes with concern the recent unlawful events in Westminster;

(d)       acknowledges the petition submitted by ‘It’s Our City’ which has triggered a referendum on changing to a committee system; and

(e)       calls for the timely planning and delivery of a committee system that is open and transparent and gives greater power to local people.

5.2

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Terry Fox, seconded by Councillor Dawn Dale, 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:-

(a)       recognises the importance of decision making being as close to people as possible and that every effort should be made to ensure good governance and robust democratic links;

(b)       believes that it is important to continuously review the operation and governance of the Council, and notes that 5% of the electorate have signed the It’s Our City petition, which, we believe, is a fantastic achievement and the organisers of the petition should be commended for their hard work in securing this;

(c)        believes that this is a positive opportunity to improve how the Council works and gain a wide range of views from different people, groups and partners across the city, but that it is of great importance that as many people as possible engage in this debate, and that we reach as many as possible of the remaining 95% of the people in this city;

(d)       welcomes looking at different governance systems, but believes that, crucially, this should also be about listening to people on how the Council engages and serves the people of Sheffield regardless of which governance system is in place; and

(e)       wants a big city-wide conversation, in all our communities, about how decisions are made that affect and improve people’s lives and that we should always look to improve, and know that we can do more, and wants to listen to people’s views about how we can best approach this.

5.3

It was then moved by Councillor Peter Garbutt, seconded by Councillor Alison Teal, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the addition of a new paragraph (e) as follows, and the re-lettering of original paragraph (e) as a new paragraph (f):-

(e)       notes that no action appears to have been taken by the Administration on the proposed committee system, and that the report requested by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee to be brought to its September meeting, was not produced;

2.         the addition of new paragraphs (g)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.1

It was moved by Councillor Adam Hurst, and seconded by Councillor Paul Wood, that this Council:-

(a)       recognises the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism as: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

(b)       notes that the working definition has become the standard definition used around the world;

(c)        notes that this definition has been adopted by the UK Government, European Parliament, the UK College of Policing, the US Department of State, the US Senate and the 31 countries comprising the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance; and

(d)       formally adopts the official and international recognised working definition of antisemitism for this city.

6.2

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor David Baker, seconded by Councillor Joe Otten, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the addition of a new paragraph (c) as follows, and the re-lettering of original paragraphs (c) and (d) as new paragraphs (d) and (e):-

(c)        recognises all 11 examples as part of the IHRA definition, in particular:-

(i)         accusing Jewish people of being more loyal to Israel than their home country;

(ii)        claiming that Israel’s existence as a state is a racist endeavour;

(iii)       requiring higher standards of behaviour from Israel than other nations; and

(iv)       comparing contemporary Israeli policies to those of the Nazis;

2.         the addition of a new paragraph (f) as follows:-

(f)        notes that Sheffield condemns persecution in any form, especially with its proud history of religious tolerance and recognition as a leading City of Sanctuary.

6.2.1

(NOTE: With the agreement of the Council and at the request of the mover of the amendment (Councillor David Baker), the amendment as circulated at the meeting and published with the agenda was altered by the deletion of the words “recognises that the following are examples of antisemitism” from the proposed new paragraph (c).)

6.3

After a contribution from one other Member, and following a right of reply from Councillor Adam Hurst, the amendment moved by Councillor David Baker, as altered at the meeting, was put to the vote and was carried.

6.3.1

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

For the amendment (66)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Gail Smith) and Councillors Simon Clement-Jones, Bob Pullin, Richard Shaw, Bob McCann, Denise Fox, Bryan Lodge, Karen McGowan, Michelle Cook, Jackie Drayton, Talib Hussain, Mark Jones, Tim Huggan, Mohammed Mahroof, Anne Murphy, Mazher Iqbal, Mary Lea, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Vic Bowden, Moya O’Rourke, Roger Davison, Barbara Masters, Abdul Khayum, Abtisam Mohamed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Lewis Dagnall, Cate McDonald, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Bob Johnson, George Lindars-Hammond, Josie Paszek, Terry Fox, Pat Midgley, Sioned-Mair Richards, Kevin Oxley, Jim Steinke, Julie Dore, Jack Scott, Mike Drabble, Dianne Hurst,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.1

It was formally moved by Councillor Cate McDonald, and formally seconded by Councillor Jayne Dunn, that this Council:-

(a)       believes this Government have broken their promise to protect older people and notes that not only has funding for adult social care been slashed, plunging countless older people into loneliness, but from June 2020 the over 75s will be stripped of their free TV licence;

(b)       notes the hardship that this will cause to many nationally and here in Sheffield:-

(i)         there are an estimated 43,000 people in Sheffield over 75, and over three quarters will lose their free licence;

(ii)        half of all over 75s are living with a disability, and many rely on their TV for companionship and entertainment;

(iii)       for those who don't have the internet, TV lets them stay up to date with what's happening in the world; and

(iv)       nearly a third of over 75s are living in poverty or just above the poverty line;

(c)        believes that forcing pensioners to fork out £154.50 per year is an act of cruelty, and that it is not the BBC who are to blame for this, but a government who have failed to do enough and have broken their 2017 Conservative Party Election Manifesto to maintain free TV licenses;

(d)       notes that under the new plans, only older people who receive a benefit called Pension Credit will receive a free TV licence, but two fifths of people who are entitled to this benefit – about 1.2 million pensioners – are not getting it, with some not knowing they can claim and many struggling to apply, and that often these people are some of the poorest in our society;

(e)       notes the widespread opposition to the plans, and that over 634,000 people signed Age UK’s petition against the plans;

(f)        notes that the 2011 Pensions Act, enacted under the Conservative-Liberal Coalition Government, changed the age of retirement for women, forcing many born in the 1950s to work much longer before retirement and, crucially, that this was implemented at such short notice that many women were not able to plan accordingly for this; and, in addition, notes the hard work of Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) movement and the commitment to them shown by Labour;

(g)       believes that older people deserve fairer treatment than this, and notes that Labour will oppose any cuts to universal pensioner benefits, and have pledged to keep the Winter Fuel Allowance and bus passes for pensioners;

(h)       notes the hard work being undertaken within the Council to tackle social isolation, including the creation of the Sheffield Directory website to help people to get the right information and support to help them stay independent and live well in their local area, and further notes that this Administration works closely with organisations like Age UK, MIND, Mencap, Disability Sheffield, Alzheimer’s Society and the Carers Centre to run support groups and activities, including dementia cafes; and

(i)         welcomes that partners in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.1

RESOLVED: On the Motion of Councillor Peter Rippon, seconded by Councillor Dianne Hurst, that the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 4^th September 2019, be approved as a true and accurate record.

9.1

RESOLVED: On the Motion of Councillor Peter Rippon, seconded by Councillor Dianne Hurst, that:-

(a)        approval be given to the following changes to the memberships of Committees, Boards, etc.:-

(b)         representatives be appointed to serve on other bodies as follows:-

(c)         Mr. Peter Naldrett be appointed to continue to serve as a Parent Governor Representative on the Children, Young People and Family Support Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee, for a further period of two years, to 13/9/2021.