Agenda and minutes

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

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.

(NOTE: There is a time limit of one hour for the above item of business.  In accordance with the arrangements published on the Council’s website, questions/petitions are required to be submitted in writing, to committee@sheffield.gov.uk, by 9.00 a.m. on Monday 30^th May. Questions/petitions submitted after the deadline will be asked at the meeting subject to the discretion of the Chair.)

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

5.2      Questions relating to the discharge of the functions of the South Yorkshire Joint Authorities (under the provisions of Section 41 of the Local Government Act 1985) and of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority – Council Procedure Rule 16.6(i).

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

That this Council:-

(a)      believes that that there can be no doubt that we are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, with surges in fuel, energy and food prices and with inflation running at a 30-year high;

(b)      believes that the cost of living crisis is the single biggest issue, and most immediate concern, for most people across the UK;

(c)      notes that, whilst global shocks and the war in Ukraine have of course had an impact, a decade of low growth under Conservative-led governments has left the economy weakened and unable to deal with shocks;

(d)      believes the Government’s response has been woeful and further highlights how out of touch they are, and that rather than getting to grips with the serious issues facing our country they instead are preoccupied with waging unnecessary culture wars;

(e)      believes there is much the Government needs to be doing, and one need only look to governments across Europe to see what can be done to help households against a sharp rise in energy bills, and yet here in the UK the Government’s spring statement offered nothing to those who really need it;

(f)       believes, therefore, that the Government should take heed of the Labour Party’s call for an emergency budget and supports the following activity:-

(i)       a windfall tax on the profits of oil and gas companies, which would save household bills by up to £600 (helping mitigate the Government’s National Insurance rise);

(ii)       a discount on business rates for small and medium sized businesses;

(iii)      a "rapid ramp-up" of installing insulation into homes across the country to save on energy bills;

(iv)      an investigation by the National Crime Agency into taxpayer money lost through fraud; and

(v)      reversing the £20 per week cut to Universal Credit;

(g)      believes that whilst the Government is spectacularly failing to help families, members of the previous Council administration have, over the course of the last year, been working to ensure the Council is doing everything it can to support residents through the cost of living crisis;

(h)      notes that at an organisational level, Sheffield City Council are treating the cost of living crisis with the same resolve as it did for the pandemic;

(i)       notes that, just like in the pandemic, the Leader of the Council established a Gold Command Executive Management Team, and is ensuring that every effort is being made to review what the Council is doing in response to the difficulties facing our communities;

(j)       notes that Sheffield City Council and partners have put together a Sheffield Money Support website to provide a single point of access for residents;

(k)      believes that our Council should act as a point of call for those in need, and reaffirms support for the forthcoming rollout of a Financial Support Access Plan – so Sheffielders can be best advised where to go for the right financial support, suited to their circumstances;

(l)       notes that due to the approval of the  ...  view the full agenda text for item 6.

That this Council:-

(a)      notes the dire financial position this Council is in with a projected £18 million overspend already in this financial year and a serious risk of reserves being depleted within this financial year and the real threat of commissioners being appointed by the Government to take over the running of this Council;

(b)      notes the impact this could have on the people of Sheffield during the cost of living crisis, in particular the poorest in society, who are the least equipped to deal with the rising costs of food and energy;

(c)      furthermore notes that successful businesses not only bring jobs and prosperity to the City, reducing poverty across our city, but also helps the Council by bringing more business rates income;

(d)      notes that many businesses, large and small, also support local community projects and play an important role in improving our environment;

(e)      believes that Sheffield as a city has much to offer businesses both big and small with its great location, wonderful and diverse people, proud manufacturing heritage, social history, landscape and built environment;

(f)       believes that business relies on good digital and transport infrastructure and that transport policy should focus on improving access for people to and from all parts of the city, improving transport links with neighbouring areas and enabling the efficient delivery of goods, with any road closures in the City Centre being subject to careful consideration;

(g)      recognises that a strong cultural offer in the city helps to attract high skill and high value inward investment; and

(h)      therefore believes that this Council should be doing everything it can to build its business base, including but not limited to:-

(i)       working collaboratively with businesses and other organisations that want to invest in our city;

(ii)       exploring ways of using our heritage to support businesses, especially those in the hospitality sector which has been badly affected by the pandemic and recent rises in business costs, as we rebuild our economy;

(iii)      working to revitalise both our city centre and the other district centres across the Council area to make them attractive places to do business;

(iv)      ensuring that all Councillors act as ambassadors for Sheffield and build relationships with businesses big and small to help build and sustain our local economy; and

(v)      ensuring that Council policies and initiatives do not actively deter organisations coming to Sheffield or harm the prospects of those that are already here.

That this Council believes:-

(a)      that thanks are due to the people of Sheffield who took part in democracy and voted in recent local elections to choose who will represent them;

(b)      that thanks are also due to those who voted in the May 2021 referendum which established a new, modern committee system that needs political groups to work together in a more collaborative and less adversarial way of working;

(c)      that the Council and the communities we represent face the multiple challenges of the cost of living crisis, overstretched and underfunded Council services and a growing demand for those services from the public;

(d)      that new initiatives, detailed below, are needed and we call on all groups on the Council to support them;

(e)      that people’s experience of engaging with the Council is not always positive and poor access to services has a worse impact on people already disadvantaged for other reasons; people experience difficulties engaging with the Council and in getting responses to local concerns and issues;

(f)       that local Councillors are often the ones most aware when the Council's processes are not working because local people contact them when the system doesn’t work;

(g)      that due to the cost of living crisis our services will be in even higher demand and need, and making them more accessible must be prioritised in light of this;

(h)      that the challenge for this Council, like other councils around the country, is to play a leading role locally in addressing the cost of living crisis that our communities face;

(i)       that the cost of living crisis is caused by a combination of corporate greed, rising prices, low incomes and policy choices made by national governments, condemning millions to increasing levels of poverty which disproportionately affects women, children, disabled people and members of marginalised and minority communities;

(j)       that we must seek to address both immediate need and also make our communities resilient to future crises through a combination of measures, such as retrofitting homes to high energy efficiency standards to reduce energy usage, and provision of skills and training;

(k)      that whilst all councils operate a Corporate Risk Register, where all the risks the Council faces are detailed and a risk management plan is produced to mitigate those risks, this approach can mean that councils focus on risks rather than opportunities;

(l)       that the Council’s financial sustainability now depends on funding opportunities, not further cuts;

(m)     that to act as a balance to the Corporate Risk Register, there should be a Corporate Opportunities Register, detailing new funding opportunities, partnership opportunities and initiatives that will help deliver the Council's objectives, such as supporting those affected by the cost of living crisis;

This Council resolves:-

(n)      to recommend that the Council’s Strategy and Resources Policy Committee notes this Motion and requests a Customer Services Improvement Plan to be in place within 4 months, to show how it will aim to improve response times and accessibility to services, regardless of the community  ...  view the full agenda text for item 8.

That this Council:-

(a)      believes that over a decade of national government inaction has created a social care crisis, which is simply unacceptable for such a rich nation;

(b)      believes that we should aspire to make Sheffield the best city to grow old in, but that the Government’s failure to fund social care means that many do not get the care they should;

(c)      believes that our homecare workers do vital and amazing work helping our most vulnerable residents, in a job which continues to be incredibly difficult and we must do everything we can to support them;

(d)      reaffirms our commitment to ensuring that care workers are given the respect, pay and conditions they deserve and that, ultimately, this is the right thing to do for workers and will ensure a far better care service for clients; and

(e)      calls for the GMB Ethical Commissioning Charter 2022 to be fully endorsed, including aiming for the following:-

(i)       committing to a block delivery model of commissioning and ending the culture of ‘Time & Task’ in home care delivery;

(ii)       committing that the job evaluated rate of pay at Sheffield City Council should be a benchmark and the ultimate goal for pay in commissioned care; this must drive the journey to increasing the value of care in our communities;

(iii)      committing the Council to continue to recognise and value the training and professional development of staff within the sector; and

(iv)      reaffirming this Council’s commitment to recognising social value in assessing all potential providers and committing to supporting providers working in new and innovative ways to support staff and clients.

To (a) receive nominations to the positions of Chair and Deputy Chair of Committees and Sub-Committees (in instances where these were not appointed at the annual meeting of the Council or at a subsequent meeting of the Committee or Sub-Committee) and appoint the Chairs and Deputy Chairs of those Committees and Sub-Committees;

(b) receive details of Group Spokespersons for each Policy Committee and their Sub-Committees (in instances where these were not reported at the annual meeting of the Council); and

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