Agenda and minutes

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

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

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Minute Silence - Death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II

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2.

Notice of Motion Regarding the Passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II pdf icon PDF 55 KB

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3.

Apologies for Absence

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4.

Declarations of Interest pdf icon PDF 85 KB

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

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5.

Public Questions and Petitions and Other Communications pdf icon PDF 69 KB

(a)      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 12th September. Questions/petitions submitted after the deadline will be asked at the meeting subject to the discretion of the Chair.)

 

 

(b)      Petition Requiring Debate

 

The Council’s Petitions Scheme requires that a petition containing over 5,000 signatures from individuals who live, work or study in Sheffield, be the subject of debate at the Council meeting.  A qualifying petition has been received as follows:-

 

Petition

 

To debate a joint electronic and paper petition containing over 8,700 signatures (of which more than 5,000 are deemed to be from individuals who either live, work or study in Sheffield) asking the Council to repair, not demolish, Rose Garden Cafe, Graves Park.  The online petition - Petition · Make the council repair, not demolish, Rose Garden Cafe, Graves Park. · Change.org - includes further information.

 

 

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6.

Members' Questions pdf icon PDF 1 MB

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.

 

 

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7.

Notice of Motion Regarding "Cost of Living Crisis - National Failings And A Local Response" - Given By Councillor Nabeela Mowlana and To Be Seconded By Councillor Abtisam Mohamed

That this Council:-

 

(a)      notes that inflation is at over 10%, with Britain the only G7 economy where inflation has hit double digits;

 

(b)      believes that whilst energy costs are a leading contributor to high inflation, other aspects such as stagnant economic growth and poor handling of public finances has made Britain particularly vulnerable to the energy crisis;

 

(c)      notes that under this Government:-

 

(i)       working families’ pay is falling by £1,300 this year;

 

(ii)       everyone in Sheffield is feeling the hit from higher taxes and rising energy, food and fuel prices;

 

(iii)      15 tax rises have led to the highest tax burden in 70 years; and

 

(iv)      local people are working hard, paying more and getting less;

 

(d)      supports the Labour Party’s plan to take real action now to tackle the Government’s cost of living crisis:-

 

(i)       cut VAT on home energy bills;

 

(ii)       save on energy bills now and in the longer term by insulating millions of homes;

 

(iii)      cut small business rates and support businesses through the cost of living storm; and

 

(iv)      buy, make and sell more in Britain to create well-paid, secure jobs in every community;

 

(e)      believes that Sheffield City Council must do everything it can to support the city through this crisis, and that as an organisation we must work on this with the same resolve and collective spirit that was needed throughout the pandemic;

 

(f)       believes that the Council must work in partnership with the voluntary, community, and faith sector to establish a network of welcoming places where people can come together to reduce their living costs over the winter;

 

(g)      believes that providing somewhere warm for people to go to is important but that Sheffield’s network of spaces should be about much more than keeping warm;

 

(h)      believes that Sheffield’s warm and welcoming spaces should harness everything great about the support that exists in the city, providing places for people to socialise, undertake activities, share advice, learn and support each other;

 

(i)       welcomes the on-going work of the cross-party Cost of Living Steering Group (chaired by Council Leader, Councillor Terry Fox) which will be reporting before October with more detailed plans, including the mapping out of spaces across the city;

 

(j)       calls on the Government to finally provide sufficient financial support for households, businesses and to local authorities to ensure that people in Sheffield get the support they need through this ongoing crisis that this Council believes is of their making; and

 

(k)      believes that whilst the Government is not providing any funding to do what is really needed to support people fully, it is important that the Council helps to lead the co-ordinated efforts across the city to support residents through this ongoing crisis.

 

 

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8.

Notice of Motion Regarding "Best Value Services for the People of Sheffield" - Given By Councillor Mike Levery and To Be Seconded By Councillor Joe Otten

That this Council:-

 

(a)      believes that it is this Council’s duty to seek best value for the people of Sheffield, especially given the current financial challenges faced by the Council;

 

(b)      believes the people of Sheffield want to see services delivered efficiently and effectively both in performance and price;

 

(c)      notes that a Labour Government introduced Best Value in the Local Government Act of 1999 stating it was to “make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way an authority exercises its functions, having regard to a combination of factors, including economy, efficiency and effectiveness”;

 

(d)      believes that the principles set out in the Local Government Act of 1999 could have been better fulfilled by this Council in a number of circumstances, for example:-

 

          (i) the Housing Repairs Service, where there have been dramatic increases in the waiting list for repairs over the last few years, increasing to over 5,000 currently, with an average waiting time of over 21 days;

 

          (ii) the average amount of time houses are left empty for, after residents move out, in recent years has increased to 12 weeks, far above the target of six weeks; and

 

          (iii) youth services which has failed to deliver as the people of Sheffield would want and need, despite additional funding of £2m in both 2020/21 and 2021/22, none of which was spent on youth service delivery;

 

(e)      notes that despite the Children, Young People and Families Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee twice recommending the decision on youth services to be revisited in 2020, the second time unanimously, Cabinet, on further consideration, progressed the decision;

 

(f)       believes that for decisions to progress with service changes that involve staff transfers, much more consideration needs to be given to the impact for the workforce and employer arising from the transfer of employment;

 

(g)      believes that Policy Committees are best placed to determine which of their areas should be prioritised to demand continuous improvement in both delivery and financial performance; and

 

(h)      therefore believes that this Council should look to implement the following:-

 

(i)       examine where other councils have adopted different models for service provision and look at comparative performance;

 

(ii)       establishment of internal service providers with the relevant council function being the budget holders;

 

(iii)      benchmarking of services with other providers, no matter which area they operate in; and

 

(iv)      clear, unambiguous performance measures which demonstrate ongoing improvement in service delivery.

 

 

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9.

Notice of Motion Regarding "A Renewable Energy Strategy for Sheffield" - Given By Councillor Christine Gilligan Kubo and To Be Seconded By Councillor Douglas Johnson

That this Council believes:-

 

(a)      that, if Sheffield is to play its part in achieving the Paris Climate targets, meet its net zero target by 2030 and address the cost of living crisis, we need to reduce energy demand through energy efficiency measures such as retrofitting homes and other buildings; and to significantly raise the amount of energy we produce from renewable sources;

 

(b)      having more of our energy produced from renewable sources helps us control costs by having secure forms of energy generated locally; energy security means that the UK is less at the mercy of dubious and undemocratic regimes with poor human rights records that are often the suppliers of fossil fuels;

 

This Council resolves:-

 

(c)      to ask the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee to consider:-

 

(i)       conducting an audit of the potential for renewable energy installations and energy efficiency measures on all Council land and property, draw up a priority list for installations based on the most potential to save energy and generate clean energy, and present it to the Committee within 6 months;

 

(ii)       installing solar photovoltaics on all new build Council-owned buildings where technically feasible, recognising that integrated roof systems are cheaper to install than retrofitting solar systems after construction;

 

(iii)      creating a Local Area Energy Plan for Sheffield that has the buy-in of the wider community and lead a local area energy planning process that involves both the network operators and other key stakeholders, including developers, energy experts and community energy groups;

 

(iv)      investigating establishing strategic partnerships with renewable and energy efficiency installers to help ensure certainty on cost and delivery of measures and report back to the Committee within 6 months;

 

(v)      encouraging the establishment of partnerships with local Community Renewables organisations to enable low cost/no cost installations funded through citizens’ investments;

 

(vi)      maximising external funding to finance installations using Government, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and any ethical sources;

 

(vii)     using funding available for solar installations from Cooperatives on Council buildings and encouraging take up of this funding by large commercial organisations;

 

(viii)    encouraging wider community investment in local renewable energy projects through a range of measures including, but not limited to, Community Share Offers and Municipal Bonds;

 

(ix)      developing a compelling offer for private householders and landlords to support the installation of solar photovoltaics and high cost energy efficiency measures;

 

(x)      encouraging best practice in Planning to support renewable energy installations by developers and to create a low carbon energy supply;

 

(xi)      encouraging renewable and energy efficiency skills by establishing links and relationships between our partners in the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency sectors with appropriate local training and education providers;

 

(xii)     ensuring training opportunities and new skills are included in all projects and that contracts related to energy efficiency and renewables should include commitments from contractors on providing training opportunities and new skills for local people; and

 

(xiii)    requiring new energy generation projects of 5MW or above to have at least 5% local ownership.

 

 

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10.

Notice of Motion Regarding "Committing the Council to Tackling the Stigma of Menopause and Period Poverty" - Given By Councillor Jayne Dunn and To Be Seconded By Councillor Julie Grocutt

That this Council:-

 

(a)      notes there are more than 13 million women currently experiencing menopause or perimenopause in the UK; and that menopause campaigners argue that medical sexism and a lack of training means many women are left to suffer the symptoms of menopause;

 

(b)      recognises that menopause is a society and family issue, not just a women’s issue;

 

(c)      notes that women over the age of 50 are the fastest growing segment of the workforce, and most will go through the menopause transition during their working lives, and many won’t be able to meet their full potential at work unless they get the right support from their employer;

 

(d)      believes the UK could be losing 14 million workdays a year related to the menopause, according to recent research by Censuswide, with one in four women who experience menopausal symptoms, many at the top of their career, considering leaving their job;

 

(e)      reaffirms the Council has a legal duty to ensure that employees do not face discrimination;

 

(f)       believes employers who support women through the menopause will reap the benefits in terms of increased engagement and loyalty, as well as lower sickness absence and employee turnover;

 

(g)      believes fostering age and gender inclusive workplaces can help the Council to tap into the valuable skills and talent this fast-growing segment of the workforce has to offer;

 

(h)      believes that this is an important issue that the Council has a role in addressing and that its currently getting worse due to the cost-of-living crisis;

 

(i)       recognises that women are a significant element in the City’s economy and are vital to helping families through the cost-of-living crisis, but cannot if they are too ill to work;

 

(j)       notes that removing barriers to progression for women could help the Council close its gender pay gap, and believes that supporting women through menopause will help mitigate ageism in the workplace;

 

(k)      recognises the valuable contribution of Carolyn Harris MP (co-chair of the Menopause Task force), the GMB, Unite, USDAW, Community Union and others who lead the way on this issue;

 

(l)       believes the Government is failing to ensure the country is period poverty free by 2025;

(m)     notes with alarm that amidst the worst cost-of-living crisis in 40 years, a poll of 1,000 UK girls aged 14-21 reveals over 1 in 4 are struggling to afford period products and nearly 1 in 5 report being unable to afford them;

 

(n)      believes, as a result, period poverty is a serious issue for women in the city which disproportionately affects groups who already face barriers accessing support, including ethnic minority groups, refugees and asylum seekers, people with disability, young carers and young people in care, creating indignity and a significant mental health burden through stigma;

 

(o)      recognises that period poverty goes hand in hand with food poverty and cuts across different policy areas, requiring a holistic, cross cutting commitment and intervention;

 

(p)      notes that the Labour Party’s work on religious and sex education in  ...  view the full agenda text for item 10.

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11.

Appointment Of The Independent Persons pdf icon PDF 114 KB

To approve, with or without amendment, the recommendations in the report of the Director of Legal and Governance (Monitoring Officer), published with this agenda, regarding the appointment of two Independent Persons that assist the Monitoring Officer in dealing with Standards complaints.

 

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12.

Proper Officer Designations Relating to the Functions of Director of Children's Services and Monitoring Officer pdf icon PDF 139 KB

To approve, with or without amendment, the recommendations in the report of the Executive Director, Resources, published with this agenda, regarding the transfer of the statutory function of Director of Children’s Services from the post of Executive Director, People Services, to the post of Director of Children’s Services, and the transfer of the statutory function of Monitoring Officer from one officer to another.

 

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13.

Minutes Of Previous Council Meetings pdf icon PDF 248 KB

To receive the records of the proceedings of the annual meeting of the Council held on 18th May, and the ordinary meetings of the Council held on 1st June and 20th July 2022, and to approve the accuracy thereof.

 

 

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14.

Memberships Of Council Bodies and Representatives To Serve On Other Bodies pdf icon PDF 71 KB

To 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.

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