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.

Apologies for Absence

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2.

Declarations of Interest pdf icon PDF 86 KB

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

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3.

Public Questions and Petitions and Other Communications pdf icon PDF 128 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 31st October. 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 an electronic petition containing over 9,250 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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4.

Members' Questions pdf icon PDF 2 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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5.

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 efficiencyskills 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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6.

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 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 removing barriers to progression for women could help the Council close its gender pay gap, and believes 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 schools  ...  view the full agenda text for item 6.

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7.

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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8.

Notice of Motion Regarding "Cost of Living Crisis - National Failings and Our 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 the Government’s reckless mini-budget has crashed the economy, and though the Prime Minister and Chancellor may have again changed, the damage has already been dealt;

 

(c)      notes that the unfunded tax cuts caused financial disaster – with spiralling interest on government bonds, and crashing the pound to its weakest ever position against the dollar;

 

(d)      notes that the effect of this has been soaring mortgage repayment costs, higher inflation and widespread economic turmoil, further compounding the current cost-of-living crisis;

 

(e)      notes that in response to the crisis of their own making, the Government have now reneged on plans to provide a two-year cap on the cost of energy units, and have slashed this guaranteed support to 6 months instead;

 

(f)       believes that as this Government attempt to balance the country’s finances following their complete and utter mismanagement of the economy, the burden for this must not fall on Sheffield residents or cash-strapped public services;

 

(g)      notes that the Council is already facing its worse ever budget position – caused by inflation, unprecedented energy costs and twelve preceding years of government cuts, meaning that there is now very little flexibility for the Council to make additional savings;

 

(h)      notes that Sheffield Council will have lost around £300 million from its budget, in real terms, since 2010 – around a third of the Council’s entire budget – making it even harder for the organisation to support the city’s residents during the cost-of-living crisis;

 

(i)       notes, however, that despite the financial difficulties, this Council is doing everything it can to support residents through this crisis, with the Council creating a package of support to provide all available guidance (financial, fuel, food) for anyone facing hardship;

 

(j)       notes that alongside partners in Voluntary Action Sheffield and numerous VCFS organisations, the Council has created a network of ‘Welcome Places’ which will provide convenient spaces for people to access help or just call in to get warm, have a cup of tea and a chat, in their local communities;

 

(k)      believes that Sheffield’s warm and welcoming places 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;

 

(l)       notes that the Council has formed a cost-of-living steering group, chaired by the Council Leader, and believes that as an organisation we must work on the crisis with the same resolve and collective spirit as was needed throughout the pandemic;

 

(m)     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;

 

(iv)          buy, make and sell more in  ...  view the full agenda text for item 8.

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9.

Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places pdf icon PDF 210 KB

To approve, with or without amendment, the recommendations in the report of the Chief Executive, published with this agenda, regarding proposed changes to polling districts and polling places.

 

 

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10.

Changes To The Constitution pdf icon PDF 832 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 changes to the Council’s Constitution.

 

 

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11.

Minutes Of Previous Council Meeting pdf icon PDF 214 KB

To receive the record of the proceedings of the meeting of the Council held on 14th September 2022, and to approve the accuracy thereof.

 

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12.

Memberships of Council Bodies and Representatives to Serve on Other Bodies pdf icon PDF 50 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.

 

 

 

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