Agenda and minutes

That this Council:-

(a)       deplores the Government’s shambolic mishandling of welfare reform which has seen delays to the introduction of universal credit to 2014 at the same time as other reforms, including the localisation of council tax benefit, will be implemented from 2013;

(b)       regrets that the Government’s mismanagement of the economy and the failure of initiatives such as the Work Programme has contributed to an increasing benefits bill;

(c)        opposes the Government’s proposals on council tax benefit localisation which will see a 10% cut in funding for council tax benefit in addition to the £170 million budget gap faced by the Council over the next four years;

(d)       believes that the localisation of council tax benefit has been completely mismanaged by the Government and should have been aligned with the introduction of universal credit;

(e)       notes research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies which indicates that the working poor will be hit hardest by the cuts to council tax benefit, completely contradicting the Government’s stated aims in its welfare reform programme;

(f)         further notes research by the Local Government Association warning that the cut is also likely to hit hardest councils in the most deprived areas of the country and authorities in the wealthiest areas of the country will experience a smaller cut;

(g)       regrets that this mirrors the Government’s unfair policy of giving heavy cuts to Sheffield whilst at the same time wealthier areas of the country are experiencing next to no cuts at all; and

(h)        regrets that this is a further example of this Government hitting the most vulnerable the hardest which is exemplified by cuts to housing benefit, the reassessment of incapacity benefit claimants and cuts to tax credits.

That this Council:-

(a)       recalls its support for the twin-track approach of the South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority regarding Bus Partnerships and Quality Contracts;

(b)       welcomes improvements to some bus routes as part of the proposed bus partnership agreement but regrettably notes that many local people will lose out, such as residents on Psalter Lane, in Stocksbridge or in Ringinglow Village;

(c)        urges the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive to investigate these routes in particular as part of their consultation and deliver improved services for these residents;

(d)       believes it is becoming clearer that a voluntary partnership will not deliver the fair, affordable and equitable bus service that Sheffield residents deserve;

(e)       reiterates the cross-party support in this Council for a ‘Quality Contracts’ strategy for Sheffield; and

(f)         therefore encourages South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority and this Council to deliver a fully-tendered network by continuing its pursuit of ‘Quality Contracts’.

That this Council:-

(a)       is extremely concerned by the current levels of youth unemployment both in Sheffield and nationally, and believes that the actions of the current Government are hitting young people disproportionately hard;

(b)       believes that this Council must do all it can to ensure that a generation of young people are not left on the scrap heap by the heartless actions of the present Government;

(c)        welcomes that the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme introduced by the present Administration has now given the opportunity of an apprenticeship to 100 young people;

(d)       notes this approach, which has seen £1 million invested in apprenticeships, is in stark contrast to the previous Administration whose Leader broke a promise to commit £1 million of the Council's own resources to support the Future Jobs Fund in Sheffield;

(e)       thanks partners in the public, private and voluntary sector who have employed an apprentice, noting that the Sheffield Apprenticeship Scheme has involved a 50% Council contribution to the wages of an apprentice and a 50% employer contribution; and

(f)         welcomes the wider work taken by the present Administration to increase the uptake of apprentices in the City and the doubling of the number of apprentices funded by the Sheffield Apprenticeship Scheme to 200 and calls on any local employers who wish to take on an apprentice in the future to contact the Council.

That this Council:-

(a)       recalls the Notice of Motion proposed by Cllr Jillian Creasy at the Council meeting on 13^th June 2012, and expresses disappointment at the decision of the largest party in the council chamber to oppose moving the item up the agenda, given the clear interest in the public gallery;

(b)       notes that following the change of Administration in May 2011, a further £150,000 was removed from the budget of recycling centres, and believes this was a short-sighted move given the Administration’s plan to end weekly black bin collections;

(c)        understands that Blackstock Road has the highest tonnage of any recycling centre, and therefore expresses dismay at the Administration’s decision to close Blackstock Road three days a week, while the recycling centre in what the Council believes to be in one of the Administration’s  ‘favoured areas’ remains open seven days a week;

(d)       furthermore, notes with disappointment the failure to avoid strikes, and regrets the effect this has had on the service for local residents;

(e)       in addition, recalls the decision of the present Administration to end the free collection of garden waste, and notes that more than a year after it was first agreed, the flexible blue bin/box offer has still not been fully rolled out;

(f)         believes the simultaneous strategies of the present Administration to end weekly black bin collections and reduce recycling services always amounted to a recipe for disaster; and

(g)       therefore, in light of the Administration’s decision to enforce fortnightly bin collections, calls upon the Administration to re-consider its reductions to recycling centre opening hours.

That this Council:-

(a)       believes it is important to improve the way that the Council engages with local people;

(b)       notes the Meet the Cabinet Programme introduced by the present Administration last year which provided an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions to Cabinet members and to raise issues in their local communities;

(c)        recalls that the meetings were well received and thanks all members of the public who attended the meetings;

(d)       welcomes this new way of engaging with local people;

(e)       further welcomes that the present Administration will be repeating the Meet the Cabinet initiative this year starting in October;

(f)         further welcomes that the present Administration are not only extending the initiative but enhancing it by introducing a “Question Time” style format where the first 30 minutes of the meeting will be chaired by the Community Assembly Chair and will be spent discussing an issue that matters to local people, providing a greater opportunity for members of the public to engage with the Council; and

(g)       notes that the topics for debate in each area will be set by the concerns of local people and calls on all local people who wish to raise an issue to be debated in their area to contact their local Community Assembly.

That this Council:-

(a)       understands that as a result of this Administration’s decision to end free collections of green bins, up to 30,000 bins could be shredded;

(b)       believes this is a complete waste of an asset which originally cost £600,000;

(c)        understands that many residents who do not currently benefit from a green bin, may appreciate the offer of a green bin, even at the current charge, which is believed to be extortionate; and

(d)       calls on the Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste and Streetscene to write to Veolia to ask that the green bins and the green bin collection service be offered to residents across the City.

That this Council:-

(a)       congratulates the organisers of Sheffield Pride for a very successful festival that brought our City together in a celebration of diversity and togetherness;

(b)       recognises the equal rights of all people and supports the campaign for Equal Marriage and calls upon the Government to support legislation to enable this at the earliest possible opportunity; and

(c)        seeks to secure marriage for gay people as a civil vehicle on the same basis as heterosexual marriage, available in a registry office and approved premises.

That this Council:-

(a)       regrets that Sheffield is home to some of the worst roads in the country and rightful owner of the ‘pot-hole city’ title;

(b)       believes that the City could have had decent roads if millions of pounds had not been required each financial year to service the Council’s debt as a result of the World Student Games;

(c)        welcomes the £2bn Highways PFI project, which will see every road in Sheffield improved and thanks councillors of the current opposition and administration parties for helping to secure the project, in particular the previous Administration, for securing the future of the project at a time of intense public spending reviews;

(d)       thanks the Coalition Government for its £1.2bn contribution to the project, in addition to investment in Sheffield’s trains, trams and buses, particularly when public finances are tight as a result of the previous Government’s record budget deficit;

(e)       believes investment from this project should be spread fairly across the City, and will oppose any attempt to deliver one level of standard for the Administration’s ‘favoured areas’ and a lower standard for local residents elsewhere in the City; and

(f)         therefore calls upon the Leader of the Council, the Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste and Streetscene and the Chief Executive to sign a “First Street, Last Street” public pledge, which will guarantee that the last street and road, and all those before, will be of the same quality as the first street and road to benefit  from the Project.

That this Council:-

(a)       believes that Sheffield can be proud of its reputation as the greenest city in the country and considers that its parks and green spaces should be accessible to all children and young people;

(b)       notes that there are currently hundreds of disabled children living in Sheffield, including many who are wheelchair users;

(c)        however, understands that currently only four parks across the City have playgrounds that include wheelchair accessible roundabouts;

(d)       thanks the Government for investing in the Graves Park, Rose Garden playground, as part of its Aiming High for Disabled Children programme and welcomes reports that improvements to Rivelin Valley paddling pools will make the facility more accessible to wheelchair users;

(e)       believes that all new playgrounds should contain at least one piece of accessible equipment for wheelchair users and that priority be given to them when replacing old equipment; and

(f)         requests the Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport & Leisure to bring forward a report to Cabinet so that official council policy can be amended accordingly.