Agenda and minutes

5.1

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

5.2

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

5.3

Questions on the discharge of the functions of the South Yorkshire Joint Authorities for Fire and Rescue, Integrated Transport, Pensions and Police - Section 41 of the Local Government Act, 1985 – Council Procedure Rule 16.6(i).

(NB. Minutes of meetings of the four South Yorkshire Joint Authorities have not been circulated with the Council Summons on this occasion, as no such minutes are available further to those circulated at the September Council meeting.)

That this Council:-

(a)       acknowledges that the Government public sector net borrowing was £14.4bn in August, the biggest deficit for the month since records began with borrowing currently 22% more than last year;

(b)       notes we are experiencing the slowest economic recovery in modern memory due to this Government’s mis-management of economic policy;

(c)        regrets that for August 2012, corporation tax receipts fell by 2.1% and benefits payments rose by 4.9% showing that Government cuts are forcing more people into the welfare system and stifling the success of businesses;

(d)       believes these figures make it more likely that the Government will fail to achieve its aim of wiping out the structural budget deficit by 2015;

(e)       is dismayed at the failure of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) to boost growth in the economy; in a report from The Commons Public Accounts Committee the RGF was called “nothing short of scandalous” criticising the Government’s management of the Fund after finding that only £60m of the £1.4bn fund had reached front-line projects;

(f)         holds the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills responsible for the failings;

(g)       recognises that quantitative easing is not enough to stimulate the economy, the Government must do more to stimulate growth;

(h)        regrets that because of the Government’s mis-management of the economy, with slower growth and higher unemployment, spending reductions are now set to continue beyond the current Parliament;

(i)         believes that the Government should now change course and take action to secure growth and supports Labour’s five-point growth plan for jobs and growth which includes:

(i)         repeating the bank bonus tax and using the money to build 25,000 affordable homes and guarantee a job for 100,000 young people;

(ii)        bringing forward long term investment projects, such as schools, roads and transport, to create jobs;

(iii)       reversing the Government’s VAT rise now for a temporary period;

(iv)       an immediate one-year cut in VAT to 5% on home improvements, repairs and maintenance; and

(v)        a one-year national insurance tax break for every small firm which takes on extra workers;

(j)         is aware that child poverty is rising as a result of the failure of this Government to manage the economy; more than one in four children in the UK lives in poverty, many in working families; under current Government policies, child poverty is projected to rise from 2012/13 with an expected 300,000 more children living in poverty by 2015/16 and this upward trend is expected to continue with 4.2 million children projected to be living in poverty by 2020;

(k)        notes the irony of the Liberal Democrat Party, who’s Leader has backed a cut in the top rate of tax resulting in a £3 billion tax cut for millionaires in the Budget while asking millions of pensioners and families to pay more, holding their annual conference around the theme “fair tax in tough times”;

(l)         believes there is nothing fair about  ...  view the full agenda text for item 9.

That this Council:-

(a)       believes this Government is making a shambles of education reform;

(b)       is disappointed that the new English Baccalaureate Certificate seems to have been thought up without proper consultation with unions, teachers or school leaders and are not based on evidence or on expert opinion from education professionals or businesses and that the Secretary of State for Education (the Rt. Hon. Michael Gove, MP), should have engaged with experts and companies to ensure young people get the skills for jobs of the future;

(c)        is concerned that the new system will create a two tier system that will see many leave school with no or inferior qualifications and notes a source quoted in the Mail on Sunday suggesting that the long term objective is to bring back a two tier system: "Schools will be given time to raise their game and adjust to that. If they can’t, or decide their pupils simply aren’t up to taking the new exam they may be forced to find a different option. That could reopen the debate about having another, less difficult exam.’

(d)       worries that students with learning difficulties have been overlooked in these proposals; the British Dyslexia Association said a renewed emphasis on exams rather than coursework and the breaking of two-year studies into smaller units and the extra stress associated with once-and-for-all exams could disadvantage candidates with some learning difficulties; the changes would also damage their chances of going on to higher education;

(e)       is concerned that the over emphasis on academic subjects will marginalise sport and arts and this approach has already been demonstrated through changing focus away from vocational education, cuts to support for vocational education services and cuts to funding to support work experience placements;

(f)         believes that these changes are out of date, from a Conservative-led Government totally out of touch with modern Britain and will produce an elitist system;

(g)       thinks that GCSE English exam papers should be remarked in England as they were in Wales; many students will struggle to go on to further education due to receiving lower than expected grades in English;

(h)        notes a recent report from Ofsted indicating that the Pupil Premium is not working in the way it was intended, because it fails to offset the cuts the Government has made to the schools budget, the report highlights that only 1 in 10 head teachers say the Pupil Premium is having a significant effect on supporting pupils from less well-off backgrounds, and that the funding is being used to plug holes in schools budgets, created by the biggest cuts in education spending since the 1950s; and

(i)         believes that this Government is making it difficult for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to get the education they deserve and directs that a copy of this motion be sent to the Secretary of State for Education to relay these concerns to Government.

That this Council:-

(a)       believes a superfast broadband network will be the foundation of a new British economic dynamism, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and adding billions to our Gross Domestic Product;

(b)       supports the commitment of the Coalition Government to ensure the UK has the best broadband network in Europe by 2015;

(c)        however, notes the recent report of The Country Land and Business Association, which claims that up to a fifth of people in rural areas still do not have adequate broadband services and that economic development in rural areas is being put at risk because of failures to provide adequate access to the internet;

(d)       recalls the Council’s Rural Communities Strategy 2010-13, which commits to finding solutions for rural communities that did not have adequate broadband access;

(e)       understands that many rural communities in Sheffield still do not have adequate broadband access; and

(f)         therefore, directs the Chief Executive to bring a report to the Council’s Cabinet detailing progress in delivering broadband for rural communities and setting out future steps the Council can take to ensure access is fully rolled-out.

That this Council:-

(a)       welcomes the UK-wide campaign to end ‘legal loan sharking’;

(b)       believes that the lack of access to affordable credit is socially and economically damaging; unaffordable credit is causing a myriad of unwanted effects such as poorer diets, colder homes, rent, council tax and utility arrears, depression (which impacts on job seeking behaviour) and poor health;

(c)        is aware that some loan and credit companies are charging annual interest rates equivalent to over 2500% (despite the Bank of England base rate being just 0.5%); borrowing at these rates repeatedly tips customers into inescapable cycles of debt and poverty;

(d)       further notes that unaffordable credit is extracting wealth from the most deprived communities;

(e)       anticipates that the situation is likely to get worse as wages are not increasing at the rate of inflation and an increasing number on low incomes are accessing 'pay day' loans and at the same time people will struggle to adjust to universal credit payments which will be paid monthly, resulting in thousands of residents struggling to balance their personal finances;

(f)         believes it is the responsibility of all levels of government to try to ensure affordable credit for all, and therefore pledges to use best practice to promote financial literacy and affordable lending; this will help to ensure that wealth stays in the local economy;

(g)       pledges to help promote credit unions which are community based organisations offering access to affordable credit and promoting saving in Sheffield;

(h)        calls on the Government to introduce caps on the total lending rates that can be charged for providing credit; and

(i)         believes that cleaning up the finance industry is essential to a sustainable economic recovery.

That this Council:-

(a)       recalls the decision of the incoming Administration in May 2012 to reduce the budget for Household Waste Recycling Centres by a further £204,000;

(b)       understands that Blackstock Road has the highest tonnage of any recycling centre, and is therefore dismayed at the Administration’s decision to close Blackstock Road three days a week, while another centre remains open seven days a week;

(c)        notes reports of queues of more than 100 cars, which have formed outside Blackstock Road Recycling Centre, causing serious concerns for road safety;

(d)       furthermore, believes the introduction of fortnightly black bin collections, the ceasing of other recycling services, and the failure to avoid repeated strikes, has only served to exacerbate the situation;

(e)       regrets the Administration’s treatment of residents in the south and south-west of the City who use the Blackstock Road Recycling Centre, and believes the Administration has made insufficient effort to mitigate the effects of this unfair decision; and

(f)         challenges the Administration to reconsider the unfair reduction in hours at Blackstock Road and provide the service that local people deserve.

That this Council:-

(a)       recalls that in a motion passed unanimously in June 2012, which welcomed investment in a tram/train pilot for Sheffield and Rotherham, the Council also resolved to make efforts to ensure that bicycles would be carried on the new tram/trains;

(b)       is disappointed to learn that, due to Stagecoach’s conditions of carriage, it is now anticipated that bicycles will not be carried;

(c)        notes that heavy rail franchises are expected, as a general principle, to carry bicycles;

(d)       believes that, as this is a national pilot, it is vital that the feasibility of carrying bicycles on tram/trains is tested and that Sheffield leads the way in terms of integrated transport;

(e)       notes that chairs and buggies needed by vulnerable travellers such as disabled people and young children would have priority over bicycles in the same way as they do on trains;

(f)         calls on Stagecoach to amend the conditions of carriage to accommodate the carriage of bicycles on the trial tram-trains;

(g)       calls on the Department for Transport, which is promoting the pilot, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive which is leading on delivery, and the other partners, namely Network Rail and Northern Rail, to also bring pressure to bear on Stagecoach to resolve this issue; and

(h)        requests that copies of this motion be sent to the Chief Executives of Stagecoach, all the bodies named in paragraph (g) above, the Leader of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and all MPs representing Rotherham and Sheffield.

That this Council:-

(a)       recalls the ‘Carnage UK’ commercially organised bar crawls that have taken place in Sheffield in recent years which have provoked controversy, particularly noting an incident in October 2009;

(b)       notes with great concern the planned event in Sheffield on October 8^th which is being advertised with the theme ‘Pimps and Hoes’ and believes that such a title is completely inappropriate and has caused offence;                   

(c)        supports comments by the Women’s Officer at Sheffield University Student Union “As a representative of women students, and having worked in a refuge for women trafficked in to sexual slavery, I feel that this theme utterly trivialises violence against women - specifically violence against women in the sex industry. Just to be clear - the definition of a 'pimp' is a man who uses manipulation and or violence to coerce women (and sometimes men) in to prostitution in order to take their earnings. I am angry and disappointed that Carnage has chosen such a flagrantly sexist marketing strategy. I urge [them] to reconsider [their] theme."

(d)       notes that similar concerns have been expressed by the President of Sheffield Hallam University Student Union and Sheffield Central MP, Paul Blomfield;

(e)       continues to support the vibrant nightlife in Sheffield’s many excellent bars, pubs and clubs, noting that this provides a boost to the local economy; and

(f)         welcomes the work undertaken by both Sheffield University and Sheffield Hallam University Student Unions to promote responsible drinking and encourages Carnage to refocus their approach based on this more responsible model and to take into account local feeling about their events both in the student community and amongst Sheffield people as a whole.

That this Council:-

(a)       welcomes news that construction has begun on a University Technical College for Sheffield, one of only 18 across the country;

(b)       believes the University Technical College will provide vital training and skills for the next generation of Sheffielders, helping to tackle the chronic long-term problems of youth unemployment;

(c)        thanks the Coalition Government for providing the financial backing for the College, delivering a grant of £9.9 million;

(d)       praises companies such as Siemens Metals Technologies who have thrown their support behind the important project; and

(e)       recommends a joint meeting of the Children, Young People and Family Support and the Economic and Environmental Wellbeing Scrutiny Committees to undertake a detailed examination to understand what further support the Council can provide to the development of the College.

That this Council:-

(a)       supports the bottom up process in the Sustainable Communities Act that encourages Councils and their communities to drive the action and assistance that central Government gives to promote thriving local economies and sustainable communities;

(b)       notes that the Act enables Councils to make proposals to Government including requests for new powers or a transfer of powers or public money and function from central control to local control;

(c)        notes that Sheffield City Council was the first Council to opt in to the Act and that Government agreed to implement one of the Council’s proposals, namely allowing the Council to help plan and run the Post Office network in the City, leading to a 5% growth in Post Office revenue in the City;

(d)       notes that Sheffield City Council’s engagement of residents under the Act has been recognised as “excellent”  and an example of best practice in Local Works’ Best Practice Guide; 

(e)       notes that new regulations for the Act made in June 2012 improve the process and make it more favourable for Councils in the following ways :

(i)         Councils’ proposals are submitted directly to the Government;

(ii)        there will no longer be short listing;

(iii)       Councils can submit proposals whenever they are ready as the process is now ongoing;

(iv)       there will be a time limit of six months on the Government to consult and try to reach agreement with the Selector (currently the Local Government Association) regarding Councils’ proposals and to then respond to those proposals; and

(v)        Councils that choose to submit proposals may now decide how to consult and try to reach agreement with representatives of communities in their areas on what proposals to submit;

(f)         notes that the Government has formally invited all Local Authorities to use the Act by submitting proposals;

(g)       resolves to request the Cabinet to use the Act by responding to this invitation, engaging in some form of public consultation and submitting proposals for action and assistance from central Government each year for the next three years and to then review the outcome of this activity and consider whether to continue to use the Act; and

(h)        further resolves to:

(i)         inform the local media of this decision;

(ii)        write to local MPs, informing them of this decision; and

(iii)       write to Local Works informing them of this resolution to use the Act.