Agenda and minutes

To receive the record of the proceedings of the meeting of the Council held on 5 June 2013 and to approve the accuracy thereof

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 and Pensions – Section 41 of the Local Government Act 1985 – Council Procedure Rule 16.6(i).

            (NB. Minutes of recent meetings of the three South Yorkshire Joint    Authorities have been made available to all Members of the Council via the following link https://meetings.sheffield.gov.uk/council-meetings/full-council)

That this Council:

(a)      notes that the European Union has agreed that parts of the UK should receive ‘Transition Regions’ funding, which would include funding for South Yorkshire, despite opposition from the Government;

(b)      is dismayed that despite ‘Transition’ status, South Yorkshire is set to see a massively disproportionate reduction in its allocation of EU funding of up to 66%, due to the Government’s plans to re-allocate funding to protect Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from “sudden and significant reductions”;

(c)      deplores Government plans to, in effect, take European funding away from South Yorkshire to give it to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, particularly when Scotland and Northern Ireland have a higher Gross Value Added score;

(d)      believes it is completely indefensible to take money away from South Yorkshire which would be spent on helping people into work, offering more apprenticeships and training, reducing emissions, building flood defences and helping business to export more and benefit from new technologies, and welcomes action taken by South Yorkshire MPs and MEPs in campaigning against this move;

(e)      is concerned by reports that Government Ministers in charge of allocating the funds are considering giving a larger share of funding to the south of England than was allocated in the last funding round in 2007; and

(f)       regrets that this Government and the Deputy Prime Minister, The Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP, have yet again let Sheffield and South Yorkshire down and urges them to urgently reconsider these proposals and give South Yorkshire a fair deal.

That this Council:

(a)      fully supports the open letter signed by 151 Council Leaders from all political parties to the Chancellor of the Exchequer expressing concerns that further cuts to local government in the next spending review would have a devastating impact on services;

(b)      recalls comments from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, The Rt. Hon. Danny Alexander MP, that local government has "borne the brunt of deficit reduction”, noting that Council funding from central government will have been cut by 33 per cent since this Government came into power and in comparison Whitehall departments will have faced average reductions of 12 per cent;

(c)      agrees with the letter that local government bore the brunt of cuts in the last spending review and for the sake of the public it cannot afford to do so again;

(d)      believes it would be bad for the country, bad for people and bad for our prospects of economic recovery if funding for local services is cut further; and

(e)      urges the Government to listen to the Local Government Association letter and also to reconsider the distribution of cuts which has resulted in heavy cuts to Sheffield whilst some councils in the wealthiest parts of the country receive almost no cuts at all.

That this Council:

(a)      is deeply concerned by reports in the Budget Outturn Report 2012/13 that the total slippage in last year’s capital programme was £87 million;

(b)      understands that this slippage represents an astounding 43% of the Council’s capital spend;

(c)      highlights the comments of finance officers in the report that the slippage is “the highest annual level of slippage recorded to date”;

(d)      believes the failure to proceed with approved projects will have cost jobs across Sheffield;

(e)      considers the Administration responsible for this historic failure and laments the Administration’s staggering indifference to the potential damage to jobs and businesses across Sheffield; and

(f)       calls on the Administration to take immediate action to ensure this failure is not repeated.

That this Council:

(a)      reiterates its support for the motion passed on 7th November 2012 condemning the practice of blacklisting;

(b)      notes comments by the Prime Minister on 12th June this year “the Government not only doesn’t support blacklisting but has taken action against it”;

(c)      further notes the reaction of Unite Assistant General Secretary, Gail Cartmail to the Prime Minister’s comments:

"For Mr Cameron to claim the Tories have taken action against blacklisting is unbelievable and it's an insult to the victims. The Tories have done nothing to prevent blacklisting and Mr Cameron quite clearly opposes a full public inquiry.  The Tories are displaying staggering complacency when they should be supporting a proper inquiry into this proven conspiracy."; and

(d)      resolves to write to the Deputy Prime Minister urging him to raise this issue with the Prime Minister, seeking a full investigation into blacklisting.

That this Council:

(a)      fully supports the calls for a decarbonisation target in the Energy Bill and profoundly regrets that the recent amendment proposing one was defeated;

(b)      notes that had all Liberal Democrat MPs supported the amendment it could have been carried, however regrets that yet again MPs such as the Deputy Prime Minister placed their loyalty towards their Coalition colleagues above delivering real action on climate change;

(c)      believes that this typifies the present Government’s abject failure to deliver meaningful action on climate change;

(d)      notes comments from Andy Atkins, Executive Director of Friends of the Earth: "The Liberal Democrat leadership’s green credibility has been left in tatters after siding with the Conservatives to back a headlong dash for gas – this would send fuel bills rocketing and jobs overseas, and punch a gaping hole in our climate targets"; and also the comments of Doug Parr, Chief Scientist and Policy Director of Greenpeace UK: "For the sake of households struggling with gas bills, and for the sake of the climate, they [the Lib Dems] must not allow clean energy to be another concession to the Tory right."; and

(e)      warmly welcomes the commitment by HM Opposition to set a decarbonisation target in its election manifesto and believes this is an example of real action to tackle climate change.

That this Council:

(a)      believes that Liberal Democrats in Government are working to build  a stronger economy and a fairer society;

(b)      notes that since the 2010 General Election, more than one million private sector jobs have been created in the United Kingdom, alongside a massive expansion in the number of young people starting apprenticeships;

(c)      wholeheartedly welcomes the Liberal Democrat ‘A Million Jobs’ campaign, which now aims to create one million more jobs in Britain;

(d)      in particular, backs measures delivered by the Coalition Government which will help generate jobs in the Sheffield City Region, and welcomes the following outcomes:

(i)       new jobs and investment at the Advanced Manufacturing Park;

(ii)      a new University Technical College for Sheffield, which will provide the skills the next generation of Sheffielders need to compete; and

(iii)      5,430 young people starting an apprenticeship in Sheffield in just one year, a 54% increase on the previous Government’s last year in office;

(e)      thanks the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam for helping to secure investment for our City and supports his proposals, made in a recent speech in Sheffield, for a Local Growth Committee to ensure more power is devolved to regions; and

(f)       agrees to give its full backing to the ‘A Million Jobs’ campaign and directs that a copy of this motion is forwarded to all Sheffield MPs.

That this Council:

(a)      notes the importance to the UK of the arts and creative industries, with art and culture enriching the lives of individuals, reinforcing a sense of local community, and being vital to the economy, generating more than £36 billion a year and employing 1.5 million people;

(b)      calls on the Government actively to support the arts by developing a strategy for the arts and creative industries;

(c)      believes that this should include putting creativity at the heart of education, ensuring that creative industries have access to finance and funding, protecting intellectual property, supporting the arts and creative industries, including museums and galleries, in all nations and regions of the country, not just London, and attracting inward investment and providing support for exports;

(d)      recognises that it is not only right in principle that the arts should be for everyone but that the arts thrive when they draw on the pool of talent of young people from every part of the country and all walks of life; and

(e)      believes that a strong Department for Culture, Media and Sport, with a Secretary of State standing up for the arts, is crucial.

That this Council:

(a)      notes that the Castle Market was built on the site of the original Sheffield Castle which was first mentioned in written records in 1184;

(b)      further notes that demolition of the current Castle Market presents a unique opportunity to excavate the Castle site and incorporate it into a wider regeneration strategy for the area;

(c)      notes the Administration’s plans to fully excavate the ruins of the Castle's foundations and open them to the general public;

(d)      confirms that the Administration is in discussions with the Heritage Lottery Fund to try and secure the necessary resources to excavate the site;

(e)      furthermore, confirms the Administration’s intention to incorporate community involvement as a key element of any plans for excavation and display of any Castle remains and/or artefacts found at the site; and

(f)       therefore commits to begin stakeholder engagement this summer with interested parties and the public, and to re-form the cross-party Castle Member Group and to work with the Friends of Sheffield Castle Group, to begin discussions on how to progress the project for the benefit of Sheffield and the Castlegate area.

That this Council:

(a)      notes the announcement by the Shadow Chancellor, The Rt. Hon. Ed Balls MP, that the Labour Party are considering proposals for a Regional Benefits Cap;

(b)      believes this policy would amount to an attack on the people of Sheffield and regrets that the Labour Party leadership are proposing a policy so damaging to our City;

(c)      furthermore notes the comments of the ex-Chief Whip of the Labour Party and MP for Newcastle East, who ridiculed the proposals;

(d)      is delighted that the Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury, The Rt. Hon. Danny Alexander MP, has stated that there is “no prospect” of the current Government introducing a regional cap and highlights his comments that “In terms of regionalising benefits, for me as a Liberal Democrat, it's just a non-starter”; and

(e)      calls upon the Leader of the Council to write to the Shadow Chancellor, condemning this unfair proposal, and use her influence in the Labour Party to ensure this policy is not adopted.

That this Council:

(a)      notes reports in The Sheffield Star on 17th June 2013 that Sheffield City Council is considering the introduction of a ‘hotel tax’;

(b)      believes a ‘hotel tax’ could ultimately damage Sheffield’s economy and result in a loss of jobs;

(c)      regrets that the current Administration have dreamt up yet another poorly-thought-through ‘anti-business’ proposal; and

(d)      calls on the Administration to immediately rule out the possibility of a ‘hotel tax’ and work with local businesses instead of against them.