Agenda and minutes

1.1

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Sue Alston, Sue Auckland, Penny Baker, Mike Chaplin, Neale Gibson, Dianne Hurst, Mazher Iqbal, Francyne Johnson, Alan Law, Joe Otten, Moya O’Rourke, Mick Rooney and Andrew Sangar.

2.1

Councillor Angela Argenzio declared a personal interest in relation to agenda item 10 (The Making of Broomhill, Broomfield, Endcliffe, Somerfield and Tapton (BBEST) Neighbourhood Plan) (item 9 of these minutes), as a member of the BBEST Executive.

3.1

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Gail Smith) reported that five petitions and questions from five members of the public had been received prior to the published deadline for submission of petitions and questions for this meeting.  On three of the petitions, representations were to be made on behalf of the petitioners, and the other two petitions would be received in the absence of a speaker.  All five questioners had been invited to attend the meeting to ask their questions.  Questions from another member of the public had been received immediately prior to the start of the meeting and, as chair of the meeting, the Lord Mayor had used her discretion and would permit the question to be asked.

3.2

Petitions

3.2.1

Petition Requesting Transparent and Inclusive Safety Measures in Sheffield’s Green Spaces

The Council received a petition containing 2,148 signatures requesting the Council introduce transparent and inclusive safety measures in Sheffield’s green spaces.

Representations on behalf of the petitioners were made by Alison Romaine and Jenny Llewelyn on behalf of Our Bodies, Our Streets. Ms Romaine stated that Our Bodies, Our Streets was a grassroots campaign which began during lockdown to challenge street harassment. She stated that Our Bodies, Our Streets had gathered the experiences of over 250 women and other marginalised genders in Sheffield. Ms Romaine said that Our Bodies, Our Streets wanted the Council to improve both the equality and inclusivity of green spaces throughout the year. She asked that the Council invest in inclusive, research-led lighting for green spaces. She stated that Our Bodies, Our Streets wanted the Council to engage with Sheffield’s universities, using data from women and marginalised gender groups to improve access to green spaces. The petitioners stated that public sexual harassment was an intersectional issue, with women of colour, disabled women and trans women experiencing multiple oppressions. Ms Romaine asked that all experiences be gathered through a diverse, collaborative commission. She referenced an Ofsted report which encouraged education at school level around the culture of misogyny and asked that the Council promote this through public education campaigns.

The Council referred the petition to Councillor Alison Teal (Executive Member for Sustainable Neighbourhoods, Wellbeing, Parks and Leisure). Councillor Teal thanked the petitioners for presenting this petition. Councillor Teal stated that the lighting suggested was aesthetically pleasing, and she felt this would be appreciated by residents in Sheffield. Councillor Teal stated she was interested in focusing on male violence, and she wished to consider how men deal with their emotions and their relationship with alcohol. She stated that she believed that the responsibility was on men to make substantial changes to ensure women felt safe in society. She thanked the petitioners once again and stated that she looked forward to meeting with the group and would invite officers to attend the meeting in order to identify which ideas presented could be practically implemented as soon as possible.

3.2.2

Petition requesting the Council oppose the Closure of the Norfolk Park Doctor’s Surgery

The Council received a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

4.1

RESOLVED: On the motion of the Lord Mayor (Councillor Gail Smith) and seconded by Councillor Tony Damms, that, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9.1, the order of business as published on the Council Summons be altered by (a) taking item 9 (Notice of Motion Regarding “Making Sheffield Even Safer For All”) as the next item of business and (b) moving item 6 (Notice of Motion Regarding “Putting Sheffield First”) to be taken after item 8 on the agenda.

4.2

It was moved by Councillor Mary Lea, and seconded by the Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards), that this Council:-

(a)      acknowledges with sadness the abduction and murder of Sarah Everard who was walking home after a quiet evening out at a friend’s house in South London; this incident led to widespread anger among women, many of whom spoke out about their own experiences of harassment and abuse when simply going about their daily lives;

(b)      believes Sheffield to be one of the safest of the largest cities and that we want all our residents to feel safe going about their daily lives in our city and we want all women and girls to feel safe and protected in their own homes, exercising and playing in our green spaces and socialising in our city centre and local communities;

(c)      notes that the third round of bidding is now underway for the Government’s Safer Streets Fund, and that the bids are being asked to focus on safety and feelings of safety in public places, particularly for women and girls;

(d)      welcomes the work and petition of Our Bodies, Our Streets, a student-led campaign in Sheffield which aims to end street harassment and improve public safety for women and marginalised genders; Safer Parks After Dark, their current project, aims to ensure that public spaces are welcoming and safe from street harassment through demanding safety interventions and initiating dialogue about this in our local communities; and the campaign has had talks with council members and officers in Sheffield and also in Rotherham;

(e)      welcomes the detailed work that has been undertaken by the Campaign Group to identify current issues as well as potential solutions that could be developed and a call to action based on best practice identified from other areas in the UK and internationally;

(f)       resolves to consult and work with the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner, businesses, community, student and voluntary groups, both in the city and other local authorities, to prepare a bid for funding based around the proposals brought forward by Our Bodies, Our Streets, including:-

(i)       improve lighting in parks and other open spaces; and

(ii)       learn from any examples of best practice in other areas and countries which would improve and increase outdoor safety in this city; and

(g)      asks for a report to be brought forward which considers how local action can be taken, working across partners, to address the full range of ideas brought forward in Our Bodies, Our Streets  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.1

Urgent Business

There were no questions relating to urgent business under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.6(ii).

5.2

Written Questions

A schedule of questions to Executive Members, submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16, and which contained written answers, was circulated.  Supplementary questions, under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.4, were asked and were answered by the appropriate Executive Members.

5.3

South Yorkshire Joint Authorities

Questions relating to the discharge of the functions of the South Yorkshire Joint Authorities for Fire and Rescue and Pensions (under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.6i), were not able to be asked before the expiry of the time limit for Members’ Questions.

6.1

It was moved by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, and seconded by Councillor Barbara Masters, that this Council:-

(a)      believes that local government is at its best when it operates on the principles of truth, trust and transparency;

(b)      believes that the destruction of large numbers of healthy highway trees, the handling of the associated protests and the withholding of information has undermined public trust in the Council and that this trust must be rebuilt and restored;

(c)      believes that a necessary step to rebuilding this trust is to hold an inquiry to ascertain the facts and make recommendations, and specifically that such an inquiry:-

(i)       is fully held in public;

(ii)       is led by someone of the status of a retired judge, and who has a detailed understanding of public procurement;

(iii)      has access to all the council papers it requests; and

(iv)     is able to question any council officers it believes appropriate;

(d)      recommends that the Cooperative Executive commission such an inquiry to commence by September 2021 at the latest;

(e)      calls on all current and past councillors and past council officers to co-operate with this inquiry;

(f)       calls on partners, specifically Amey and South Yorkshire Police, to co-operate with this inquiry; and

(g)      resolves to request the Cooperative Executive to publish the findings of this inquiry and act on its recommendations.

6.2

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Julie Grocutt, and seconded by Councillor Cate McDonald, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of paragraphs (b) to (d), the addition of new paragraphs (b) to (g) as follows, and the re-lettering of original paragraphs (e) to (g) as new paragraphs (h) to (j):-

(b)      acknowledges that the Council has made an unreserved apology for the failings relating to the implementation of the Streets Ahead project and the management of the street trees element of this, following the reports of the Local Government Ombudsman, the Forestry Commission and the Lessons Learnt work;

(c)      believes that over the past three years the approach to Streets Ahead and highway trees is now significantly different and supported by the majority of people, however recognises that this should have been reached a long time before it was; 

(d)      notes that we are now working towards a street tree strategy that has been co-produced with the groups who were previously at the centre of the dispute and believes this is a demonstration of how far we have come together and thanks everyone who has been involved in making this happen;

(e)      recognises that the Administration has already committed to holding an inquiry and, as outlined in the commitments of the Co-operative Executive, the Council will ‘Appoint an independent person to conduct a local non-statutory inquiry into the management of the street trees dispute.’;

(f)       believes that the important principle of the inquiry is that it is independent and that this should be undertaken in accordance with best practice for similar inquires in local government and supports that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.1

It was moved by Councillor Peter Garbutt, and seconded by Councillor Angela Argenzio, that this Council:-

(a)      recognises our natural world is struggling from the impact of habitat degradation, urbanisation, consumerism, pollution, industrial agricultural and waste management practices and climate change – all contributing to widespread disruption to the survival and distribution of native species;

(b)      recognises and congratulates the excellent work by the Ecology Department, supported by the Parks and Countryside Service and partner organisations, being done on Species Specific Projects, as well as Landscape Projects, e.g. Urban Nature Parks and Nature Recovery Networks; and that, in addition, the Council defended the ecology of the Loxley River Valley by providing staff as key expert witnesses in a major planning inquiry, for the people of Sheffield;

(c)      in addition, congratulates and thanks all Council departments and employees working on projects and measures that protect and support nature, such as Sustainable Urban Drainage System work on Grey To Green projects, as well as organisations in Sheffield more broadly for their work, such as Hunter's Bar Infant School for their work on their green wall;

(d)      declares a nature emergency;

(e)      commits to developing a comprehensive Nature Emergency Action Plan (NEAP) for Sheffield, in association with partner organisations;

(f)       resolves that the plan will look to connect initiatives and unify the Council’s approach to biodiversity through the NEAP;

(g)      requests the Climate Change, Economy and Development Transitional Committee develop the NEAP with input from all departments within the Council, and providing the opportunity for relevant external partner organisations, businesses and community stakeholders to input and collaborate on initiatives where there are benefits to doing so, for example, a wildlife corridor could affect several departments including Transport, Housing and Parks;

(h)      recognises that co-operation and communication is key to the success of the Nature Emergency Action Plan and that, from the planning stage to implementation, monitoring and protecting, it is important for the Council to lead initiatives which address the Nature Emergency and have widespread support from the public and local campaign groups;

(i)       acknowledges the likely challenges to projects within the NEAP from developers under the current national planning guidelines which severely constrain proper consideration of the Climate and Ecological Emergency, and for this reason, it is imperative that this Council develops robust policies in the Local Plan which can help to protect and enhance biodiversity; and

(j)       requests that the Administration ensures relevant staff and all elected members will receive training on biodiversity net gain (BNG) - a vital aspect of the new Environment Bill.

7.2

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Barbara Masters, seconded by Councillor Tim Huggan, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of new paragraphs (k) to (o) as follows:-

(k)      acknowledges that the work done to promote biodiversity and sustainability in Sheffield over a number of years by the various organisations, formal and informal, working with and within the Council, provides a solid base on which to build, for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

At the request of the proposed mover of the motion (Councillor Terry Fox), and with the consent of both the proposed seconder of the motion (Councillor Julie Grocutt) and of the meeting, item 6 on the agenda (Notice of Motion Regarding “Putting Sheffield First”), was withdrawn from consideration.

9.1

RESOLVED: On the Motion of Councillor Terry Fox, seconded by Councillor Julie Grocutt, that this Council:-

(a)      notes the outcome of the Broomhill, Broomfield, Endcliffe, Somerfield and Tapton (BBEST) Neighbourhood Plan Referendum, as outlined in the report of the Executive Director, Place, now submitted; and

(b)      resolves to ‘make’ the BBEST Neighbourhood Plan such that it is adopted as a planning document as part of Sheffield’s Statutory Development Plan.

10.1

It was moved by Councillor Terry Fox, and seconded by Councillor Julie Grocutt, that approval be given to the recommendations in the report of the Director of Legal and Governance now submitted, regarding the transition to a committee system of governance.

10.2

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Simon Clement-Jones, seconded by Councillor Steve Ayris, as an amendment, that the recommendations in the report be approved with the addition of the following words at the end of paragraph (b)(i) –

“and (A) subject to the size of the Committee being increased from 7 to 11 seats by the addition of one additional nominee from the Labour Group, two additional nominees from the Liberal Democrat Group, and one additional nominee from the Green Group and (B) with a recommendation that a representative of the It’s Our City campaign be co-opted to the Governance Committee in a non-voting capacity.”

10.3

After contributions from three other Members, and following a right of reply from Councillor Terry Fox, the amendment moved by Councillor Simon Clement-Jones was put to the vote and part (A) of the amendment was carried and part (B) of the amendment was negatived.

10.3.1

The votes on the amendment were ordered to be recorded and were as follows:-

For Part (A) of the amendment (69)

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The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards) and Councillors Simon Clement-Jones, Richard Shaw, Sophie Thornton, Bob McCann, Chris Rosling-Josephs, Ann Woolhouse, Denise Fox, Bryan Lodge, Karen McGowan, Angela Argenzio, Brian Holmshaw, Kaltum Rivers, Talib Hussain, Mark Jones, Safiya Saeed, Douglas Johnson, Ruth Mersereau, Martin Phipps, Tim Huggan, Mohammed Mahroof, Ruth Milsom, Mary Lea, Zahira Naz, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Vic Bowden, Alan Woodcock, Roger Davison, Barbara Masters, Shaffaq Mohammed, Abdul Khayum, Abtisam Mohamed, Cliff Woodcraft, Alexi Dimond, Cate McDonald, Paul Turpin, Ian Auckland, Steve Ayris, Christine Gilligan, George Lindars-Hammond, Josie Paszek, Terry Fox, Anne Murphy, Tony Downing, Kevin Oxley, Peter Garbutt, Maroof Raouf, Alison Teal, Ben Miskell, Jack Scott, Sophie Wilson, David Barker, Mike Drabble, Dawn Dale, Peter Price, Garry Weatherall, Tony Damms, Jayne Dunn, Vickie Priestley, Richard Williams, Julie Grocutt, Ben Curran, Bernard Little, Alan Hooper, Mike Levery, Ann Whitaker, Jackie Satur and Paul Wood.

Against Part (A) of the amendment (0)

-

Nil

Abstained from voting on Part (A) of the amendment (2)

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The Lord Mayor (Councillor Gail Smith) and Councillor Lewis Chinchen.

For Part (B) of the amendment (24)

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Councillors Simon Clement-Jones, Richard Shaw, Sophie Thornton, Bob McCann, Ann Woolhouse, Tim Huggan, Mohammed Mahroof, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Vic Bowden, Alan Woodcock, Roger Davison, Barbara Masters, Shaffaq Mohammed, Cliff Woodcraft, Ian Auckland, Steve Ayris, Kevin Oxley, Vickie Priestley, Richard Williams, Lewis Chinchen, Alan Hooper, Mike Levery and Ann Whitaker.

Against Part (B) of the amendment (46)

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The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards) and Councillors Chris Rosling-Josephs, Denise Fox, Bryan Lodge, Karen McGowan, Angela Argenzio, Brian Holmshaw, Kaltum Rivers, Talib Hussain, Mark Jones, Safiya Saeed, Douglas Johnson, Ruth  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.1

RESOLVED: On the Motion of the Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards), seconded by Councillor Julie Grocutt, that this Council adopts the updated Members’ Code of Conduct appended to the report of the Director of Legal and Governance now submitted, following agreement by the Audit and Standards Committee on 25^th March 2021.

12.1

RESOLVED: On the Motion of Councillor Tony Damms, seconded by Councillor Garry Weatherall, that:-

(a) it be noted that, further to the decision taken by the City Council at its annual meeting held on 19th May 2021, in relation to the establishment of committees for the Municipal Year 2021/22, and in order to ensure that each political group has the required number of seats overall in comparison to the total number of seats available on all committees to reflect their composition on the Council as a whole, the Labour Group had released a seat on each of the Children, Young People and Family Support Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee, the Healthier Communities and Adult Social Care Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee, and on Transitional Committee 4 (‘Education, Health and Care’), with the seats on the Children, Young People and Family Support Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee and on the Transitional Committee 4 (‘Education, Health and Care’) being allocated to the Liberal Democrat Group, and the seat on Healthier Communities and Adult Social Care Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee being allocated to Councillor Lewis Chinchen;

(b) it be noted that, in accordance with the authority given by the City Council at its annual meeting held on 19th May 2021, the Chief Executive had authorised the following appointments, with effect from the dates shown:-

Scrutiny Committee Substitute Members

-

Councillors Dianne Hurst, Abdul Khayum, Anne Murphy, Peter Price and Sioned-Mair Richards to serve as substitutes for Labour Group Members, with effect from 20^th May 2021;

Councillors Sue Auckland, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Richard Shaw and Martin Smithto serve as substitutes for Liberal Democrat Group Members, with effect from 20^th May 2021.

Planning and Highways Committee Substitute Members

-

Councillors Ian Auckland, Alan Hooper, Tim Huggan, Barbara Masters, Vickie Priestley and Cliff Woodcraft to serve as substitutes for Liberal Democrat Group Members, with effect from 20^th May 2021.

Audit and Standards Committee

-

Councillor David Barker to replace Councillor Dianne Hurst, and Councillor Ben Curran to fill a vacancy, both with effect from 20^th May 2021.

Admissions Committee

-

Councillor Denise Fox to replace Councillor Sophie Wilson with effect from 20^th May 2021.

South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel Substitute Members

-

Councillors Tony Damms and Garry Weatherall to serve as substitutes for the Labour Group Members, with effect from 26^th May 2021; and

Councillor Joe Otten to serve as substitute for the Liberal Democrat Group Member, with effect from 20^th May 2021.

Sheffield City Region Combined Authority Executive Board for Transport and the Environment Board

-

Councillor Douglas Johnson to fill a vacancy as the SCC Member with effect from 11^th June 2021.

(c) approval be given to the following changes to the memberships of Committees, Boards, etc.:-

Overview & Scrutiny Management Committee

-

Councillors Ian Auckland and Joe Otten to replace Councillors Penny Baker and Tim Huggan.

Children, Young People and Family Support Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee

-  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.