Agenda and minutes

1.1

No apologies for absence were received.

2.1

No items were identified where resolutions may be moved to exclude the public and press.

3.1

There were no declarations of interest.

4.1

The minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 6^th July, 2022, were approved as a correct record.

5.1

Question 1. from Hazel Daniels to Councillors Paul Turpin and Marieanne Elliot (as Green Councillors on the Committee)

With regard to the green space in the area, to what extent does it drive your actions as local councillors?

In response, Councillor Paul Turpin thanked Hazel for her question and said that as Green Councillors, they are environmentalists and support the environment and green spaces. We are not trying to save the planet for the planets sake, the planet will outlive humanity by a number a of years. What he would really like would be to have a safe, good world for people to thrive and live happy fulfilling lives, through the enjoyment of environmental green spaces, to keep air clean and maintain balance and support life including the biodiversity of animals and plants.

5.2

Question 2 from Hazel Daniels

She said the reason she asked the first question was due to the fact that she lives in Meersbrook and referred to a recent planning application to the local authority, where  approval had been given for the housing development at the top of Meersbrook Avenue which totally strips the biodiversity of the area. How can you rationalise this decision?

In response, Councillor Paul Turpin stated that he was not and never had been a member of the Planning Committee and had never done the training so wouldn’t be allowed on the Committee. He had neither supported nor objected to the development, but he did support local residents and would put forward local proposals and suggestions on behalf of residents. Councillor Turpin said the development was for planned zero carbon housing on a former brownfield site that had not been used for a number of years. He said that as far as he was aware, there were planned green spaces amongst the houses and plans to retain public green space and he was happy to mediate between residents and the Council on any matters raised. 

Councillor Marieanne Elliot said that she too had never been a member of the Planning Committee, but likewise she would be happy to pass on any feedback received from residents to the developer of the site. She said she was aware of issues raised by residents and would continue to mediate between them and the developer.

Councillor Alexi Dimond said that there were issues in the planning application, such as tree retention orders, access onto Derbyshire Lane etc.. These were issues which he had raised with the Planning Officers and to which so far, he had not received a satisfactory response.

5.3

Question from Ernest Brewin

Mr Brewin asked whether the Council, when considering the proposed 20mph scheme for Derbyshire Lane, had included Harvey Clough Road and Mount View Road within the scheme? He said the speed that some travel along those roads make it exceedingly difficult to cross and unsafe for children to use.

In response, Councillor Ian Auckland said that the proposals for the scheme were to include most residential roads in the area,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.1

Tina Weston, Trading Standards Enforcement Officer  gave background information in the “Not Born Yesterday” campaign, which was run by Sheffield Trading Standards, who were a small team that investigate incidents of financial abuse, primarily through incidents of doorstep crime, rogue trading and scams.  The Not Born Yesterday brand, was launched in 2018 to raise awareness and tackle the problems faced by the residents of Sheffield.  She said the aim was to keep people in the city safe and improve their health and quality of life and ensure a fair-trading environment for consumers and businesses.  She said Local Authorities have a duty to identify, report, investigate and safeguard victims who had been or are at risk of being a victim of financial abuse.  Tina Weston said the pandemic, which obviously saw already lonely people become even more isolated from their family, friends and community, gave rise to an increase in scams.

Nuisance calls increased from 21% to 40% in the last two years and fraud was the most commonly experienced crime, accounting for approximately 42% of crime against individuals. She said that statistics showed someone was three times more likely to be a victim of a scam than be burgled, 19 times more likely to be a victim of a scam than be mugged and a third of scam victims fell for a second scam within 12 months.  She stated that the impact of falling for a scam could see a decline in mental health, cause social isolation, loss of confidence to live independently and a deterioration in physical health.  She said half of scams start with a phone call and Trading Standards have 13 call blockers which can easily be installed and loaned for three months.

6.2

Tina Weston responded to a question stating that should anyone fall foul of a bank card scam, the person should contact the bank immediately who had the power to block cards straight away to prevent them being abused.  She said that use of the mobile bank app was absolutely safe and secure, adding that the encryption used by banks was very secure and advised that people should either go into their bank regularly or check their accounts online.

6.3

Councillor Simon Clement-Jones thanked Tina Weston for attending the meeting.

7.1

It was agreed that an update on the Community Plan would be brought to the next meeting of the Committee to be held in January.