Agenda and minutes

South Local Area Committee - Tuesday 4 July 2023 6.00 pm

Venue: Madina Mosque, Conference Room, 24 Wolseley Road, Sheffield, S8 0ZU

Contact: Democratic Services  Email: committee@sheffield.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

Additional documents:

2.

Exclusion of the Press and Public

To identify items where resolutions may be moved to exclude the press and public.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

2.1

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

 

3.

Declarations of Interest pdf icon PDF 86 KB

Members to declare any interests they have in the business to be considered at the meeting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

3.1

There were no declarations of interest.

 

4.

Minutes of Previous Meetings pdf icon PDF 142 KB

To approve the minutes of the meetings of the Committee held on 21 March, 2023 and 17 May, 2023.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

4.1

The minutes of the meetings of the South Local Area Committee held on 21 March, 2023, and 17 May, 2023, were approved as correct records.

 

5.

Public Questions and Petitions pdf icon PDF 110 KB

(a)  to receive any questions or petitions from members of the public; and

(b)  to note the attached document setting out the responses to questions raised at the last meeting, which were not provided at the meeting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

5.1

The Committee received the following questions from members of the public who had submitted the questions prior to the meeting, and who attended the meeting to raise them:

 

 

 

(a)   Simon Duffy

 

I made a simple proposal that Councillors from each party, officers and interested citizens begin the process of ending loneliness in Sheffield. There are some well-established methods that are very low cost. We could bring in expertise. This is a simple suggestion for action.

 

Councillor Nighat Basharat thanked Mr Duffy for raising the question, and stated that it was good to have discussions on this issue. She noted that loneliness was a big problem across Sheffield and that it needed more investigation. She added that she would be willing to look into any suggestions that Mr Duffy had. Following the discussion, a member of the South LAC team would contact Mr Duffy to discuss any next steps.

 

Councillor Simon Clement-Jones, Chair of the Local Area Committee, advised that an informal meeting of the Committee would soon be taking place, where this issue would be raised, and options considered on how to take it forward.

 

Councillor Marieanne Elliot also thanked Mr Duffy for raising this issue. She believed that a good place to start was by involving Ward Members and mapping activity already available at ward level.

 

Councillor Steve Ayris agreed that there was good practice to learn from across all of the South Local Area Committee wards, and that this could be discussed at their next informal meeting. He stated that this issue linked in with the Sheffield Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, created in 2018 but due to expire in 2024, and would be a good opportunity to refresh the city-wide strategy.

 

Councillor Ibby Ullah noted that the Age UK website had a postcode search engine that showed differing levels for risk of loneliness. Sharrow was particularly high, and he intended to work with colleagues to help with the challenges.

 

 

 

(b) Isabel O’Leary

 

Can anyone on this Committee give an update on the Rose Garden Café?

 

Are Committee members aware that the 10,500 people who signed the petition to save the café along with many other park users past, present and future will not accept demolition as an option?

 

Have discussions between the relevant people taken place yet for the restoration plan and it’s funding? Please bear in mind that the Friends of Graves Park have put in an application for substantial government funding for the purpose of restoring the building and have been given reason to be optimistic they will be successful. Can you reassure me that Sheffield City Council is not being deliberately obstructive but instead is paralysed by bureaucracy?

 

Councillor Ian Auckland was welcoming of the applications made by the Friends of Grave Park for funding. He noted that the front wall was bowing and had been identified as ‘dangerous’ and that there were challenges around the solution and cost of this. He added that although several inspections had been undertaken, there were now  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Sheffield Race Equality Commission - findings and next steps

To receive a presentation from Homaira Ibrahim, Equalities & Engagement Officer.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

6.1

The Committee received a presentation from Homaira Ibrahim, Equalities and Engagement Officer.

 

 

6.2

Ms Ibrahim gave a brief overview of the Race Equality Commission recommendations and an update on the whole-city commitment. She explained that it was now time to reflect on the findings and that practice would be progressive so as to embed an anti-racist ethos in all areas of work. She advised that the Race Equality Commission had been commissioned in 2021, and that it was a city-wide commission affecting all organisations across Sheffield. It had an independent Chair and 24 Commissioners, and had heard written and oral evidence of lived experiences of racial disparities across Sheffield. Following this, the Commission had made recommendations and prioritised six areas of focus. She advised that the full report was available on the Sheffield City Council website, and listed all of the recommendations and individual targets. The evidence had found Sheffield to be a racist city; change was needed, and partners across the city would be held accountable through the Legacy Group, which had the responsibility of embedding practice systemically to enable Sheffield to become an anti-racist city within three years. The Sheffield City Partnership Board, community, and anchor institutions were working together in order to have a working model in place by October 2023. She explained that the south of the city had a diverse population in terms of age and ethnicity, with many languages, cultures, religions and beliefs, and that it was important to work in collaboration and to share good practice and learning from communities. She noted that information was available from the Equalities team to support individuals and organisations to share the message and to ensure anti-racist practice and service delivery.

 

 

6.3

Councillor Maroof Raouf expressed concern over how seriously the Leadership of Sheffield City Council had viewed this issue, and was disappointed that the Legacy Group had not yet been set up.

 

 

6.4

Councillor Ibby Ullah stated that he had received feedback that suggested that individuals and organisations had not noticed any change following the Race Equality Commission report, and he undertook to help with this change.

 

 

6.5

In response to a question from a member of the public, Ms Ibrahim explained that the Race Equality Commission report had identified major inequalities within education, and that it was important for issues to be owned, whether by individual academies and their governors, or via Sheffield City Council. The education department had been tasked to identify their individual targets. She noted that research had shown that children’s perceptions of race started as early as age two, and a collective approach was needed to realise the benefits of getting into that space.

 

 

6.6

A public questioner asked how community organisations could be strengthened and given more powers and resources to address race inequalities within Sheffield, and queried whether Community Infrastructure Levy monies could be used to address the issues that have been raised.

 

 

6.7

Councillor Alexi Dimond also expressed disappointment that the Legacy Group had not yet been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

South Local Area Committee Budget 2023-24 pdf icon PDF 155 KB

Report of the South Local Area Committee Manager.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

7.1

The Local Area Committee received an update from Diane Owens, South Local Area Committee Manager. She referred to the ‘South Local Area Committee Budget 2023-24’ report which included an overview of how the budget for the financial year 2022 to 2023 had been allocated. During the municipal year 2022-2023, updates on spending had been given at the Local Area Committee meetings. She advised that £31,930 had been carried forward to the 2023-2024 financial year and outlined the projects this has been allocated to. Ms Owens explained that an additional £100,000 had been allocated to the Local Area Committee for 2023-24 and confirmed that the Committee intended to reflect on the Community Plan and allocate spending in line with this. Members had been speaking to residents and communities and the intention was to reflect and identify any gaps before the next meeting.

 

 

7.2

RESOLVED: That the South Local Area Committee:

 

(a)  notes the expenditure against the £100,000 budget to address local priorities in the South LAC in 2022/23, and the carry forward of £31,930 into 2023/24, which is allocated to specific projects; and

 

(b)  notes the 2023/24 South LAC budget and next steps in terms of reflecting on the South LAC Community Plan and identifying priorities.