Agenda, decisions and minutes

1.1

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions were given.

The Chair explained the order of business and that there was a slight change to the agenda. 

Unfortunately, Birley Spa Primary School were unable to attend the meeting to collect their certificates for the good parking scheme, also due to illness, Sheffield Credit Union were unable to attend  and sent their apologies, therefore a presentation from the Councils cost of living team on cost of living support hub services would be given.

Firstly there would be a presentation from Planning officers on the draft Sheffield Local Plan, then an update from the cost of living team, followed by a public question session where those present were invited to ask questions and  any questions that had been submitted in writing would be read out.

For the final item, the Area Manager, Jayne Foulds, would then detail the latest budget report for the South East LAC, for approval by the Committee.

At the close of the formal meeting, there would be stands open for a public interaction session.

2.1

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Denise Fox, Mick Rooney, Jackie Satur and Paul Wood.

3.1

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

4.1

There were no interests declared at the meeting.

5.1

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 6^th October 2022, were approved as a correct record subject to an amendment to a typographical error on page 15, paragraph 8.2, which should read “Work was ongoing with the Woodhouse Forum and each Ward should see an increase in Mother and toddler groups across the four wards.”

6.1

Unfortunately, Birley Spa Primary School were unable to attend the meeting to collect their certificates for the good parking scheme. It was advised that they would attend a future meeting.

7.1

The Committee received a presentation from Simon Vincent, Strategic Planning and Service Manager, Planning Service, on progress regarding the Draft Sheffield Plan.

Mr Vincent reported on the aims and objectives of the Plan, which would replace the Sheffield Core Strategy (2009) and the Unitary Development Plan (1998), how the Plan would affect southeast Sheffield, public consultation on the Plan, which runs from 9th January to 20th February, 2023, and the steps in terms of finalising the Plan, which would hopefully be adopted in December 2024.

The Chair opened up the meeting for questions regarding the presentation

Questions

Questioner 1 (Gillian) - There is already a Gypsy/Traveller site at Holbrook, has this been revamped or closed.

(Answer) – The existing site at Holbrook would remain.  There are two existing sites in Sheffield at present at Holbrook and another South West of the City.  These sites would remain as these met the need of the gypsy and travellers.  They are looking to extend the Redmires site.  The council has to legally provide the sites.  The need that hasn’t been met is sites for traveling show people, at the moment they have a very cramped site in Chapeltown, which operates without any problems, and they are struggling for space and have been looking for a new site for a long time and we think this site fits the criteria that we have been using to select sites.  There would be access to the site from Eckington Way, and most of the site would be developed for light industry and compatible with the adjoining houses, it would not be anything noisy that’s creates disturbance.

(Gillian) – From an employee point of view, the Long Acre Estate site creates a lot of fly tipping, will provision be in place to stop this happening at Drakehouse as well?

(Answer) – This will be quite a different setup in terms of the travelling show people as these are essentially a business who operate fairground rides and happen to live in mobile homes, it does not cause any problems in Chapeltown and would not envisage it would cause problems here to.

Questioner 2 (Michael Meredith) –you mentioned about 5F in Owlthorpe.  When they were first brought out they were C,D,E and F, then F was dropped out, I believe it was dropped out because you couldn’t get access to the road at the top, because it was thought it was too dangerous, where you going to get access to this site, is it going to come through site e or how you going to get access to it?

(Answer) – Access is still an issue that would need to be looked at but would expect it to come from the main road it would not be from site E so it is likely to come off the main road.

(Michael Meredith)- What about the Fire Brigade at the top, you’ve put the fire station there, I doubt if you could get it past? You mentioned you want  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.1

The Sheffield Credit Union were unable to attend the meeting due to illness, therefore the Councils cost of living team were in attendance to update on cost-of-living support hub services.

Alex Westran attended the meeting to give the update and advised that the team was originally put together as a covid response hub but since last year this had now transitioned to provide support on cost-of-living issues.  The team included frontline Community Support Helpline staff, plus a team of project staff, who supported wider coordination and the delivery of cost-of-living support.

It was advised that Voluntary Action Sheffield (VAS) had a map of Welcome Places which aimed to encourage people to access existing and new ‘warm places’ eg. Libraries, community organisations and the services and support they offered.  The map was available at www.vas.org.uk/sheffield-living-crisis-map-of-support .

A Community Support Helpline was a quick access support line for anyone who needed hardship support, and this included crisis grants administered by a team and wider signposting support was available around hardship and cost of living issues. The details for this helpline were 0114 2734567 (option 0) or email to CommunitySupportHelpline@sheffield.gov.uk .

The Household Support Fund was a non-repayable grant administered by the Community Support Helpline team for anyone in hardship.  The grant was intended to support applicants with food, energy and essentials connected to energy, wider essential needs, but could also be used for other essential items on a discretionary basis.  Applications cold be made at www.sheffield.gov.uk/cost-of-living/apply-household-support-fund  or by calling the community support helpline.

There was a support toolkit available to support workers who were providing frontline cost-of-living support and advice.  This toolkit could be accessed through www.sheffield.gov.uk/utilities/cost-of-living

The committee was advised that a NeighbourGood Postcard was available with easy links to the up to date cost of living information for frontline workers to use and these could be downloaded at www.sheffield.gov.uk/utilities/cost-of-living.  A variety of bite-sized videos on cost of living topics such as winter fuel payments, problematic gambling, Sheffield Credit Union and how to use ‘entitled to’ benefit calculator could be found at www.sheffield.gov.uk/utilities/cost-of-living/support-resources .

8.2

9.1

The Chair advised that questions had been submitted in writing from Mr Michael Meredith.  Mr Meredith would receive answers to these questions in writing.

Mr Meredith advised that he still awaited written answers to previous questions submitted.  The Chair assured Mr Meredith that answers would be provided in writing.

(Glynis Chapman) – Questions are around the development of the old site at Knowle Hill formally a Care Home and only today I got a letter as I live across the road from Knowle Hill. It’s says on the local forum that the land should be cleared and redeveloped for 25 spaces for people probably escaping abuse, but here on the letter it says 25 eligible households for people who have become homeless.  It’s a big site, but a household can be one person or four people, is there going to be 100 people on there or just 25 homeless people?

(Councillor Tony Downing) – We were briefed on this a while ago.  It going to 25 single units, temporary accommodation for people waiting for a home, not people coming off the streets, it will be 2 years in the making, it will need to go through the planning process and will go out to public consultation.  It will also have 24-hour people on site, so its not a site that is left open for homeless people to come and go as they please, it will be monitored and 24 hours support.

(Glynis Chapman) – Therefore if it has 24 hours staffing and security, you are expecting problems, I mean why would you have 24 security, if you weren’t thinking something is going to be going wrong, you are putting it  in a place where there is nothing, no bus stop and one shop, nothing else.  25 people/ 25 units if you are leaving for a family place because of abuse, more often than not there are children, are you outing children in there as well, it’s bad planning.

(Councillor Bryan Lodge) – I’m the Co-Chair of the Finance Sub-Committee and the report went through the approval process there last week.  Its one- and two-bedroom units because there maybe people with children, so there will be a number of 2 bedroom and a number of 1-bedroom units in there because of people escaping from abuse and domestic violence, so its supported, its not security, its support for the people who are going through.  Its almost like a step to get them into permanent accommodation.  It was short-term accommodation to help them through.

(Glynis Chapman) - We all know there is a shortage of accommodation, so we all know this temporary could become a lot longer.

(Councillor Bryan Lodge) – This is one the reasons why we are looking to develop it as there is a shortage of temporary accommodation as well and so people are being put into bed and breakfast , which is not an ideal situation in bed and breakfasts or bedsits when there are children.  Its to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.