Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Town Hall, Pinstone Street, Sheffield, S1 2HH

Contact: Paul Robinson, Democratic Services  Email: paul.robinson@sheffield.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Mr John Corris

Minutes:

2.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

3.

Declarations of Interest pdf icon PDF 65 KB

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

Minutes:

4.

Minutes Of Previous Council Meeting pdf icon PDF 332 KB

To receive the record of the proceedings of the meeting of the Council held on 2nd November 2016 and to approve the accuracy thereof.

Minutes:

5.

Public Questions and Petitions and Other Communications

(a)  To receive any questions or petitions from the public, or communications submitted by the Lord Mayor or the Chief Executive and to pass such resolutions thereon as the Council Procedure Rules permit and as may be deemed expedient.

 

(b)  Petition Requiring Debate

 

The Council’s Petitions Scheme requires that any petition containing over 5,000 signatures be the subject of debate at the Council meeting.  A qualifying petition has been received as follows:-

 

Petition regarding the future of Sheffield Central Library

To debate an electronic petition (https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-sheffield-central-library) containing 8,078 signatures (as at 29th November) calling on the Council to “keep the beautiful, purpose-built Central Library building as a library, reject any plans to re-purpose the building and invest in the upkeep of this building as a full public resource.”  The wording of the e-petition is as follows:-

 

“Libraries have been under threat across the country. Sheffield has already seen Walkley library sold to commercial interests. Now our council has opened up a review into commercial uses for the Central Library, with the possibility it will become a five-star hotel.

 

The Central Library is a meeting space for groups and individuals, hosts talks by local and national authors and helps people use the internet. It is also a beautiful building, purpose built as a public space, which the general public can currently enjoy.

 

The story of our beautiful art deco Central Library began in 1929, to a design by W. G. Davies and was conceived as part of a plan to create a civic (public) square. Today, the library houses Sheffield's largest general lending and reference collection. The Graves Art Gallery sits on the third floor with a gift shop and cafe and the Library Theatre, a space for local and student theatre companies, lives in the basement. It also houses a children's library. From the start, this building was imagined as a public space from top to bottom and should remain as such.”

 

Minutes:

6.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed

That this Council:-

 

(a)       notes with regret the actions of the Council in relation to the Rustlings Road trees on 17th November 2016;

 

(b)       believes the actions of the Council were wholly disproportionate and unfitting in a modern, open liberal democracy;

 

(c)        believes that night-time visits from the police to be appropriate for the direst emergencies or other extreme circumstances, and recognises that being woken up by police officers in the early hours of the morning would be very distressing for anyone;

 

(d)       condemns the use of offences in the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, intended to limit aggressive picketing, against public spirited citizens exercising their right of peaceful protest;

 

(e)       regrets the Administration’s persistent refusal to have regard to the concerns of communities and be open to alternative solutions to felling healthy trees, including a 16,000 strong petition brought to Full Council;

 

(f)        believes that taxpayers money that has been spent on tree forums, independent tree panel reports (which have largely been ignored) and the Rustlings Road police operations, negates any financial argument for felling healthy mature roadside trees;

 

(g)       condemns the decision to fell the trees on Rustlings Road in defiance of the advice of the Independent Tree Panel and the public demands that trees be saved, and the late release of the report until only approximately 15 minutes before the tree felling commenced;

 

(h)       acknowledges and cautiously welcomes the apology by the Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Bryan Lodge, for the way in which the Rustlings Road felling was carried out, however, believes the apology only touches on the way the Rustlings Road felling was carried out, rather than the underlying issues which led to the event;

 

(i)         is saddened by the proliferation of negative press coverage for Sheffield and this Council in the national media, with the episode being branded “rotten”, “preposterous” and a “disaster”; and

 

(j)         believes that the actions and attitude of the Administration over tree felling has led to a feeling of mistrust for this city’s elected representatives and a lack of faith in process for many Sheffield people across the city.

 

Minutes:

7.

Members' Questions pdf icon PDF 223 KB

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

 

            (NB. Minutes of recent meetings of the two South Yorkshire Joint Authorities have been made available to all Members of the Council via the following link -

            http://sheffielddemocracy.moderngov.co.uk/ecCatDisplay.aspx?sch=doc&cat=13165&path=0)

 

Minutes:

8.

Representation, Delegated Authority and Related Issues pdf icon PDF 34 KB

To consider any changes to the memberships and arrangements for meetings of Committees etc., delegated authority, and the appointment of representatives to serve on other bodies.

Minutes:

9.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Ben Miskell

That this Council:-

 

(a)          reiterates support for previous resolutions calling on the government to give local authorities the powers they need to respond to concerns from their local communities and stop the proliferation of Fixed Odds Betting Terminal (FOBT) machines and betting shops;

 

(b)       notes that each betting outlet can provide four FOBT machines which offer casino style content including games such as roulette at up to £100 a spin, which can be wagered every 20 seconds, and believes:-

 

(i)         it is in response to the cap that bookmakers have opened multiple premises in clusters to facilitate more machines as a fixed margin product guarantees bookmakers a return; and

 

(ii)        as a result, FOBTs have become a significant part of their business operations which has led to betting shops proliferating on high streets and licenses being moved from tertiary locations to clusters;

 

(c)       further notes there are now more than 33,400 FOBTs offering casino content on high streets, illustrating this is a nation-wide issue, and that there are also more than twice as many betting shops in the poorest 55 local authority areas compared with the most affluent 115, which are equivalent by population;

 

(d)       notes the campaign led by the London Borough of Newham, with support from a number of local authorities, to support the Sustainable Communities Act (SCA) submission to reduce the stakes on category B2 Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) in on-street betting outlets from £100 to £2 per spin;

 

(e)       wholeheartedly supports this campaign, which will help to tackle the proliferation of betting shops throughout Sheffield, an issue which the Council is hamstrung to tackle;

 

(f)        notes that the Government have announced a full review of high stake gaming machines, with consultation closing on 4th December; and

 

(g)       directs that a copy of this motion is sent to the Government and the London Borough of Newham to convey Sheffield’s full support for the campaign, in addition to the Council providing a full response to the Government consultation.

 

Minutes:

10.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Nasima Akther

That this Council:-

 

(a)       notes the publication in November of new figures by the End Child Poverty coalition which highlight that there are more than 3.5 million children living in poverty in the UK;

 

(b)       further notes that Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough has the 14th highest levels of child poverty of any constituency in the country with 39.7% of children (11,706 children) living in poverty and in Sheffield Central 34.9% of children (5,452 children) are living in poverty;

 

(c)        believes that this number of children living in poverty is disgraceful and notes that from the beginning of the Coalition Government in 2010 children’s charities have been warning that the Government’s policies would result in increased child poverty and this has been seen through the significant growth in foodbanks in recent years;

 

(d)       regrets that child poverty has increased by over 200,000 in the past year and notes reports by the Institute for Fiscal Studies which suggest that the UK is set for the biggest increase in child poverty in a generation and that by 2020 child poverty will have risen by 50%;

 

(e)       regrets that the changes to Universal Credit announced in the Autumn Statement do not address the huge cuts made by this Government and recalls that the cuts to Universal Credit introduced by this Government have taken £2,100 per year from 2.5 million working families today and the measures in the Autumn Statement will give them back as little as £150;

 

(f)        notes research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation which highlights that lone parents with 2 children, working full time on the National Living Wage, have lost £2,586 per year due to changes in benefits since 2015; and

 

(g)       welcomes Labour’s proposal to reverse cuts to Universal Credit Work Allowances, to restore the important principle abandoned by this Government that work will always pay.

 

Minutes:

11.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Paul Scriven

That this Council:-

 

(a)       notes the publication of the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Sustainability and Transformation Plan;

 

(b)       notes with concern that the Plan estimates a shortfall in NHS and social care funding in our area of £571 million by 2020/21, including £107million for social care, a proportion of which will be relating to this Council’s budget;

 

(c)        is concerned by the reply given by Councillor Cate McDonald, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, at the Full Council meeting in September, when she stated “I have not received a copy of the initial SYB submission to the NHS Executive”, when at the same time senior figures within Sheffield City Council have been at the top table in this process;

 

(d)       believes that it is vital the people and their elected representatives have their say on changes made to local NHS and Social Care services and are not presented with plans made behind closed doors without any public or patient involvement;

 

(e)       believes that the bottom line is that the Government is not spending enough on the NHS, and that there will be serious failures of care in our area unless we see more investment in our health service;

 

(f)        condemns the Chancellor of the Exchequer for neglecting to mention the NHS and social care in his Autumn Statement document; and

 

(g)       notes the Liberal Democrat policy, established at its 2016 autumn conference, for the establishment of an independent, cross-party commission to reform the funding settlement across health and care and to look into the possibility of a new Health and Care Tax, which would amount to a 1p rise in income tax per pound, to help guarantee the future of the NHS and vital care services.

 

Minutes:

12.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Kieran Harpham

That this Council:-

 

(a)       is appalled by the decision of the Home Secretary not to hold an inquiry into the policing of picket lines at the Orgreave coking plant on 18th June 1984 during the Miners’ Strike, and condemns the decision taken on 31st October 2016 as a great injustice;

 

(b)       believes that with this ruling, the Home Secretary has shown great contempt for the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, many former miners, their families and communities who for more than 32 years have waited for the truth and who have displayed huge courage and tenacity in trying to hold the authorities to account;

 

(c)        observes that even the Independent Police Complaints Commission said in their redacted report released in June 2015 that there was “evidence of excessive violence by police officers, a false narrative from police exaggerating violence by miners, perjury by officers giving evidence to prosecute the arrested men, and an apparent cover-up of that perjury by senior officers”;

 

(d)       is astonished that, in the light of such statements, the Home Secretary concludes that there are few lessons to be learned by the current police forces from any review of these events, there was no miscarriage of justice, no convictions and therefore there will be no inquiry;

 

(e)       notes that 95 miners were arrested and charged with riot offences, but all were later acquitted amid claims that South Yorkshire Police had fabricated evidence, and that there were also widespread examples of pickets reporting they had been beaten unconscious by police officers, and believes that miners suffered such treatment simply for exercising their right to protest against the threat to their jobs, their industry and communities;

 

(f)        believes it is shameful that, as yet, no-one has to answer for the events of that day in 1984, and that Monday 31st October 2016 was a bad day for justice, but does, however, salute the decision of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign to continue with its fight for transparency and a full public inquiry, and commits to do everything we can to help them;

 

(g)       requests that the Government releases all documents relating to Orgreave into the public domain and that the Home Office fully cooperates with all requests for disclosure and answers questions raised by the Home Affairs Select Committee; and

 

(h)       requests the Leader of the Council to write to the Home Secretary asking that she takes into account the opinion of this Council, accepts that there is widespread public concern about the events at Orgreave, and calling on her to order an inquiry into them.

 

Minutes:

13.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Cate McDonald

That this Council:-

 

(a)       is appalled that at a time when the NHS is facing the biggest financial squeeze in its history, when waiting lists are at four million, and when Accident & Emergency Units are in crisis, the Autumn Statement contained not a single penny of extra investment for social care and the NHS;

 

(b)       regrets that instead of putting extra investment into the NHS and social care to address the financial crisis it faces, the Government are attempting to force through cuts to the NHS through Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs);

 

(c)        notes that the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw STP was published on Friday 11th November 2016 by the NHS;

 

(d)       recognises that the NHS should always be striving to improve services, however, believes that the way that Sustainability and Transformation Plans have been developed has led to them becoming a mechanism for implementing the Five Year Forward View, which includes £22 billion of efficiency savings or cuts;

 

(e)       believes that the STP process has lacked transparency and should have been conducted in a more transparent manner with a broad conversation with the public about the challenges facing the NHS and how to tackle them; and

 

(f)        resolves to continue to oppose the Government’s cuts to NHS and local government funding, which are already leading to a crisis for adult social care, and to make the case for the extra investment that is desperately needed for these vital public services and resist further cuts to the NHS and social care on the back of STPs.

 

Minutes:

14.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Robert Murphy

That this Council:-

 

(a)       notes that the Sheffield City Highways tree survey in 2006-07 identified 25,877 mature and over-mature trees, of which only 1000 needed felling;

 

(b)       notes that 59 out of 65 residents of Rustlings Road disagreed with proposals to fell trees on their own street;

 

(c)        notes that the Council’s Independent Tree Panel advised options other than felling for 6 out of 8 trees;

 

(d)       notes that this report, dated 22 July 2016, was only published at 4.25am on the morning the trees were felled;

 

(e)       notes that the Cabinet Member for Environment nevertheless allowed the felling of these trees in a major police-backed operation in the early hours of the morning, causing alarm and distress to residents of Rustlings Road;

 

(f)        apologises for the alarm and distress to local residents on Rustlings Road for the action of the Council and its partners on Thursday 17 November 2016, and believes these actions did not have the support of the Members of the Council; and

 

(g)       therefore resolves that this Council has no confidence in the leadership of the current Administration.

 

Minutes:

15.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor John Booker

That this Council:-

 

(a)       believes, at times, elected councillors put party politics ahead of taxpayers when making decisions on important matters;

 

(b)       also believes local authorities should exist to serve their communities first and put power back where it belongs, in the hands of local people;

 

(c)        further believes that this Authority should be looking at a policy of "in-sourcing" not "out-sourcing", to follow the examples of Liverpool, Cumbria and Essex;

 

(d)       is of the view that there has been a practice of allowing management consultants to flood local government, treating the public sector as a gift that keeps on giving, charging inflated amounts of money for consultant templates that read as if they have been written by a child, where only the names of the local authorities change on all these documents, and further believes that the practice of "risk and reward" contracts, where private companies profit from money saved from local council budgets, in effect, result in the poorest in our society paying towards the wealthiest;

 

(e)       opposes the cabinet system of governance, which it believes puts too much power in the hands of too few people, and advocates a committee system which brings more openness, transparency and cross-party collaboration;

 

(f)        further believes the behaviour of the professional party politicians over the last four decades has shown their self-serving system has completely failed democracy, and the people; and

 

(g)       commits at all times to provide council tax payers with the best services and the best value for money.

 

Minutes:

16.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Mohammad Maroof

That this Council:-

 

(a)       welcomes reports that this year there was a 60 per cent reduction in anti-social behaviour in the Nether Edge/Abbeydale Road area in the week leading up to bonfire night, with no significant incidents of disorder in the area over the bonfire weekend;

 

(b)       welcomes action taken by the Council and South Yorkshire Police, working closely with the community and other partners, after significant problems the previous year;

 

(c)        notes that extra funding has been allocated to set up activities for young people, improve lighting and safety in key areas and organise Abbeydale Road’s first lantern parade which was attended by more than 200 people; and

 

(d)       thanks all partners involved in making this work a success and believes continued partnership working is essential to keeping this progress moving forward.

 

Minutes:

17.

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Alison Teal

That this Council:-

 

(a)       notes that, on two occasions, companies within the Amey Group, have been successfully prosecuted for breaches to Health & Safety legislation in the UK;

 

(b)       notes that a number of alleged health and safety breaches have been reported to the Health and Safety Executive since Amey Hallam Highways Limited began work in partnership with Sheffield City Council; and

 

(c)        believes that arboricultural and tree felling work ought to be delayed while the Health and Safety Executive investigate the alleged breaches of health and safety legislation, considering Amey’s accident and prosecution record.

 

Minutes: