Agenda and minutes

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

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

(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.

NOTE: There is a time limit of one hour for the above item of business.  In accordance with the arrangements published on the Council’s website, questions/petitions are required to be submitted in writing, to committee@sheffield.gov.uk, by 9.00 a.m. on Monday 15 July 2024. Questions/petitions submitted after the deadline will be asked at the meeting subject to the discretion of the Chair (the Lord Mayor).

(b) Petition Requiring Debate

The Council’s Petitions Scheme requires that a petition containing over 5,000 signatures from individuals who live, work or study in Sheffield, be the subject of debate at the Council meeting. A qualifying petition has been received as follows:-

Petition Relating to the Funding of Therapy Services Delivered by Sheffield Women’s Charity, Vida

To debate an electronic petition containing over 27,440 signatures, requesting the Council to provide funding to save Sheffield’s vital free therapy service delivered by Sheffield Women’s Charity, Vida.  The online petition - Petition · Keep our vital therapy service open · Change.org - includes further information.  An update on the financial position of the Charity will be provided at the meeting by the Charity’s Chief Executive Officer. 

There is a time limit of 25 minutes for this debate.

6.1      Questions relating to urgent business (submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16.6).

6.2      Supplementary questions (in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16.5) - on the answers, to be circulated at this meeting, provided to written questions (submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16.1) to the Leader of the Council, or any Policy Committee (or Sub-Committee) or Regulatory Committee Chair, or a Member appointed by the Council to serve on the South Yorkshire Joint Authorities (under the provisions of Section 41 of the Local Government Act 1985), the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, or any other external body or joint committee, on matters within the functions of that Body.

That this Council:- 

(a)      notes two city wide elections have taken place in Sheffield in the last three months and thanks everyone who voted and all those who helped to administer the elections for playing their part in the democratic process;

(b)      believes that debating and respectfully disagreeing with one another is a healthy part of our democracy, but that this cannot cross the line into abuse or intimidation;

(c)      further notes that abuse and toxicity in public and political discourse has a detrimental impact on local democracy and that prevention, support and responses to abuse and intimidation of local politicians must improve to ensure councillors and Members of Parliament (MPs) feel safe and able to represent their residents;

(d)      notes that female councillors and councillors from minoritised groups and those with other protected characteristics often receive the most abuse;

(e)      believes that the intimidation and abuse of councillors and MPs, in person or otherwise, undermines democracy, prevents elected members from representing the communities they serve, deters individuals from standing for election, and undermines public life in democratic processes;

(f)       therefore resolves to:-

(i)       challenge the normalisation of abuse against politicians and officers and uphold exemplary standards of public and political debate in all it does;

(ii)       sign up to the Local Government Association’s Debate Not Hate campaign and calls on each councillor to sign up to the campaign; the campaign aims to raise public awareness of the role of councillors in local communities, encourage healthy debate and improve the response to and support those in public life facing abuse and intimidation;

(iii)      work with the LGA to address the abuse and intimidation of local politicians;

(iv)      ensure the Council has a clear reporting mechanism which councillors can use to monitor and record incidents of harassment and abuse of councillors and officers;

(v)      regularly review the support available to councillors in relation to abuse and intimidation and councillor safety;

(vi)      work with the local police to ensure there is a clear and joined-up mechanism for reporting threats and other concerns about the safety of councillors and their families and discuss the need to take a preventative approach that accounts for the specific risks that councillors face, as they do with other high-risk individuals, like MPs; and

(vii)     take a zero-tolerance approach to abuse of councillors and officers.

That this Council notes:-

(a)      that the NHS and social care system face multiple crises of access, staff retention, long waiting times, missed targets and poor outcomes;

(b)      that people across Sheffield are struggling to access health and care services;

(c)      that in 2023, almost 900,000 GP appointments in Sheffield took place more than two weeks after booking, representing 24% of all appointments that year;

(d)      that despite this, primary care providers have not been given the funding to employ more GPs, leaving qualified doctors facing unemployment;

(e)      that there is a national dentistry crisis as increasing numbers of practitioners leave the NHS;

(f)       that short staffing of Sheffield Adult Autism and Neurodivergent Service (SAANS) is causing astronomical wait times for ADHD assessments;

(g)      that the Adult Health and Social Care and Education, Children and Families Policy Committees face significant pressure to continue to deliver savings in 2024/25 in the context of increasing demand for services;

(h)      that the Adult Health and Social Care Policy Committee overspend in 2023/24 was greatly reduced by one-off government funding, with no guarantee that this will continue in 2024/25;

(i)       that difficulty accessing services increases pressure on acute care such as Accident & Emergency as well as undermining overall population health; and

(j)       that both The King’s Fund and the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care have acknowledged the positive vision the Liberal Democrats have for social care reform and that cross-party working is the only way to achieve this;

This Council advocates for:-

(k)      cross-party collaboration both locally through the Health and Wellbeing Board and nationally through a long-term agreement on funding and provision of social care;

This Council resolves to:-

(l)       call for:-

(i)       the establishment of a cross-party commission to forge a long-term agreement on predictable, consistent funding for free personal care;

(ii)       the immediate review of Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) funding rules so that primary care providers in Sheffield can employ extra GPs; and

(iii)      an Emergency Health and Care Budget to put this national crisis at the top of the new government’s agenda; and

(m)     request the Chief Executive to convey these calls to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

That this Council notes:-

(a)      the intention of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to commit £138 million of Gainshare Funding to the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (£5.3million/yr for 26 years);

(b)      that £3.1 million of funding has already been allocated to develop an Outline Business Case to support the reopening of the Airport;

(c)      the proximity to Sheffield of Manchester, Leeds Bradford and East Midlands Airports;

(d)      that the Aviation Sector has stated that it will be net zero by 2050 but there is “no single, clear, sustainable alternative to jet fuel able to support flying on a scale equivalent to present day use” according to the Royal Society;

This Council believes:-

(e)      that any supposed emission savings from “Sustainable” Aviation Fuels will be almost completely negated by growth in flights;

(f)       that airport subsidy benefits people who are already relatively privileged and doesn't do anything to address inequality;

(g)      that, given the proximity of other airports, giving public money to reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport is unnecessary;

(h)      that airport expansion is incompatible with our local, regional and national climate targets;

(i)       that £5.3 million/year funding would be better spent on supporting a scheme to help insulate homes and develop and increase the amount of renewable technologies to reduce carbon emissions and householders’ energy bills;

(j)       that long distance train travel needs investment in infrastructure and lower prices to make it cheaper than highly subsidised air travel;

(k)      that air travel should be limited to sustainable levels with full costs of environmental impacts charged to airlines and airports;

This Council resolves:-

(l)       to not support the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport;

(m)     to express the view that the £5.3 million/year should be reallocated from supporting airport expansion to supporting a scheme to make homes more energy-efficient;

(n)      to call on the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to release the report on the South Yorkshire Citizens’ Assembly on Climate;

(o)      to request the Leader of the Council to convey these views to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority; and

(p)      to request the Leader of the Council to write to the Prime Minister asking him to support policies to lift the implicit subsidy to the aviation industry and tax aviation fuel fairly in order to use the funding raised to support the development of long-distance rail travel.

That this Council:-

(a)      notes research published by Shelter, which states that:-

(i)             between April 2023 and April 2024, 260,000 social rent homes in England have been lost through demolition or purchase;

(ii)       over 145,800 children are currently in temporary accommodation due to homelessness;

(iii)      landlords are converting their homes into affordable rent housing, which is not social rent housing; and

(iv)      in the financial year 2022-23, there was a net loss of 11,684 social rent homes in England;

(b)      notes that Sheffield mirrors this picture:-

(i)             between April 2014 and April 2023, the number of Sheffield City Council owned and managed homes declined from 41,059 to 38,470;

(ii)       in the financial year 2023-24 the main homelessness duty was owed to 843 households, and there were 765 households in temporary accommodation as of 20th June 2024;

(iii)      at the same time, applicants are advised to seek private rental homes, incurring higher costs which are unaffordable for many; the average private rent was £850 per month last December, compared to an average social rent of £358 for the last financial year; and

(iv)      the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan 2024-25, which was presented to Full Council in February 2024, acknowledges that the city has a shortage of 902 homes and anticipates a further loss of stock each year; it contains no clear targets for building, investment or acquisition during 2024-25 and, in the absence of a 10-year housing strategy, says that a partnership approach will be required;

(c)      believes that this commitment is not sufficiently clear, demonstrates a lack of ambition and, put simply, lets the people of Sheffield down;

(d)      resolves to ask the Housing Policy Committee to consider using the full range of tools available to borrow monies to increase housing stock;

(e)      calls upon central government to restrict the Right to Buy, in order to protect its investment in social housing and the wellbeing of its citizens;

(f)       resolves to ask the Housing Policy Committee to consider managing remaining properties effectively by:-

(i)       reviewing and managing tenancies appropriately where reports of empty homes are received;

(ii)       bringing void properties, regardless of their management arrangements across the Council portfolio, back into use as soon as possible; and

(iii)      promoting a system whereby properties can be pre-allocated on receipt of notice in order to minimise lost income and prevent damage and vandalism whilst vacant;

(g)      also resolves to ask the Housing Policy Committee to consider investing in retrofitting existing homes on the basis of ‘worst first’, to create sustainable and desirable homes; and

(h)      further resolves to ask the Housing Policy Committee to consider building new homes for rent at social rent levels, enabling the regeneration of whole communities as a result.

To agree the order in which Notices of Motion will be listed on the Council Summons for ordinary meetings of the Council during the Municipal Year 2024-25, in accordance with Council Procedure Rules 10.2 (b) and (c).  Details of a proposed order will be circulated at the meeting for approval.

To approve, with or without amendment, the recommendations in the report of the Director of People and Organisational Culture, published with this agenda, seeking approval to a Sheffield City Council Members’ Parental Leave Policy.

To receive the Annual Standards Report for 2023 which was approved for submission to full Council by the Audit and Standards Committee at its meeting held on 21st March 2024.

To approve, with or without amendment, the recommendations to be made by the Governance Committee, at its meeting to be held on 11 July 2024, relating to proposed amendments to the remit of the Finance Committee. 

A report of the General Counsel (and Monitoring Officer) setting out the Governance Committee’s recommendations will be published prior to the Council meeting.

To (a) receive the records of the proceedings of the ordinary meeting of the Council held on 7 February 2024, the special meeting of the Council held on 6 March 2024 and the annual meeting of the Council held on 15 May 2024, and to approve the accuracy thereof; and

(b) give approval for a note of explanation to be added to the minutes of the meeting on 6 March 2024, at the end of section 4.3.2 (Public Questions from Russell Johnson), as follows:-

(NOTE: Subsequent to the meeting, it came to light, following receipt of a challenge to the accuracy of the response given at the meeting by the Leader of the Council, that the Leader had inadvertently omitted to state several words which had been included in his pre-prepared written response and that those words were of relevance to his explanation of why the formal complaints received in 2021 had been put on hold. The words which had been omitted at the meeting were “and the Council’s response to it”, and the complete response should have been as follows:- “He stated that the formal complaints submitted in 2021 had not been progressed at that time. This had been because the Independent Inquiry into the Street Trees Dispute had been announced, and it had been felt that the Inquiry and the Council’s response to it, would be the better way to resolve the issues raised.”).

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, which may be proposed at the meeting.