Agenda item

That this Council:-

(a)       recalls Sheffield City Council’s Revenue Budget 2012/13 which states “it is proposed therefore to decommission the existing resource centre provision” for dementia sufferers;

(b)       expresses disappointment that the budget amendment proposed by the main opposition group, which would have reversed this decision by saving £300,000 on full time trade union officials, was rejected;

(c)        notes the Dementia Strategy agreed by the Council’s Cabinet on 23^rd May 2012, which failed to give any guarantee about the future of the centres;

(d)       further notes with disappointment that the Cabinet of the same date agreed the closure of Sevenfields and Hazlehurst Intermediate Care Centres, despite the complete lack of progress in finding a site for the proposed 120-bed replacement facility; 

(e)       believes that this represents a complete mishandling of the closure by the present Administration and offers little support to users of dementia centres currently threatened with closure;

(f)         understands that more than 500 local residents have signed a petition against the closure of these three dementia care centres and that the number of signatures continues to grow; and

(g)       calls upon the Administration to offer peace of mind to users, families and staff of Bolehill View, Hurfield View, and Norbury by reversing their budget decision and ruling out closure as an option.

It was moved by Councillor Clive Skelton, seconded by Councillor Rob Frost, that this Council:-

(a)       recalls Sheffield City Council’s Revenue Budget 2012/13 which states “it is proposed therefore to decommission the existing resource centre provision” for dementia sufferers;

(b)       expresses disappointment that the budget amendment proposed by the main opposition group, which would have reversed this decision by saving £300,000 on full time trade union officials, was rejected;

(c)        notes the Dementia Strategy agreed by the Council’s Cabinet on 23^rd May 2012, which failed to give any guarantee about the future of the centres;

(d)       further notes with disappointment that the Cabinet of the same date agreed the closure of Sevenfields and Hazlehurst Intermediate Care Centres, despite the complete lack of progress in finding a site for the proposed 120-bed replacement facility; 

(e)       believes that this represents a complete mishandling of the closure by the present Administration and offers little support to users of dementia centres currently threatened with closure;

(f)         understands that more than 500 local residents have signed a petition against the closure of these three dementia care centres and that the number of signatures continues to grow; and

(g)       calls upon the Administration to offer peace of mind to users, families and staff of Bolehill View, Hurfield View, and Norbury by reversing their budget decision and ruling out closure as an option.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Mary Lea, seconded by Councillor Harry Harpham, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of all the words after the words “That this Council” and the substitution of the following words therefor:-

(a)       regrets that the Council has had to reduce spending by £55 million in the 2012/13 budget and that by 2015/16 the Council will have £170m less to spend than it did in 2011/12 and regrets that the main opposition group continue to fully support the level of cuts imposed on the Council by the Conservative-led Government;

(b)       notes that the spending cut for adult social care overall is less than that of many other council services and that the access criteria for care services has remained unchanged;

(c)        recalls that the policy of reviewing resource centres was started by the previous Administration, who consulted on the future of Foxwood and Ravenscroft and Cabinet in 2010 agreed that “further consideration will be needed on the future of all the existing resource centres and that a report should be brought to Cabinet in due course.”;

(d)       regrets that as a result of the Council’s financial position a £385,000 reduction has been identified from dementia services, however notes that £85,000 of this reduction relates to the previous Administration’s decision to close Foxwood;

(e)       confirms that the target for reduction will now be subject to an extensive consultation with people who use the services, their families, staff and trade unions;

(f)         welcomes the commitment of the present Administration that no one who currently attends these centres will have their overall service reduced through any changes;

(g)       believes that the future care of Sheffield people who suffer with dementia is a vitally important issue and reiterates the Council’s commitment to developing services for people with dementia and their families;

(h)        acknowledges that people affected by dementia and their families will be anxious about the impact of the cuts, however, believes that in light of the Council’s financial position they are unavoidable; and

(i)         confirms the Council’s commitment to support and protect people with dementia and their families, and to consult with them to fund services in the face of unprecedented cuts in funding that the City has received from the Government.

On being put to the vote, the amendment was carried

After a right of reply by Councillor Clive Skelton, the original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-

RESOLVED:  That this Council:-

(a)       regrets that the Council has had to reduce spending by £55 million in the 2012/13 budget and that by 2015/16 the Council will have £170m less to spend than it did in 2011/12 and regrets that the main opposition group continue to fully support the level of cuts imposed on the Council by the Conservative-led Government;

(b)       notes that the spending cut for adult social care overall is less than that of many other Council services and that the access criteria for care services has remained unchanged;

(c)        recalls that the policy of reviewing resource centres was started by the previous Administration, who consulted on the future of Foxwood and Ravenscroft and Cabinet in 2010 agreed that “further consideration will be needed on the future of all the existing resource centres and that a report should be brought to Cabinet in due course.”;

(d)       regrets that as a result of the Council’s financial position a £385,000 reduction has been identified from dementia services, however notes that £85,000 of this reduction relates to the previous Administration’s decision to close Foxwood;

(e)       confirms that the target for reduction will now be subject to an extensive consultation with people who use the services, their families, staff and trade unions;

(f)         welcomes the commitment of the present Administration that no one who currently attends these centres will have their overall service reduced through any changes;

(g)       believes that the future care of Sheffield people who suffer with dementia is a vitally important issue and reiterates the Council’s commitment to developing services for people with dementia and their families;

(h)        acknowledges that people affected by dementia and their families will be anxious about the impact of the cuts, however, believes that in light of the Council’s financial position they are unavoidable; and

(i)         confirms the Council’s commitment to support and protect people with dementia and their families, and to consult with them to fund services in the face of unprecedented cuts in funding that the City has received from the Government.