Agenda item

4.1

RESOLVED: On the motion of Councillor Peter Rippon and seconded by Councillor Dianne Hurst, that, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9.1, the order of business as published on the Council Summons be altered by taking items 5 and 6 on the agenda (Housing Revenue Account Business Plan & Budget 2020/21, and Proposal For Alternative Governance Arrangements For Sheffield City Council, respectively) as the next two items of business.

4.2

It was moved by Councillor Paul Wood, and formally seconded by Councillor Garry Weatherall, that the following recommendations made by the Cabinet at its meeting held on 15^th January 2020 in relation to the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan and Budget 2020/21, be approved:-

“RESOLVED: That Cabinet recommends to the meeting of the City Council on 5th February 2020 that:-

(a)       the HRA Business Plan report for 2020/21, as set out in the appendix to the report, is approved;

(b)       the HRA Revenue Budget 2020/21, as set out in the appendix to the report, is approved;

(c)        rents for Council dwellings, including temporary accommodation, are increased by 2.7% from April 2020 in line with the Regulator of Social Housing’s Rent Standard;

(d)       garage rents for garage plots and garage sites are increased by 2.7% from April 2020 for those garages tenants that have seen improvements; garage rents for garage plots and sites will not be increased for garages that have not yet received improvements; this increase will be applied to individual units once garage improvement work has been completed;

(e)       the burglar alarm charge is £1.25 per week from April 2020; this is a reduction of £0.36 per week;

(f)        the community heating charge remains unchanged for 2020/21;

(g)       the sheltered housing service charge remains unchanged for 2020/21; and

(h)       the furnished accommodation charge remains unchanged for 2020/21.”

4.3

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Andrew Sangar, seconded by Councillor Penny Baker, as an amendment, that the recommendations made by the Cabinet at its meeting held on 15th January, 2020, concerning the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan and HRA Budget 2020/21, be approved with the addition of a new paragraph (i) as follows:-

(i)         it be noted that Sheffield has set an ambition to become a zero carbon city by 2030, and therefore requests that a report is brought to Cabinet within the next six months which sets out a programme outlining how all of the housing stock covered by the HRA will have had sufficient investment in both energy efficiency schemes and new heating systems to contribute to meeting the city’s zero carbon target within the next ten years.

4.4

It was then moved by Councillor Douglas Johnson, seconded by Councillor Alison Teal, as an amendment, that the recommendations made by the Cabinet at its meeting held on 15th January, 2020, concerning the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan and HRA Budget 2020/21, be approved with the addition of new paragraphs (i) and (j) as follows:-

(i)         it be noted that, despite recognising the impact that housing can have in addressing the climate change emergency, no such proposals feature in the selected priorities and, therefore, requests the Administration to prepare an urgent plan of action for the Housing Service to reduce carbon emissions; and

(j)         in respect of garage rents, referred to in recommendation (d), the rent be increased by 3.7% (not 2.7%) and that increase in revenue be used to offset the new cost of the paid-for gardening scheme for older and disabled tenants.

4.5

After contributions from five other Members, and following a right of reply from Councillor Paul Wood, the amendment moved by Councillor Andrew Sangar was put to the vote and was carried.

4.6

The amendment moved by Councillor Douglas Johnson was then put to the vote and was negatived.

4.6.1

(NOTE: The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Gail Smith) and Councillors Bob Pullin, Richard Shaw, Bob McCann, Tim Huggan, Mohammed Mahroof, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Vic Bowden, Roger Davison, Barbara Masters, Shaffaq Mohammed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Kevin Oxley, David Baker, Penny Baker, Vickie Priestley, Alan Hooper and Mike Levery voted for paragraph (i) and against paragraph (j) of the amendment, and asked for this to be recorded.)

4.7

The original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-