Agenda item

8.1

The Committee received the following questions from members of the public in attendance at the meeting.

Q1.     Sharrow/Nether Edge – A petition had been organised regarding the work to the road and pavement on Sheldon Road.  This road hadn’t been included as part of the StreetsAhead scheme and not been repaired at all during the past 20 years.  The resident asked what could be done to get the works carried out?

The Chair stated that through LACs a number of senior Link Officers would be identified from Council services, who could support with addressing priority issues.  The Chair felt that some of the work and influence of the LACs should lead to some policy influence / change in areas.   However, it was stated that the LACs have no control over the work carried out by Amey in prioritising roads in disrepair.  Some Members said they felt that Amey had let the people of Sheffield down and felt it was now up to Councillors to hold Amey and the StreetsAhead project to account.

Q2.     Whilst welcoming the introduction of LACs and it was felt that they could be a real voice in democracy, how are you going to make sure that the process was working and the £100,000 spend would make difference to the areas it was needed the most and the make sure the result of the Our City Referendum takes place?

In response, the Chair stated  that through the LAC, there would be a direct link to an officer in Amey to help resolve any issues and the focus of the LACs was how to work with communities to respond to local priorities.  There was a new Council governance structure emerging and it was hoped that the LACs could have an input into the structure to make the right decisions to make things better locally and act upon what we have heard from people in the community.  Councillor Cate McDonald, Executive Member for Finance and Resources, advised that she felt the Administration had made a further recent commitment to the LACs by signing off funding for webcasting local meetings.

Q3.     How ambitious were the plans for this area?  Have they been as a red herring rather than look at the big issues?

In response, the Chair stated that he wanted the area to be the best it can be, and that hopefully the power of the LACs would influence higher level strategic issues.

Q4.     What has happened to the Gleadless Valley Masterplan?

In response, it was acknowledged that due to the pandemic, things had been put on hold but it was felt that the wheels were now in motion and Members were optimistic that the Masterplan was now starting to pull together.  It was hoped that there would be more detail on this at the next meeting to be held in January.

Q5.     What is the Council planning to do with the boarded up public house across the road from these premises?  The premises could be used as a community building, at present it was just an area for fly tipping which was costing a lot of money each month to clear.

In response, it was stated that the premises had just come to the attention of the Council and there needed to be a full health and safety inspection to be carried out before any decisions on its future use could be made.

Q6.     How will the Local Area Plan fit in and will it form part of other plans such as the Neighbourhood Plan?

The LAC would be taking in the results of surveys and feedback received and it was hoped to bring the South LAC draft Community Plan and priorities to the meeting in January for further consideration before being signed off. 

Councillor Teal added some information to help with clarity in terms of the different kinds of plans.   She stated that the Sheffield Local Plan is a citywide planning-based document, which will guide the future of the city by setting out how and where development will take place up to 2038, it is called the ‘Sheffield Plan’ and is in development.  Neighbourhood Plans, such as those previously seen in Dore and Broomhill were community led. The Government’s Localism Act 2011 offers rights and powers for communities which includes Neighbourhood Planning where a community can come together and produce a plan to shape how their local area should develop and grow.  The plans were subject to an independent examination and a local referendum before they could be adopted.  The LACs were more community based and not tied into planning. The South LAC Community Plan will reflect local priorities as identified through data analysis and community feedback.

Q7.     What was being done to ensure that those learning with learning disabilities were included and understood what was happening with the LACs?

In response, the Chair said that the Communications Team was committed to providing materials in adapted formats to help overcome barriers to involvement, this could include easy read etc. 

In addition, Diane Owens, South LAC Manager added that Sheffield Equality Partnership were also supporting with some of the engagement work taking place in the city, this would include some work being led by Disability Sheffield, who work directly with people with learning disabilities. At a local level, Heeley City Farm were also supporting the engagement work, this will include talking to a group people with learning disabilities to capture their feedback. The South LAC Team would also support with any reasonable adjustments to enable people to attend or take part in the public meetings.

Q8.     Before lockdown, work had been carried out regarding Greenspace, since lockdown, nothing?

In response, workshops on greenspace have not been revisited, due to time restraints but that doesn’t mean that there would not be an opportunity to feed into the Masterplan the issues around greenspace, alongside discussions around  public realm projects.

Q9.     With regard to the Gleadless Valley Masterplan, will there be an opportunity for integration of the retro project.  This was a prime opportunity to get houses in the area ready for climate change.  Are there any assurances that there will be a co-ordinated retro fit scheme involving local women and young people?

In response, it was stated that there was a call for training and upskilling local people to deal with home insulation in an attempt to tackle fuel poverty.  There was work ongoing with the Council to help create 10,000 citywide “green jobs” which would include retro fitters.  The Council was trying to influence the City Region.  Ideally, a Jobs Hub would be created to build homes in the Gleadless area in order to help improve life opportunities.

Q10.   What is being done regarding food banks and is anything being done so that people don’t have to rely on them?

In response, it was stated that the Council was holding a summit at the end of the week on poverty.  It was acknowledged that there was a need to pull everything together, recognise the support of the voluntary and community sector and decide what action could be taken city wide, including in relation to  the recent cut to the Universal Credit.  Some members commented on the way the Government has handled the pandemic, and felt that millions had been wasted, including on the track and trace scheme, Councillors would have to work with partners and communities to decide on the local action we can take to help lift  people out of poverty

Q.11   I have been to all LACs and have seen all the buzz words, but I am unclear on empowerment – who is empowered through the LACs, how is power devolved?

In response, the Chair stated that the LACs were evolving and would be shaped in the future based on learning and engagement.  The LACs were in development and the Chair hoped that from next May, the City Council would give LACs further powers to be able them to do so much more.  The population in the four Wards in the South LAC area was approximately 40,000 and it was hoped to reach out and engage widely in the area before putting together the final South LAC Community Plan together.  One Member stated that the LACs were new and there was a desire to get everyone involved, for residents to communicate and get in touch with their Ward Members.  The funding was there, and residents might have burning issues for where the money was to be spent, so urged everyone to get in touch.