Agenda item

9.1

It was moved by Councillor Ian Auckland, and seconded by Councillor Penny Baker, that this Council:-

(a)      welcomes the £200m, including £100m to improve Supertram and £35m for buses promised to Sheffield in the recent Budget to support public transport;

(b)      however, notes the regional imbalances for bus funding whereby buses in London get the funding equivalent of £76 per head, and yet in Sheffield it is only £5, and believes this is simply unacceptable;

(c)      also believes that Sheffield has been left with often poor bus services, with services frequently being late, cramped, unreliable, expensive and in poor condition;

(d)      believes that the Mayor of South Yorkshire must exercise powers to bring bus services back under local control (franchising), at the earliest practicable date, and central government must do more to provide significant funding to revitalise local transport;

(e)      believes that once again the Mayor of South Yorkshire has “missed the bus” regarding improving bus services in Sheffield and South Yorkshire with the alternative “Enhanced Partnership” arrangements brought in this summer;

(f)       supports Clive Betts MP’s call for the roll-out of Bus Franchising to be speeded up and fully endorses the consistent commitment, over very many years, of the major opposition party to introduce bus franchising in Sheffield;

(g)      believes that a good public transport system should run where people need it, when people need it and at a price that is affordable; and

(h)      believes that excellent public transport, and people friendly neighbourhoods are key to reducing pollution, congestion, improving health, and contributing to our zero carbon by 2030 pledge.

9.2

Whereupon, it was formally moved by Councillor Richard Shaw, and formally seconded by Councillor Mike Levery, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of new paragraphs (i) to (p) as follows:-

(i)       notes with concern the ongoing reduction in bus services given the importance of frequency and reliability to passengers, fears that at least some service reductions will become permanent, and states that this is a self-defeating action, and calls upon the Administration to lobby against such proposals;

(j)       furthermore notes, with disappointment, the recent news that the Sheffield Supertram has announced it is reducing the frequency of its services by up to 50% due to a temporary shortage of drivers;

(k)      believes that in many industries across the country, driver shortages are having an impact on our services and public transport and that this is in part due to the negative effects of Brexit on our economy;

(l)       calls upon public transport operators to ‘pull out all the stops’ to get new drivers recruited and trained to make sure this disruption to services is short;

(m)     believes that Sheffield Trams could also benefit from more local control and calls for local and regional bodies to investigate ways this could be brought forward;

(n)      welcomes the news that since the publication of the main opposition group’s original motion, the Leader of this Council has decided to take action and hold a meeting with transport operators, but fears this may be too little too late in view of what this Council believes to be 10 years of in-action from his party on local transport;

(o)      calls once again on the Administration to give notice to withdraw from the Sheffield Bus Partnership Agreement, which has, this Council believes, proven to be a “Bus Cuts” partnership agreement; and

(p)      believes that this Council should work to improve all of Sheffield’s public transport and needs to make sure services are integrated and work together to make local public transport work for the people who need it.

9.3

After contributions from nine Members, and following a right of reply from Councillor Ian Auckland, the amendment moved by Councillor Richard Shaw was put to the vote and was carried.

9.3.1

The votes on the amendment were ordered to be recorded and were as follows:-

For paragraphs (i), (j) and (l) to (p) of the Amendment (26)

-

Councillors Simon Clement-Jones, Richard Shaw, Sophie Thornton, Ann Woolhouse, Tim Huggan, Mohammed Mahroof, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Alan Woodcock, Roger Davison, Barbara Masters, Shaffaq Mohammed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Kevin Oxley, Penny Baker, Richard Williams,Lewis Chinchen, Alan Hooper, Mike Levery and Ann Whitaker.

Against paragraphs (i), (j) and (l) to (p) of the Amendment (0)

-

Nil

Abstained from voting on paragraphs (i), (j) and (l) to (p) of the Amendment (0)

-

Nil

For paragraph (k) of the Amendment (25)

-

Councillors Simon Clement-Jones, Richard Shaw, Sophie Thornton, Ann Woolhouse, Tim Huggan, Mohammed Mahroof, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Alan Woodcock, Roger Davison, Barbara Masters, Shaffaq Mohammed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Kevin Oxley, Penny Baker, Richard Williams, Alan Hooper, Mike Levery and Ann Whitaker.

Against paragraph (k) of the Amendment (1)

-

Councillor Lewis Chinchen

Abstained from voting on paragraph (k) of the Amendment (0)

-

Nil

9.4

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

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)      welcomes the £200m, including £100m to improve Supertram and £35m for buses promised to Sheffield in the recent Budget to support public transport;

(b)      however, notes the regional imbalances for bus funding whereby buses in London get the funding equivalent of £76 per head, and yet in Sheffield it is only £5, and believes this is simply unacceptable;

(c)      also believes that Sheffield has been left with often poor bus services, with services frequently being late, cramped, unreliable, expensive and in poor condition;

(d)      believes that the Mayor of South Yorkshire must exercise powers to bring bus services back under local control (franchising), at the earliest practicable date, and central government must do more to provide significant funding to revitalise local transport;

(e)      believes that once again the Mayor of South Yorkshire has “missed the bus” regarding improving bus services in Sheffield and South Yorkshire with the alternative “Enhanced Partnership” arrangements brought in this summer;

(f)       supports Clive Betts MP’s call for the roll-out of Bus Franchising to be speeded up and fully endorses the consistent commitment, over very many years, of the major opposition party to introduce bus franchising in Sheffield;

(g)      believes that a good public transport system should run where people need it, when people need it and at a price that is affordable;

(h)      believes that excellent public transport, and people friendly neighbourhoods are key to reducing pollution, congestion, improving health, and contributing to our zero carbon by 2030 pledge;

(i)       notes with concern the ongoing reduction in bus services given the importance of frequency and reliability to passengers, fears that at least some service reductions will become permanent, and states that this is a self-defeating action, and calls upon the Administration to lobby against such proposals;

(j)       furthermore notes, with disappointment, the recent news that the Sheffield Supertram has announced it is reducing the frequency of its services by up to 50% due to a temporary shortage of drivers;

(k)      believes that in many industries across the country, driver shortages are having an impact on our services and public transport and that this is in part due to the negative effects of Brexit on our economy;

(l)       calls upon public transport operators to ‘pull out all the stops’ to get new drivers recruited and trained to make sure this disruption to services is short;

(m)     believes that Sheffield Trams could also benefit from more local control and calls for local and regional bodies to investigate ways this could be brought forward;

(n)      welcomes the news that since the publication of the main opposition group’s original motion, the Leader of this Council has decided to take action and hold a meeting with transport operators, but fears this may be too little too late in view of what this Council believes to be 10 years of in-action from his party on local transport;

(o)      calls once again on the Administration to give notice to withdraw from the Sheffield Bus Partnership Agreement, which has, this Council believes, proven to be a “Bus Cuts” partnership agreement; and

(p)      believes that this Council should work to improve all of Sheffield’s public transport and needs to make sure services are integrated and work together to make local public transport work for the people who need it.

9.5

(NOTE: In the absence of movers for the amendments, Amendments Numbered 6 and 7 on the list of amendments circulated at the meeting, were not considered by the Council.)