Agenda item

7.1

It was formally moved by Councillor Mike Levery, and formally seconded by Councillor Joe Otten, that this Council:-

(a)      believes that it is this Council’s duty to seek best value for the people of Sheffield, especially given the current financial challenges faced by the Council;

(b)      believes the people of Sheffield want to see services delivered efficiently and effectively both in performance and price;

(c)      notes that a Labour Government introduced Best Value in the Local Government Act of 1999 stating it was to “make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way an authority exercises its functions, having regard to a combination of factors, including economy, efficiency and effectiveness”;

(d)      believes that the principles set out in the Local Government Act of 1999 could have been better fulfilled by this Council in a number of circumstances, for example:-

(i)       the Housing Repairs Service, where there have been dramatic increases in the waiting list for repairs over the last few years, increasing to over 5,000 currently, with an average waiting time of over 21 days;

(ii)       the average amount of time houses are left empty for, after residents move out, in recent years has increased to 12 weeks, far above the target of six weeks; and

(iii)      youth services which has failed to deliver as the people of Sheffield would want and need, despite additional funding of £2m in both 2020/21 and 2021/22, none of which was spent on youth service delivery;

(e)      notes that despite the Children, Young People and Families Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee twice recommending the decision on youth services to be revisited in 2020, the second time unanimously, Cabinet, on further consideration, progressed the decision;

(f)       believes that for decisions to progress with service changes that involve staff transfers, much more consideration needs to be given to the impact for the workforce and employer arising from the transfer of employment;

(g)      believes that Policy Committees are best placed to determine which of their areas should be prioritised to demand continuous improvement in both delivery and financial performance; and

(h)      therefore believes that this Council should look to implement the following:-

(i)       examine where other councils have adopted different models for service provision and look at comparative performance;

(ii)       establishment of internal service providers with the relevant council function being the budget holders;

(iii)      benchmarking of services with other providers, no matter which area they operate in; and

(iv)      clear, unambiguous performance measures which demonstrate ongoing improvement in service delivery.

7.2

Whereupon, it was formally moved by Councillor Fran Belbin, and formally seconded by Councillor Zahira Naz, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.       the deletion of paragraphs (d) to (f);

2.       the addition of new paragraphs (d) and (e) as follows:-

(d)      notes that to achieve best value, in common with many other local authorities, Sheffield City Council (SCC) has considered in-sourcing services where external providers were not delivering effectively in recent years and has in-sourced housing repairs and youth services;

(e)      believes that while in-sourcing requires a process of continuous improvement and is not an end in itself, the Council is better able to manage and monitor performance and deliver improvement in the services that have been in-sourced, and, by way of example:-

(i)       notes the housing repairs service, while affected by difficulties including Covid-19, rising costs and skill shortages, is making headway in reducing the repairs backlog and the management of vacant properties, and new in-house, online reporting systems will accelerate this improvement;

(ii)       further integration of the housing repairs service with SCC’s Housing function should result in an improved customer experience for Council tenants;

(iii)      in-sourced Youth Services are reducing management costs and redesigning the service to focus on frontline delivery of universal youth and play services in communities across the city, involving the training and development of new youth and play workers, professions that have been devastated by years of austerity that began in 2010 with the coalition government;

(iv)      notes that since the youth services contract  was not renewed in October 2020, and the service came back to the Council, there have been significant improvements to youth services; however, this must be put in the context that the service was brought back in the middle of the Covid Pandemic and, therefore, was unable to spend all of the £2 million on youth service provision (noting that the National Youth Agency only gave Green COVID guidance in July 2021, meaning activities could only return to normal following over a year of closure), and notes that the money was therefore spent on laptops for school children who required them to access education, and believes this was essential for those most at risk of safeguarding concerns / isolation;

(v)      notes the expanded youth service sessions, ensuring that at least one session of youth work, either in a club or detached, is being delivered in every ward - achieved against a backdrop of Sheffield not having an active Youth Workforce due to a decade of financial cuts nationally to youth services;

(vi)      notes that the Council is now ready to give grants to VCF partners across the city to deliver in partnership with the Council, ensuring that by the end of the financial year there will be a minimum of 3 sessions in every ward across the city;

(vii)     notes that capturing what young people and local communities are telling us they want and need is at the heart of the changes; and

(viii)    notes that staff brought in-house to the Council generally enjoy favourable terms and conditions, employee support schemes, and with investment in resources, training and youth buildings, staff will have an improved working environment from which to deliver modern, contemporary youth services that are inclusive and meet the needs and aspirations of young people; 

3.       the re-lettering of original paragraphs (g) and (h) as new paragraphs (f) and (g).

7.2.1

(NOTE: With the agreement of the Council and at the request of the mover of the amendment (Councillor Fran Belbin), the amendment as circulated at the meeting and published with the agenda was altered by the insertion of the word “generally”, between the words “Council” and “enjoy”, in the first line of sub-paragraph (e)(viii) within Part 2 of the amendment.)

7.3

It was then formally moved by Councillor Douglas Johnson, and formally seconded by Councillor Alexi Dimond, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.       the deletion of paragraph (b) and the addition of a new paragraph (b) as follows:-

(b)      believes the people of Sheffield want to see services delivered efficiently, effectively, responsibly, equitably and ethically;

2.       the addition of the following words at the end of paragraph (c) -

          “; further notes that the world has moved on since 1999, and whilst it is still important to have “regard to a combination of factors, including economy, efficiency and effectiveness”, believes that equity, the environment and social implications must also be factored into every local government decision”

3.       the addition of a new sub-paragraph (d)(iii) as follows, and the re-lettering of original sub-paragraph (d)(iii) as a new sub-paragraph (d)(iv):-

(d)(iii)  Council transport policy, which is believed has consistently prioritised the perceived needs of motorists, to the detriment of the Council’s budget pressures, road safety, air pollution, transport investment, equality and the climate emergency; 

4.       the addition of a new sub-paragraph (h)(v) as follows:-

(h)(v)  examine where other councils have improved outcomes in terms of reliability and affordability of public transport, reduced emissions, improved road safety and increased participation in active travel through better enforcement of motor vehicle offences, increased coverage and fees for permit parking, Workplace Parking Levies and Clean Air/Ultra Low Emission Zones.

7.4

The amendment moved by Councillor Fran Belbin was put to the vote and was carried in part.  Parts 1 and 3 of the amendment were lost and Part 2 of the amendment was carried.

7.4.1

(NOTE: The result of the vote was FOR - 46 Members; AGAINST - 28 Members; ABSTENTIONS – 0 Members.  The Green Group Members voted for, but against Part 1 of the amendment.)

7.5

The amendment moved by Councillor Douglas Johnson was then put to the vote and was carried in part.  Parts 1 and 2 of the amendment were carried and Parts 3 and 4 of the amendment were lost.

7.5.1

(NOTE: The result of the vote was FOR - 45 Members; AGAINST - 28 Members; ABSTENTIONS – 0 Members.  The Labour Group Members voted for, but against Parts 3 and 4 of the amendment.  Councillor Sophie Wilson voted for, but against Part 4 of the amendment.)

7.6

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

RESOLVED:  That this Council:-

(a)      believes that it is this Council’s duty to seek best value for the people of Sheffield, especially given the current financial challenges faced by the Council;

(b)      believes the people of Sheffield want to see services delivered efficiently, effectively, responsibly, equitably and ethically;

(c)      notes that a Labour Government introduced Best Value in the Local Government Act of 1999 stating it was to “make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way an authority exercises its functions, having regard to a combination of factors, including economy, efficiency and effectiveness”; further notes that the world has moved on since 1999, and whilst it is still important to have “regard to a combination of factors, including economy, efficiency and effectiveness”, believes that equity, the environment and social implications must also be factored into every local government decision;

(d)      believes that the principles set out in the Local Government Act of 1999 could have been better fulfilled by this Council in a number of circumstances, for example:-

(i)     the Housing Repairs Service, where there have been dramatic increases in the waiting list for repairs over the last few years, increasing to over 5,000 currently, with an average waiting time of over 21 days;

(ii)     the average amount of time houses are left empty for, after residents move out, in recent years has increased to 12 weeks, far above the target of six weeks; and

(iii)    youth services which has failed to deliver as the people of Sheffield would want and need, despite additional funding of £2m in both 2020/21 and 2021/22, none of which was spent on youth service delivery;

(e)      notes that despite the Children, Young People and Families Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee twice recommending the decision on youth services to be revisited in 2020, the second time unanimously, Cabinet, on further consideration, progressed the decision;

(f)       notes that to achieve best value, in common with many other local authorities, Sheffield City Council (SCC) has considered in-sourcing services where external providers were not delivering effectively in recent years and has in-sourced housing repairs and youth services;

(g)      believes that while in-sourcing requires a process of continuous improvement and is not an end in itself, the Council is better able to manage and monitor performance and deliver improvement in the services that have been in-sourced, and, by way of example:-

(i)     notes the housing repairs service, while affected by difficulties including Covid-19, rising costs and skill shortages, is making headway in reducing the repairs backlog and the management of vacant properties, and new in-house, online reporting systems will accelerate this improvement;

(ii)     further integration of the housing repairs service with SCC’s Housing function should result in an improved customer experience for Council tenants;

(iii)    in-sourced Youth Services are reducing management costs and redesigning the service to focus on frontline delivery of universal youth and play services in communities across the city, involving the training and development of new youth and play workers, professions that have been devastated by years of austerity that began in 2010 with the coalition government;

(iv)    notes that since the youth services contract  was not renewed in October 2020, and the service came back to the Council, there have been significant improvements to youth services; however, this must be put in the context that the service was brought back in the middle of the Covid Pandemic and, therefore, was unable to spend all of the £2 million on youth service provision (noting that the National Youth Agency only gave Green COVID guidance in July 2021, meaning activities could only return to normal following over a year of closure), and notes that the money was therefore spent on laptops for school children who required them to access education, and believes this was essential for those most at risk of safeguarding concerns / isolation;

(v)    notes the expanded youth service sessions, ensuring that at least one session of youth work, either in a club or detached, is being delivered in every ward - achieved against a backdrop of Sheffield not having an active Youth Workforce due to a decade of financial cuts nationally to youth services;

(vi)    notes that the Council is now ready to give grants to VCF partners across the city to deliver in partnership with the Council, ensuring that by the end of the financial year there will be a minimum of 3 sessions in every ward across the city;

(vii)   notes that capturing what young people and local communities are telling us they want and need is at the heart of the changes; and

(viii)  notes that staff brought in-house to the Council generally enjoy favourable terms and conditions, employee support schemes, and with investment in resources, training and youth buildings, staff will have an improved working environment from which to deliver modern, contemporary youth services that are inclusive and meet the needs and aspirations of young people;

(h)      believes that for decisions to progress with service changes that involve staff transfers, much more consideration needs to be given to the impact for the workforce and employer arising from the transfer of employment;

(i)       believes that Policy Committees are best placed to determine which of their areas should be prioritised to demand continuous improvement in both delivery and financial performance; and

(j)       therefore believes that this Council should look to implement the following:-

(i)     examine where other councils have adopted different models for service provision and look at comparative performance;

(ii)     establishment of internal service providers with the relevant council function being the budget holders;

(iii)    benchmarking of services with other providers, no matter which area they operate in; and

(iv)    clear, unambiguous performance measures which demonstrate ongoing improvement in service delivery.

7.6.1

(NOTE: The result of the vote was FOR - 73 Members; AGAINST - 0 Members; ABSTENTIONS – 0 Members.  The Labour Group Members voted for, but against paragraphs (d), (e), (h) and (j)(ii) of the Substantive Motion.  The Liberal Democrat Group Members voted for, but against paragraphs (f) and (g) of the Substantive Motion.  Councillor Lewis Chinchen voted for, but abstained on paragraphs (f) and (g) of the Substantive Motion.  Councillor Sophie Wilson voted for, but against sub-paragraphs (j)(i) and (ii) of the Substantive Motion.)