Agenda item

5.1

The Committee received the following questions from members of the public who had submitted the questions prior to the meeting, and who attended the meeting to raise them:-

(a)  Mike Hodson

Could the LAC please describe, and explain what has happened to, the following traffic and active travel proposals impacting on our area - funded by the national Active Travel Fund and administered by the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority (SYCMA) – which, after widespread consultation last year, seem to have stalled?

·        £3.8m - Improvements to bus corridors on Abbeydale and Ecclesall Roads

·        £600,000 -  Nether Edge Active Neighbourhoods

·        £2.3m - Sheaf Valley Cycling and Walking Route

·        £9.3m - Cross city bus and active travel improvements

·        Plus the Abbey Lane Crossing improvements also “promised” in mid-2022

In response, Councillor Barbara Masters stated that:-

·        £3.8m - Improvements to bus corridors on Abbeydale and Ecclesall Roads – the South West Bus Corridors Project has Mayoral Combined Authority Outline Business Case approval. Amey were undertaking the detailed design for the project. Officers were undertaking further investigations into any amendments to bus lane hours of operation and the enhanced enforcement of restrictions by camera.

·        £600,000 - Nether Edge Active Neighbourhoods - although the trial closure of Archer Lane  will take place for six months, the period after enables a review of the scheme and formal decisions would be made around whether the closure should stay in place or whether it should be removed or changed. During this time, the scheme would remain in place. Decisions would be based on feedback received through the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), monitoring the traffic flow changes, attitude surveys and the funding available. It was currently expected that the decision would be made by the relevant Council Committee in Summer 2023.

·        £2.3m - Sheaf Valley Cycling and Walking Route – South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) Final Business Case approvals were in place. No Stage Three yet, and awaiting for feedback from the SYMCA on potential extension beyond March 2023. Several interventions on the corridor (including Cherry Street, Saxon Street and Little London Road) have been delivered already. 

Asline Road - works currently due to start on site January 2023 – completion by end of March 2023, to include the improvement of the existing facility and new signal controlled crossing of Bramall Lane .

Pond Hill – very small element now as the developer implementing most of what was planned – but not deliverable yet as the developer was still on the same site

Shoreham Street – post Covid restriction data collected confirmed segregated scheme is the right approach.  The TRO still needed advertising, so works were unlikely to start on site before April/May 2023.

Highfield 20mph scheme – TRO objection reported to Committee in December 2022, anticipated start on site January 2023. Ongoing communications support, including responding to queries and updating areas when things change on the ground. Next set of traffic counts and new round of attitudinal surveys to be undertaken in Spring 2023

·        £9.3m - Cross City Bus and Active Travel Improvements – the scheme was progressing to detailed design following a prolonged tendering exercise.  This was expected to be completed in the next six months, with additional communications on the changes proposed, including details of landscaping and changes to the highway.  Progression would be subject to further statutory consultation related to the TROs and funding approval from the SYMCA.

·        Abbey Lane – the scheme was still in the design process. The scheme and original design proposals were placed on Connecting Sheffield in October 2022, which enabled the public to complete a survey and provide comments on the proposals. In light of the results of this engagement, the current design proposals were currently being revised. Hopefully, the revised design could be shared soon with Councillors.

(b)  Paul May

(1)    At the last LAC meeting, I asked a question about possibly amending the timings of the traffic lights at the junction of Carterknowle Road and Ecclesall Road. Councillor Sangar said he would raise the issue with the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Police Committee. Can he tell us the views of that Committee please?

In response, Councillor Barbara Masters stated that this has been raised on a number of occasions, most recently through feedback on the SW Bus Corridor Connecting Sheffield Scheme and also through the Hunters Bar Living Streets Group Committee.  Officers would take a look at the signal timings to see if there was any chance of altering the inter green phasing, tying into the existing tactile crossing facilities already at this junction.  Although this has not been identified as an area for the provision of a signalised crossing as part of the SW Bus Corridors, there might be opportunities to look at this in the future should funding for a route treatment be made available.  We want to thank the community for raising this and we will keep this on record for future implementation.

(2)    I have written to Streets Ahead/Amey on behalf of the residents of Dunkeld Road, Banner Cross Road and Woodholm Road on a few occasions now, and most recently after the last LAC meeting. All the trees are awaiting an assessment before the dreadful state of the road surfaces can be addressed. The Amey representative for our area said there would be a consultation of all residents on these roads before Christmas. I wrote again just before Christmas asking when that would happen. I have had no reply yet and it hasn’t happened. Can the LAC ask the same questions of Amey in order to expedite the trees and road surfacing work and make life easier for these residents?

In response, Councillor Barbara Masters that the options for Dunkeld Road were to be discussed with the Sheffield Street Tree Partnership on 13th January 2023, in line with the agreed process. Following this meeting, Amey would be able to provide a further update to Councillors and residents. Amey apologised for the fact that they were unable to hold the public consultation before Christmas, as planned. However, they do still have plans to schedule this meeting for the near future. 

Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed stated that local Councillors had been deeply concerned and frustrated at the fact that the three roads had not yet been resurfaced.  He, with fellow Ward Councillors, had visited the roads on a number of occasions, and had spoken to local residents.  He stated that this issue would be raised with Amey, through the LAC, and that he would raise the issue with the Chief Executive next time he met with her.  Councillor Mohammed believed that any surface work by Amey, in connection with the trees on the roads, should have been completed by now.

Councillor Joe Otten (Chair of the Waste and Street Scene Policy Committee), added that the reasons for the delays were due to partly to Amey underperforming on the contract and due to the complex, lengthy process of the Independent Tree Panel assessing each of the roads prior to any resurfacing works being completed.

(c)  Sue Owen

The South West LAC Community Plan includes encouraging wildflower planting which is important for increased biodiversity.

Can you say what progress has been made in the development of wildflower planting in parks, and verges, and whether there has been a reduction in the mowing of verges?

When will a decision be made about the closure of Archer Lane? Has the Committee considered using some of the space for wildflower planting if it remains as a pedestrian and cycling path?

In response, Councillor Barbara Masters stated that the Parks and Countryside Service continue to look at all opportunities to look at change and encourage biodiversity, whilst trying to balance Park user needs. This has included reducing mowing of over 86 hectares of green space over the last three years, increasing cut and collect to meadow where possible, investing over £130k in new cut and collect equipment, reducing the use of weedkillers in particular glyphosate, stopping the use on permeable surfacing in all land managed under Parks and Countryside except for treating invasive species.

The Service continue to add wildflower meadows, although this comes at a cost, encouraging Friends Of groups to help manage and support, with recent great success in locations like Crookes Valley and Mount Pleasant Parks, reducing boundary management to encourage naturalisation creating wildlife corridors, seeking areas to plant trees or to allow to naturally scrub, looking at water management creating catchment ponds, Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) schemes and leaky dams.

Unfortunately, the Service’s challenge will be resources and, often, alternative methods were more expensive with budget pressure that would result in reduced staffing resources 2023/24 as part of its budget saving requirements.

Councillor Masters stated that the new Grass Verges policy includes the option allowing residents to sow wildflowers on certain types of highway verges isolated from a property, which they can’t formally ‘adopt’ currently. Where a verge was immediately outside a property the householder could obtain a Section 142 licence to maintain or cultivate the section if they can get insurance to indemnify the Council for any damage. Verges that aren’t eligible for Section 142 were typically adjacent to or formed part of wide junctions found throughout the suburbs.

The policy was meant to be submitted to the Waste and Street Scene Policy Committee for approval on 21st December, 2022, but at the meeting, the officer who was to present the policy asked for it to be deferred because an Equality Impact Assessment had not been carried out. This was despite the issues being discussed at length by myself and officers who had been working on the policy for some time. It cannot now be adopted until February 2023 at the earliest, when the Committee was due to meet again.

I was allowed to run a small pilot in June last year, about the worse time for conducting a trial. A patch of highway verge was close mowed by Amey and then roughed up and sown with various flower mixes by some residents. Despite the adverse conditions, the trial was successful. There was a succession of blooms from mid-July to early November.  The positives were the enhanced street scene and number of insects benefitting from the plants, which were anticipated. One unexpected benefit was that vehicles avoided driving over the verge while the flowers were in bloom.

The policy should have gone to Committee in September 2022, allowing a larger trial to take place in the Ecclesall Ward beginning in Autumn. In anticipation, at least 10 sites which might benefit from such treatment have been identified. Most have been passed as suitable by officers, but the total area has to be calculated because there is a cost associated with this. Unfortunately, that calculation has not yet been done, and this must be completed before any further work can be carried out.

Once all the sites have been assessed, the next stage would be to consult residents around the sites to seek their views. There were a number of factors which come into play and which may result in some sites being rejected. This should have been covered by the Equality Impact Assessment. Where sites were agreed, the policy gives four options. The option which I would trial is for Amey to scarify the ground and sow yellow rattle to suppress grass growth. Residents could then scatter seeds suitable to the location. The verge would be mown once a year, in Autumn. More information can be found on the Council website meetings, the Waste and Street Scene Policy Committee, agenda for 21st December 2022. Sheffield City Council - Agenda for Waste and Street Scene Policy Committee on Wednesday, 21st December 2022, at 2.00 pm.

In brief, the rollout of the policy has been beset by a number of delays. Amey would take a more relaxed view of people sowing wildflower seeds, but until the policy was in place and sites for its use have been formally approved, there was no guarantee that they would not be obliterated.

I have also been involved in a project to rewild a small section of parkland off Highcliffe Road. Here, residents identified a patch of ground they would like to make more biodiverse. There were a number of challenges to be addressed though. The grass growth is vigorous, and it’s not used for any recreational purpose because it slopes, is boggy in patches and has an unfavourable aspect. We anticipate it will take five years for people to see the benefits, and we are now starting the third year. We’ve tried to establish different species with varying degrees of success and sought advice on how to increase the success rate this year. Parks and Countryside staff were working with us to try different mowing regimes and volunteers could only work on site clearing brambles and invasive raspberry when supervised by someone with the appropriate insurance. ie someone from the Friends of Porter Valley who support the work. What is needed are more volunteers so we can put on more workdays to deal with the heavy work.

In terms of the question regarding Archer Lane, the Chair stated that a response would be provided later in the meeting, as a similar question had been raised by someone else.

(d)  Maggie Riley

I asked a question at the October 2022 LAC meeting asking for an emergency review of the previously agreed LAC budget and spending priorities in the light of the cost of living crisis creating increasingly significant negative impact on the poorest and most vulnerable in our communities.

I asked for an urgent review so that residents could re-consider how the as yet uncommitted funds from the LAC £100k allocation could be re-directed to supporting families and individuals to address the worst consequences of the growing crisis – this could be through supporting eg food banks, debt/budget advice services etc.

Whilst I appreciate having had the opportunity to ask my question and indeed having had a written reply subsequently, I regret that I am left feeling that mine and other questions were neither satisfactorily discussed or answered but rather, effectively dismissed with a suggestion that we should be reassured that the Council actions would be sufficient response and a vague suggestion of further discussion at the next meeting in January.

I am more than a little disappointed, not to say frustrated and concerned, at the apparent lack of accountability, transparency, democracy and pace of decision making of the South West Local Area Committee (LAC).

In light of all of this, there are three questions that I feel need to be answered urgently:

(1)    My understanding is that the LAC protocols require an update on spending to be provided at each meeting.  No such update was provided at the October meeting. Can you please provide a summary of spending from the LAC budget so far. Can you also provide reassurance that the questions raised at the October meeting, and subsequently have been taken seriously enough to cause a pause in committing further expenditure to plans and priorities that have been overtaken by serious changes to the context in which the original priorities were set? 

(2)    How can residents, and particularly those taking an active interest in the LAC, be reassured that reviewing the LAC budget is properly and effectively being considered? 

(3)    How can residents ensure that there is a decision on the budget? For example, if the majority of residents in the communities served by the LAC would like to see a change in the budget, can you clarify what is the mechanism to make this change?

In response, Councillor Joe Otten stated that the Council was working in partnership with the Cost of Living Crisis Team, and are working to build localised grassroots level activity, which include the following:

·        We have reached out to increase the network of Welcoming Places in the Area.  We have targeted Community, Faith and Voluntary organisations to support and enable them to sign up to be part of the network for the area - somewhere welcoming, warm, inviting with no stigma for people to attend that are struggling with the impact of the cost of living crisis.

·        We expanded the Isolation and Loneliness grants funds to include the supporting of Welcoming Places, and this has enabled over £9,000 to be provided to facilitate activities across the area to be established across the area to date.

·        We are reaching out to foodbanks that neighbour our geographical areas to provide funding support based on residents that are accessing their services. We have provided funds to S6 Foodbank and are working with Grace foodbank currently.

·        We are exploring support that can be provided to Gypsy and Traveller sites in the Area and continue to work with the Westminster TARA to see how we can provide support to them moving forward.  We are looking at setting up a session with the TARA to share the support that is available through the Cost of Living Crisis team - access to grants, support with benefits, energy advice etc.

·        We are playing a role in coordinating communication to ensure the most vulnerable know where to access support and help. We’re looking at different communication channels.

·        This activity around the cost of living crisis response in SW LAC, is comparable to the work that is taking across all LACs.

·        We are proposing that the surplus funds are sent out to grants for community, faith and voluntary sector to apply for to deliver activities / projects that achieve the broad priorities in the SW LAC Community Plan, and this could include activities/projects related to assisting individuals that are impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.

Councillor Otten added that the LAC, and the Council as a whole, felt very deeply about the adverse impact of the cost of living crisis on Sheffield residents.  He referred to the establishment of the Gold Command, a cross-party Member Working Group, in an attempt to help tackle the problems being faced by Sheffield residents.  He also referred to the additional funding allocated by the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee to the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).

Councillor Ruth Milsom stated that whilst the public had been involved in setting out the priorities in the Community Plan, Ms Riley was querying how they could be involved in the decision-making in terms of how the LAC’s budget was allocated.

Councillor Minesh Parekh added that Members of the LAC had met and agreed, in principle, that consideration should be given for some of the underspend in the budget to be allocated to people, and projects helping those, affected by the cost of living crisis.  He stated that, at present, there was no provision for the public to have a say in terms of how the LAC’s budget was allocated, which he believed to be a flaw in the system.

Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed stated that £800,000 had been allocated to the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), but considered that there was a need to review how the CAB operated, and how this funding was utilised.

The Chair concluded by stating that a review of the governance arrangements in terms of the LACs was planned, which would include a review of how future budgets would be allocated.

(e)  John Wright

I note that at November's full Council meeting, due to a Labour amendment, the Council agreed that Local Area Committees would play a role in developing local renewable energy plans. I also note that in the LAC Community Plan there is a proposal to use up to £5,000 underspend on scoping out capacity for community renewable energy projects. Has there been any progress made on this, and is there a plan to re-allocate further funds to this priority area if other items on the plan produce an underspend? What specific scoping work is planned and what measures are being taken to bring in expert knowledge?

In response, the Chair stated that Members were exploring how they could develop the proposals that were included in the LAC Community Plan, including the proposal to use underspend on scoping out the capacity for community renewable energy plans.  The LAC would also need to look to align this with the work being undertaken at the city-level on climate change and sustainability.

In November 2022, the Transport, Regeneration and Climate policy Committee approved the development of a £3.5m Local Renewable Energy Fund programme. This follows a capital budget amendment earlier in the year which allocated £3.5m for local renewable energy on council buildings, especially community hubs such as schools, libraries, community centres and potentially council-owned housing.   Work was being progressed to develop a programme, which as well as aiming to support the objectives outlined above, would also aim to support a community energy pilot and be used to lever in additional grant funding. 

Further discussions with the Committee relating to the Full Council motion on local renewable energy plans were anticipated, as part of their work on developing a series of decarbonisation route maps for the city.

5.2

The Committee received the following questions from members of the public, who had submitted the questions prior to the meeting, but were not present at the meeting:-

(a)  Shiv Bhurton

I am new to this forum and would like to take this opportunity to share a few observations about my local area (Crosspool).

I have noticed for a while that many people are not always respecting the good practice of 'NO PARKING' on grass verges in our area.

By way of educating residents and visitors alike, I wonder if a seasonal campaign of information/leaflets etc. could be launched this year. This will/could help remind people that they are responsible for their actions and should adopt good practice when parking, respecting what the local authority is doing to raise the standard of residential areas.

To help, I wonder where cars have been parked on grass verges and particularly where the grass verge is damaged, information notice could be placed simply to remind people to avoid such action in the future.

Secondly, unfortunately potholes are developing on various key commuter routes and cyclists and pedestrians are being placed at increasing risks when vehicles attempt to dodge/avoid potholes at the last minute. 

We are encouraged to move more as part of our keeping fit and independent actions.

I think it would be a great idea to encourage the public to report these potholes proactively and easily for Highways to act in a timely way. Making reporting more accessible will result in Highways planning better even if the work took longer. As this will be community driven, people will feel more assured and feel that action will be taken.

It would be great if you could share my views with the members at the next meeting and encourage discussion on how we could do better.

I am proud of what the LAC does and it's a great platform to see the community in action.

(b)  Nita White

Can I ask when Archer Lane will reopen to vehicles again – along with the reopening of Little London Road to through traffic?

Whilst it has become knowledge that both these Nether Edge Low Traffic Orders were put in place with little or no consultation - neither to residents or to Councillors, and no consideration was given to alternative routes etc.  This resulted in all the traffic being forced onto an already very busy Abbeydale Road and Sheldon Road too, causing far too many problems and even more pollution, and the fact that local residents had to make longer journeys – some on a daily basis, and traffic on Bannerdale Road and Carterknowle Road increased as through traffic was using these routes since the closures. 

It is said that those who wish Archer Lane to remain closed only cited safer conditions for cyclists and children – but this is not the case.  Very few cyclists ever use Archer Lane – it is so steep and they would gain nothing, and the again the use of Archer Lane by children is negligible – local schools are situated on Bannerdale Road and Carterknowle Road, with little use from Archer Lane. 

Archer Lane has been a well used thoroughfare to Nether Edge etc and being a resident on Bannerdale Road for nearly 36 years, I have never, during all this time, seen or experienced any traffic problem or accident during all those years.  Drivers using Archer Lane were aware and careful of using Archer Lane (which has several road humps along it to regulate any speed). 

As our family doctor is based on St Andrews Road, we now have to travel on Abbeydale Road and up Sheldon Road to reach that when previously would use Archer Lane through Nether Edge to reach it.  And we would use Archer Lane to travel through to Wostenholme Road, Washington Road to Ecclesall Road or down to the bottom of London Road, again staying away from the busy Abbeydale Road, London Road etc.

Also Little London Road assisted local residents, to access Woodseats Road and other areas, which again now means they have a longer journey on Abbeydale Road and Broadfield Road. 

No alternatives were given to any of these major closures.  And I am sure that local businesses will have suffered as a result of these closure.

I do think the roads should be opened again – to lessen volume of traffic and making it more freely moving.

Further to a related question raised by Sue Owen earlier in the meeting, the Chair stated that although the trials in respect of the closure of Archer Lane and Little London Road would take place for six months, the period after enabled a review of the scheme, and formal decisions would be made around which elements of the trials should stay in place and which should be removed or changed. During this time, the scheme would remain in place. Decisions would be based on public feedback received through the Experimental TRO, monitoring the traffic flow changes, and the funding available. It was currently expected that the decision would be made by the relevant Council Committee in Summer 2023.

(c) Jill Lancaster

Where can we access information on the punctuality and frequency of our local bus services please.

I am particularly interested in the 83a. Reliability is particularly important for less frequent buses. Too many of these buses seem to be cancelled.

The Chair stated that written responses would be sent to Shiv Bhurton, Nita White and Jill Lancaster.

5.3

The Committee received and noted a report of the South West Local Area Committee Team setting out responses to questions raised at its last meeting, which were not provided at the meeting.