Agenda item

8.1

It was moved by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, and seconded by Councillor Sophie Thornton, that this Council:-

(a)       praises the cross party response to the Cost of Living crisis, which has delivered 173 welcome places, £15m in hardship payments to residents, and support for affected businesses;

(b)       notes with concern that despite the Council’s interventions, the Cost of Living crisis is now impacting a much larger group of people, as:-

(i)         Council Homeless Services received 500 more presentations in 2022/23 than in 2021/22;

(ii)        the Trussell Trust delivered 28% more food parcels across Yorkshire in 2022/23 than in 2021/22, with 27 Trussell Trust and Independent food banks in Sheffield;

(iii)       nationally, food prices have risen by 18.4% since January; and

(iv)       the recent rise in the Bank Base Rate to 5% will seriously impact many of Sheffield’s low income mortgage holders;

(c)        notes that:-

(i)         research has found that an estimated £18.7bn in benefits and social tariffs go unclaimed across the UK every year;

(ii)        similarly, an estimated £17m of Pension Credit goes unclaimed in Sheffield every year;

(iii)       take-up is lower for locally administered benefits such as Council Tax Support than DWP administered benefits; and

(iv)       Sheffield Citizens Advice Bureau (which provides support to maximise household income) has provided primarily online support since the pandemic, which can be challenging to access for residents who are elderly or facing digital exclusion;

(d)       believes that accessing locally administered benefits in Sheffield is made more difficult due to the many barriers residents face in contacting the Council, and reaffirms that the Council has an utmost responsibility to assist residents to access all the benefits and support they are entitled to;

(e)       notes that the Local Area Committees have been a vital part of the Cost of Living response in their localities, including working closely with Welcome Places, providing grants to Voluntary, Community and Faith organisations, and producing locally tailored communications; and

(f)        therefore, requests that the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee considers allocating from unallocated resources from the 2023/24 budget setting process:-

(i)         £200k in additional grant funding to Citizens Advice Services, to expand their employment of Volunteer Trainers and provide increased face to face support; and

(ii)        £400k in additional citywide LAC funding, to be allocated by Indices of Multiple Deprivation and spent on the response to the Cost of Living crisis.

8.2

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

1.         the re-lettering of paragraph (d) as a new paragraph (d)(i) and the addition of a new paragraph (d)(ii) as follows:-

(d)(ii)   notes that at the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee on 31st May 2023, councillors agreed that developing a new Customer Services strategy, that will be focused on the experience that the people of Sheffield have when accessing our services, is a key priority for the Committee;

2.         the addition of a new paragraph (g) as follows:-

(g)(i)    notes the important work of the cross-party and cross-sector Cost-of-Living Strategy Group and the expertise and front-line experience that this Group has;

(ii)        notes the belief shared by the Strategic Group that a long-term strategic approach to preventing and reducing poverty and inequality in Sheffield is needed;

(iii)       therefore, believes that any decisions to allocate additional funding to reduce the impact of the cost-of-living crisis should be made after consultation with that Group; and

(iv)       believes that Local Area Committee funding needs to be put on a sustainable footing and calls for a fundamental review of LAC funding.

8.3

It was then moved by Councillor Marieanne Elliot, seconded by Councillor Douglas Johnson, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the addition of the words “and renters” at the end of sub-paragraph (b)(iv);

2.         the addition of the words “or who speak English as a second language” at the end of sub-paragraph (c)(iv); and

3.         the addition of new paragraphs (e) to (g) as follows, and the re-lettering of original paragraphs (e) and (f) as new paragraphs (h) and (i):- 

(e)       recalls that this Council passed a motion in June 2022, not just requesting the establishment of the Cost of Living Crisis Working Group but also requiring a “Customer Services Improvement Plan to be in place within 4 months, to show how it will aim to improve response times and accessibility to services, regardless of the community that customers come from or their background, language or disability; and recognising that the Council’s services also need to be available to people without access to the phone or internet”;

(f)        therefore asks the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee to consider and report on a Customer Services Improvement Plan at the earliest opportunity;

(g)       believes that timely access to independent advice on civil rights and obligations is fundamental and necessary in a fair society, whilst recognising that this does not relieve public authorities of their duty to carry out their services effectively and fairly;

8.4

After contributions from five other Members, and following a right of reply from Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, the amendment moved by Councillor Nighat Basharat was put to the vote and was carried unanimously.

8.5

The amendment moved by Councillor Marieanne Elliot was then put to the vote and was also carried unanimously.

8.6

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

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That this Council:-

(a)       praises the cross party response to the Cost of Living crisis, which has delivered 173 welcome places, £15m in hardship payments to residents, and support for affected businesses;

(b)       notes with concern that despite the Council’s interventions, the Cost of Living crisis is now impacting a much larger group of people, as:-

(i)         Council Homeless Services received 500 more presentations in 2022/23 than in 2021/22;

(ii)        the Trussell Trust delivered 28% more food parcels across Yorkshire in 2022/23 than in 2021/22, with 27 Trussell Trust and Independent food banks in Sheffield;

(iii)       nationally, food prices have risen by 18.4% since January; and

(iv)       the recent rise in the Bank Base Rate to 5% will seriously impact many of Sheffield’s low income mortgage holders and renters;

(c)        notes that:-

(i)         research has found that an estimated £18.7bn in benefits and social tariffs go unclaimed across the UK every year;

(ii)        similarly, an estimated £17m of Pension Credit goes unclaimed in Sheffield every year;

(iii)       take-up is lower for locally administered benefits such as Council Tax Support than DWP administered benefits; and

(iv)       Sheffield Citizens Advice Bureau (which provides support to maximise household income) has provided primarily online support since the pandemic, which can be challenging to access for residents who are elderly or facing digital exclusion or who speak English as a second language;

(d)       (i) believes that accessing locally administered benefits in Sheffield is made more difficult due to the many barriers residents face in contacting the Council, and reaffirms that the Council has an utmost responsibility to assist residents to access all the benefits and support they are entitled to and (ii) notes that at the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee on 31st May 2023, councillors agreed that developing a new Customer Services strategy, that will be focused on the experience that the people of Sheffield have when accessing our services, is a key priority for the Committee;

(e)       recalls that this Council passed a motion in June 2022, not just requesting the establishment of the Cost of Living Crisis Working Group but also requiring a “Customer Services Improvement Plan to be in place within 4 months, to show how it will aim to improve response times and accessibility to services, regardless of the community that customers come from or their background, language or disability; and recognising that the Council’s services also need to be available to people without access to the phone or internet”;

(f)        therefore asks the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee to consider and report on a Customer Services Improvement Plan at the earliest opportunity;

(g)       believes that timely access to independent advice on civil rights and obligations is fundamental and necessary in a fair society, whilst recognising that this does not relieve public authorities of their duty to carry out their services effectively and fairly;

(h)       notes that the Local Area Committees have been a vital part of the Cost of Living response in their localities, including working closely with Welcome Places, providing grants to Voluntary, Community and Faith organisations, and producing locally tailored communications;

(i)         therefore, requests that the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee considers allocating from unallocated resources from the 2023/24 budget setting process:-

(i)         £200k in additional grant funding to Citizens Advice Services, to expand their employment of Volunteer Trainers and provide increased face to face support; and

(ii)        £400k in additional citywide LAC funding, to be allocated by Indices of Multiple Deprivation and spent on the response to the Cost of Living crisis; and

(j)         (i)         notes the important work of the cross-party and cross-sector Cost-of-Living Strategy Group and the expertise and front-line experience that this Group has;

(ii)        notes the belief shared by the Strategic Group that a long-term strategic approach to preventing and reducing poverty and inequality in Sheffield is needed;

(iii)       therefore, believes that any decisions to allocate additional funding to reduce the impact of the cost-of-living crisis should be made after consultation with that Group; and

(iv)       believes that Local Area Committee funding needs to be put on a sustainable footing and calls for a fundamental review of LAC funding.