Agenda item

7.1

At this point in the proceedings, the Lord Mayor (Councillor Jayne Dunn) entered the meeting and chaired the remainder of the proceedings.

7.2

It was moved by Councillor Alison Norris, and seconded by Councillor Gareth Slater, that:-

this Council notes:-

(a)      it is estimated that 1 in 6 people in England report a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression, in any given week (NHS Digital 2016);

(b)      analysis suggests that 10 million people (8.5 million adults and 1.5 million children and young people) in England now require support for their mental health (O’Shea, 2021);

(c)      this year’s world Mental Health Day on 10th October highlights the importance of addressing mental health and wellbeing in the workplace;

this Council:-

(d)      believes it is vital to address mental health issues in the workplace, which can affect wellbeing and morale, so we can develop our workforce and deliver high quality services and support;

(e)      further believes we need to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and create cultures where all workers can thrive;

(f)       applauds the nurses, mental health support workers, volunteers, self-help and VCF groups working in this field across the city;

(g)      believes that trade union representatives have a vital role in addressing mental health problems in the workplace by raising awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues and offering support to people experiencing poor mental health, representing members on workplace issues, and negotiating appropriate workplace policies and procedures;

(h)      believes that the Council’s online Workplace Wellbeing resource is a great first step and provides a valuable toolkit signposting staff to appropriate support when required;

(i)       welcomes legislative changes to end fire and rehire and ban exploitative zero-hour contracts, which will make work more family-friendly which is an essential part of ensuring good mental health at work;

(j)       welcomes the Council’s new All-Age Emotional and Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the commitment to partnership, involvement of people with lived experience, and co-production which has characterised its development;

(k)      welcomes the Government’s plans to create Young Futures Hubs and ensure every young person has access to a specialist mental health professional at school;

this Council resolves to:-

(l)       ensure mental and emotional health and wellbeing are valued the same as physical health, and that they are made everyone’s business;

(m)     ensure mental wellness, resilience and the prevention of illness are promoted pro-actively; and

(n)      explore further opportunities for family-friendly policies and improving work/life balance, all of which help to support good mental health.

7.3

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Sophie Thornton, and seconded by Councillor Tim Huggan, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.       the addition of new paragraphs (h) and (i) as follows, and the re-lettering of the original paragraph (h) as a new paragraph (j):-

(h)      believes that the establishment of a statutory, independent Mental Health Commissioner would provide greater representation for people in all areas struggling with mental health problems;

(i)       believes that extraordinary wait times for ADHD and autism assessments contribute to poor mental health in Sheffield;

2.       the deletion of the original paragraph (i);

3.       the addition of a new paragraph (k) as follows:-

(k)      would welcome proposed legislative changes to modernise employment rights to boost mental health at work, such as making flexible working a day-one right and setting a higher minimum wage rate for zero-hours contract workers;

4.       the re-lettering of the original paragraphs (j) to (n) as new paragraphs (l) to (p).

7.4

It was then moved by Councillor Angela Argenzio, and seconded by Councillor Martin Phipps, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.       the addition of new paragraphs (l) to (n) as follows:-

(l)       believes that the ongoing mental wellbeing of thousands of local government workers is being adversely affected by the instability of Local Government finances;

(m)     believes that harsher steps to make people who are signed off work and claiming sickness benefit look for work will only exacerbate poor mental health in the workplace;

(n)      welcomes the new Mental Health pilot in Gleadless Valley, one of only six in the country, and pledges to give full support and backing to Heeley Trust in delivering this pilot with the NHS;

2.       the re-lettering of the original paragraphs (l) and (m) as new paragraphs (o) and (p);

3.       the addition of new paragraphs (q) and (r) as follows, and the re-lettering of the original paragraph (n) as a new paragraph (s):-

(q)      ask the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with a copy of this motion, to request parity of mental health funding with physical health care and to urgently act to reduce waiting times for accessing mental health services for all ages;

(r)       ask the Chief Executive to write to the Deputy Prime Minister, with a copy of this motion, to ask for sustainable funding for Local Government to protect the services people rely on and the mental wellbeing of Council staff who deliver them;

7.5

After contributions from four other Members, and following a right of reply from Councillor Alison Norris, the amendment moved by Councillor Sophie Thornton was put to the vote and was carried, except for Part 2 of the amendment, which was lost.

7.5.1

(NOTE: The result of the vote was FOR - 35 Members; AGAINST - 33 Members; ABSTENTIONS – 2 Members.  Although Labour Group Members voted against, they abstained from voting on paragraph (h) in Part 1 of the amendment and voted for paragraph (i) in Part 1 of the amendment. Although Green Group Members voted for, they voted against Part 2 of the amendment. Although Councillors Denise Fox and Dianne Hurst voted against, they voted for paragraph (i) in Part 1 of the amendment.)

7.6

The amendment moved by Councillor Angela Argenzio was then put to the vote and was carried.

7.6.1

(NOTE: The result of the vote was FOR - 69 Members; AGAINST - 0 Members; ABSTENTIONS – 1 Member.  Although Labour Group Members voted for, they abstained from voting on paragraph (m) in Part 1 of the amendment and voted against Part 3 of the amendment.)

7.7

The original Motion, as amended, was then put to the vote as a Substantive Motion in the following form, and was carried, except for paragraph (l), which was lost:-

That:-

this Council notes:-

(a)      it is estimated that 1 in 6 people in England report a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression, in any given week (NHS Digital 2016);

(b)      analysis suggests that 10 million people (8.5 million adults and 1.5 million children and young people) in England now require support for their mental health (O’Shea, 2021);

(c)      this year’s world Mental Health Day on 10th October highlights the importance of addressing mental health and wellbeing in the workplace;

this Council:-

(d)      believes it is vital to address mental health issues in the workplace, which can affect wellbeing and morale, so we can develop our workforce and deliver high quality services and support;

(e)      further believes we need to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and create cultures where all workers can thrive;

(f)       applauds the nurses, mental health support workers, volunteers, self-help and VCF groups working in this field across the city;

(g)      believes that trade union representatives have a vital role in addressing mental health problems in the workplace by raising awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues and offering support to people experiencing poor mental health, representing members on workplace issues, and negotiating appropriate workplace policies and procedures;

(h)      believes that the establishment of a statutory, independent Mental Health Commissioner would provide greater representation for people in all areas struggling with mental health problems;

(i)       believes that extraordinary wait times for ADHD and autism assessments contribute to poor mental health in Sheffield;

(j)       believes that the Council’s online Workplace Wellbeing resource is a great first step and provides a valuable toolkit signposting staff to appropriate support when required;

(k)      welcomes legislative changes to end fire and rehire and ban exploitative zero-hour contracts, which will make work more family-friendly which is an essential part of ensuring good mental health at work;

(l)       would welcome proposed legislative changes to modernise employment rights to boost mental health at work, such as making flexible working a day-one right and setting a higher minimum wage rate for zero-hours contract workers;

(m)     welcomes the Council’s new All-Age Emotional and Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the commitment to partnership, involvement of people with lived experience, and co-production which has characterised its development;

(n)      welcomes the Government’s plans to create Young Futures Hubs and ensure every young person has access to a specialist mental health professional at school;

(o)      believes that the ongoing mental wellbeing of thousands of local government workers is being adversely affected by the instability of Local Government finances;

(p)      believes that harsher steps to make people who are signed off work and claiming sickness benefit look for work will only exacerbate poor mental health in the workplace;

(q)      welcomes the new Mental Health pilot in Gleadless Valley, one of only six in the country, and pledges to give full support and backing to Heeley Trust in delivering this pilot with the NHS;

this Council resolves to:-

(r)       ensure mental and emotional health and wellbeing are valued the same as physical health, and that they are made everyone’s business;

(s)      ensure mental wellness, resilience and the prevention of illness are promoted pro-actively;

(t)       ask the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with a copy of this motion, to request parity of mental health funding with physical health care and to urgently act to reduce waiting times for accessing mental health services for all ages;

(u)      ask the Chief Executive to write to the Deputy Prime Minister, with a copy of this motion, to ask for sustainable funding for Local Government to protect the services people rely on and the mental wellbeing of Council staff who deliver them; and

(v)      explore further opportunities for family-friendly policies and improving work/life balance, all of which help to support good mental health.

7.7.1

(NOTE: The result of the vote on the Substantive Motion was FOR - 69 Members; AGAINST - 0 Members; ABSTENTIONS – 1 Member.  Although Labour Group Members voted for, they abstained from voting on paragraphs (h) and (p) and voted against paragraphs (l), (t) and (u) of the Substantive Motion. Although Sheffield Community Councillors Group Members voted for, they voted against paragraphs (h) and (l) of the Substantive Motion.)

7.8

Accordingly, the resolution passed by the Council was as follows:-

RESOLVED: That:-

this Council notes:-

(a)      it is estimated that 1 in 6 people in England report a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression, in any given week (NHS Digital 2016);

(b)      analysis suggests that 10 million people (8.5 million adults and 1.5 million children and young people) in England now require support for their mental health (O’Shea, 2021);

(c)      this year’s world Mental Health Day on 10th October highlights the importance of addressing mental health and wellbeing in the workplace;

this Council:-

(d)      believes it is vital to address mental health issues in the workplace, which can affect wellbeing and morale, so we can develop our workforce and deliver high quality services and support;

(e)      further believes we need to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and create cultures where all workers can thrive;

(f)       applauds the nurses, mental health support workers, volunteers, self-help and VCF groups working in this field across the city;

(g)      believes that trade union representatives have a vital role in addressing mental health problems in the workplace by raising awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues and offering support to people experiencing poor mental health, representing members on workplace issues, and negotiating appropriate workplace policies and procedures;

(h)      believes that the establishment of a statutory, independent Mental Health Commissioner would provide greater representation for people in all areas struggling with mental health problems;

(i)       believes that extraordinary wait times for ADHD and autism assessments contribute to poor mental health in Sheffield;

(j)       believes that the Council’s online Workplace Wellbeing resource is a great first step and provides a valuable toolkit signposting staff to appropriate support when required;

(k)      welcomes legislative changes to end fire and rehire and ban exploitative zero-hour contracts, which will make work more family-friendly which is an essential part of ensuring good mental health at work;

(l)       welcomes the Council’s new All-Age Emotional and Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the commitment to partnership, involvement of people with lived experience, and co-production which has characterised its development;

(m)     welcomes the Government’s plans to create Young Futures Hubs and ensure every young person has access to a specialist mental health professional at school;

(n)      believes that the ongoing mental wellbeing of thousands of local government workers is being adversely affected by the instability of Local Government finances;

(o)      believes that harsher steps to make people who are signed off work and claiming sickness benefit look for work will only exacerbate poor mental health in the workplace;

(p)      welcomes the new Mental Health pilot in Gleadless Valley, one of only six in the country, and pledges to give full support and backing to Heeley Trust in delivering this pilot with the NHS;

this Council resolves to:-

(q)      ensure mental and emotional health and wellbeing are valued the same as physical health, and that they are made everyone’s business;

(r)       ensure mental wellness, resilience and the prevention of illness are promoted pro-actively;

(s)      ask the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with a copy of this motion, to request parity of mental health funding with physical health care and to urgently act to reduce waiting times for accessing mental health services for all ages;

(t)       ask the Chief Executive to write to the Deputy Prime Minister, with a copy of this motion, to ask for sustainable funding for Local Government to protect the services people rely on and the mental wellbeing of Council staff who deliver them; and

(u)      explore further opportunities for family-friendly policies and improving work/life balance, all of which help to support good mental health.