Agenda item

That this Council:-

(a)       believes a superfast broadband network will be the foundation of a new British economic dynamism, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and adding billions to our Gross Domestic Product;

(b)       supports the commitment of the Coalition Government to ensure the UK has the best broadband network in Europe by 2015;

(c)        however, notes the recent report of The Country Land and Business Association, which claims that up to a fifth of people in rural areas still do not have adequate broadband services and that economic development in rural areas is being put at risk because of failures to provide adequate access to the internet;

(d)       recalls the Council’s Rural Communities Strategy 2010-13, which commits to finding solutions for rural communities that did not have adequate broadband access;

(e)       understands that many rural communities in Sheffield still do not have adequate broadband access; and

(f)         therefore, directs the Chief Executive to bring a report to the Council’s Cabinet detailing progress in delivering broadband for rural communities and setting out future steps the Council can take to ensure access is fully rolled-out.

It was moved by Councillor Alison Brelsford, seconded by Councillor Trevor Bagshaw, that this Council:-

(a)       believes a superfast broadband network will be the foundation of a new British economic dynamism, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and adding billions to our Gross Domestic Product;

(b)       supports the commitment of the Coalition Government to ensure the UK has the best broadband network in Europe by 2015;

(c)        however, notes the recent report of The Country Land and Business Association, which claims that up to a fifth of people in rural areas still do not have adequate broadband services and that economic development in rural areas is being put at risk because of failures to provide adequate access to the internet;

(d)       recalls the Council’s Rural Communities Strategy 2010-13, which commits to finding solutions for rural communities that did not have adequate broadband access;

(e)       understands that many rural communities in Sheffield still do not have adequate broadband access; and

(f)         therefore, directs the Chief Executive to bring a report to the Council’s Cabinet detailing progress in delivering broadband for rural communities and setting out future steps the Council can take to ensure access is fully rolled-out.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Leigh Bramall, seconded by Councillor Ian Saunders, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the addition of the words “, however, regrets that this has not been matched by the necessary resources to deliver this commitment” at the end of paragraph (b);

2.         the addition of new paragraphs (c) and (d) as follows and the relettering of original paragraphs (c) to (f) as new paragraphs (e) to (h);

(c)        notes research from the London School of Economics indicating that Government targets on broadband are unlikely to be met due to a £1.1 billion funding gap;

(d)       regrets that in the Government’s recent announcement to award broadband funding to Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Bradford, London, Manchester and Newcastle, Sheffield received nothing despite bidding into the scheme and believes that Sheffield should have received this funding;

3.         the deletion in new paragraph (f) of all the words after the words “recalls the” and their substitution by the words “Digital Region project which has built a 350 mile fibre optic network across the entire region, including rural communities”;

4.         the deletion in new paragraph (g) of the word “rural” and the addition of the words  “including in rural communities, despite the progression of the Digital Region Project” at the end of that paragraph; and

5.         the insertion between the words “broadband” and “for” in new paragraph (h), of the words “through the Digital Region Project, including implications”.

On being put to the vote, the amendment was carried.

After a right of reply from Councillor Alison Brelsford, the original Motion, as amended, was put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:

(Note: 1. The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Vickie Priestley) and Councillors Simon Clement Jones, Shaffaq Mohammed, Rob Frost, Sylvia Anginotti, Joe Otten, Penny Baker, Diana Stimely, Roger Davison, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Janice Sidebottom, Denise Reaney, Ian Auckland,Anders Hanson,  Katie Condliffe, David Baker, Alison Brelsford and Trevor Bagshaw voted for Paragraphs (a) and (e) to (h) and against Paragraphs (b) (c) and (d) of the Motion and asked for this to be recorded.

2. Councillors Jillian Creasy and Robert Murphy voted for Paragraphs    (b) to (h) and abstained on Paragraph (a) of the Motion and asked for this to be recorded.)