Agenda item

Business Friendly Council (2)

It was moved by Councillor Ian Auckland, seconded by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, that this Council:-

(a)       recalls the dedication of the previous Administration to supporting small and medium-sized businesses in Sheffield to bid for public sector contracts through the Buy4Sheffield project;

(b)       understands that this project, alongside numerous other policies, led to Sheffield moving from ‘the worst place to do business in South Yorkshire’ to the best;

(c)        is pleased to see this work recognised by the Government through its ‘Best councils to do business with’ awards;

(d)       regrets that Labour councillors are jeopardising this progress by projecting a dangerously ‘anti-business’ message, by – among other actions – providing a lukewarm welcome to the potential of new jobs from Ikea and Next;

(e)       notes the comments, reported in The Star newspaper, of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce that “Sheffield’s going backwards” and of the South Yorkshire Federation of Small Businesses that the Council has “lost touch with the business reality of the 21st Century”; and

(f)        believes that creating jobs and growth is the best and the most sustainable way to support local residents and recommends that the present Administration works immediately to shed their “anti-business” image and make Sheffield a genuinely business-friendly City.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Leigh Bramall, seconded by Councillor Mick Rooney, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of all the words after the words “That this Council” and the substitution of the following words therefor:-

(a)       welcomes the recent Government award recognising Sheffield City Council as a ‘Best Council to do business with’ which was selected by a panel consisting of the Federation of Small Businesses, Confederation of British Industry, British Chambers of Commerce, Local Government Association, Cabinet Office, Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Department for Communities and Local Government;

(b)       further welcomes that the award recognised work around the Streets Ahead contract, the biggest in the Council's history, where bidders were encouraged to use local suppliers in their sub-contracting arrangements which has been extremely successful and around 80% of sub-contractors are Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) providing support on a variety of jobs;

(c)        confirms that the Council also ran events such as the Bidders Briefing with an open invitation to all local suppliers to attend giving them an opportunity to network with the market leaders in the highway maintenance sector;

(d)       welcomes other actions taken by the present Administration including providing free one-hour sessions for local businesses, filmed training sessions and put them on the internet, and filmed a 'how to' video on Council procurement and posted that online, filmed by a local digital media company;

(e)       welcomes that the present Administration are delivering on their commitment to be a business friendly council and welcomes initiatives to support local businesses and boost economic growth including:

(i)         breaking down the barriers for SMEs to access the Regional Growth Fund;

(ii)        the RISE Graduate Scheme which supports local SMEs to employ graduates;

(iii)       the export project supporting local SMEs to enter new export markets;

(iv)       the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme;

(v)        Skills Made Easy designed by Sheffield City Council, in partnership with the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), to put the purchasing power for training for the first time, in the hands of businesses in the Sheffield City Region (SCR);

(vi)       Business Summits;

(vii)      the small business loan fund;

(viii)     up to 50% reductions in off street parking charges;

(ix)       the Chapel Walk scheme to develop local independent retail businesses;

(x)        the Digital Direction Programme; and

(xi)       securing a Start Up Loans for Young People, the only Council to have done so;

(f)        further welcomes the action of the present Administration of establishing the Keep Sheffield Working Fund, recognising the importance of supporting local businesses in the current challenging economic climate;

(g)       notes that this approach is in stark contrast to the previous Administration who:

(i)         broke a promise of its Leader to commit £1 million of Council resources to support the previous Government’s Future Jobs Fund;

(ii)        defended the Government’s decision to scrap the loan to Sheffield Forgemasters;

(iii)       completely failed to move the regeneration of the city centre forward in three years; and

(iv)       increased market rents by 40% which would have seen many market traders put out of business;

(h)       regrets that even in opposition the Liberal Democrats are attempting to stall economic growth in the region through their proposals to block the submission of the creation of a Combined Authority and spending much of the Keep Sheffield Working Fund which would have prevented the development of many of the positive pro-business policies listed above;

(i)         deplores the way the major opposition group played politics with the issue of HS2 by engaging local businesses to campaign for a Victoria station location, noting comments posted on the Sheffield Liberal Democrat website from Councillor Ian Auckland from March 2012: “Locating the station somewhere like Meadowhall would see passengers travel four miles out of the city and therefore the improved journey time to London would be negated. We believe to maximise the benefits of High Speed Rail the station must come to the city centre – and that the old Sheffield Victoria station would make a great location; a symbol of Sheffield’s enduring affection for its past and its unnerving dedication to the future.”, only to drop the campaign immediately that the Government announced that Meadowhall was their preferred option; and

(j)         recognises that at a time when the Government have categorically failed to take action to secure economic growth it is more important than ever to redouble efforts to grow the local economy and support job creation and resolves to continue being business friendly and to focus on jobs and to build on the recent recognition of the Council’s business friendly approach through the ‘Best Council to do business with’ award.

(Notes:

1.    With the consent of the Council and at the request of Councillor Leigh Bramall (the mover of the amendment) Paragraph (h), as included in the list of amendments, was altered by the addition of the words “the submission for” after the word “block”.

2.    Councillor Robert Murphy voted for Paragraphs (a), (c), (d), (f) and (j) against Paragraph (h) and abstained on Paragraphs (b), (e), (g) and (i) of the amendment and asked for this to be recorded.)

On being put to the vote the amendment was carried.

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

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)       welcomes the recent Government award recognising Sheffield City Council as a ‘Best Council to do business with’ which was selected by a panel consisting of the Federation of Small Businesses, Confederation of British Industry, British Chambers of Commerce, Local Government Association, Cabinet Office, Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Department for Communities and Local Government;

(b)       further welcomes that the award recognised work around the Streets Ahead contract, the biggest in the Council's history, where bidders were encouraged to use local suppliers in their sub-contracting arrangements which has been extremely successful and around 80% of sub-contractors are Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) providing support on a variety of jobs;

(c)        confirms that the Council also ran events such as the Bidders Briefing with an open invitation to all local suppliers to attend giving them an opportunity to network with the market leaders in the highway maintenance sector;

(d)       welcomes other actions taken by the present Administration including providing free one-hour sessions for local businesses, filmed training sessions and put them on the internet, and filmed a 'how to' video on Council procurement and posted that online, filmed by a local digital media company;

(e)       welcomes that the present Administration are delivering on their commitment to be a business friendly council and welcomes initiatives to support local businesses and boost economic growth including:

(i)         breaking down the barriers for SMEs to access the Regional Growth Fund;

(ii)        the RISE Graduate Scheme which supports local SMEs to employ graduates;

(iii)       the export project supporting local SMEs to enter new export markets;

(iv)       the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme;

(v)        Skills Made Easy designed by Sheffield City Council, in partnership with the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), to put the purchasing power for training for the first time, in the hands of businesses in the Sheffield City Region (SCR);

(vi)       Business Summits;

(vii)      the small business loan fund;

(viii)     up to 50% reductions in off street parking charges;

(ix)       the Chapel Walk scheme to develop local independent retail businesses;

(x)        the Digital Direction Programme; and

(xi)       securing a Start Up Loans for Young People, the only Council to have done so;

(f)        further welcomes the action of the present Administration of establishing the Keep Sheffield Working Fund, recognising the importance of supporting local businesses in the current challenging economic climate;

(g)       notes that this approach is in stark contrast to the previous Administration who:

(i)         broke a promise of its Leader to commit £1 million of Council resources to support the previous Government’s Future Jobs Fund;

(ii)        defended the Government’s decision to scrap the loan to Sheffield Forgemasters;

(iii)       completely failed to move the regeneration of the city centre forward in three years; and

(iv)       increased market rents by 40% which would have seen many market traders put out of business;

(h)       regrets that even in opposition the Liberal Democrats are attempting to stall economic growth in the region through their proposals to block the submission for the creation of a Combined Authority and spending much of the Keep Sheffield Working Fund which would have prevented the development of many of the positive pro-business policies listed above;

(i)         deplores the way the major opposition group played politics with the issue of HS2 by engaging local businesses to campaign for a Victoria station location, noting comments posted on the Sheffield Liberal Democrat website from Councillor Ian Auckland from March 2012: “Locating the station somewhere like Meadowhall would see passengers travel four miles out of the city and therefore the improved journey time to London would be negated. We believe to maximise the benefits of High Speed Rail the station must come to the city centre – and that the old Sheffield Victoria station would make a great location; a symbol of Sheffield’s enduring affection for its past and its unnerving dedication to the future.”, only to drop the campaign immediately that the Government announced that Meadowhall was their preferred option; and

(j)         recognises that at a time when the Government have categorically failed to take action to secure economic growth it is more important than ever to redouble efforts to grow the local economy and support job creation and resolves to continue being business friendly and to focus on jobs and to build on the recent recognition of the Council’s business friendly approach through the ‘Best Council to do business with’ award.

(Note: Councillor Robert Murphy voted for Paragraphs (a), (c), (d), (f) and (j) against Paragraph (h) and abstained on Paragraphs (b), (e), (g) and (i) of the Substantive Motion and asked for this to be recorded.)