Agenda item

Community Engagement

It was moved by Councillor David Baker, seconded by Councillor Rob Frost, that this Council:-

(a)       regrets the decision of this Council to abolish Community Assemblies and centralise decision-making in the Town Hall;

(b)       highlights the public consultation, in which only 26% of local people supported the decision and just 9% supported plans to cut grants for community projects and groups, which Community Assemblies administered;

(c)        notes the proposed ward-based funding structure, which will see some communities receive five times more than others;

(d)       believes this is a further example of a ‘favoured areas’ policy pursued by the current Administration;

(e)       believes that, given the purpose and scale of this funding, Indices of Multiple Deprivation is not an appropriate tool for allocating funds; and

(f)        considers that communities across Sheffield are not getting a Fair Deal from this Council and calls upon the Administration to reconsider their unfair proposals.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Mazher Iqbal, seconded by Councillor Geoff Smith, 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)       regrets that this Government is making unprecedented and unfair cuts to Sheffield City Council and that the Council has had to make savings of £140 million over the past two years with a further £50 million for 2013/14;           

(b)       is committed to local engagement and community empowerment, but believes that the unprecedented level of cuts that the Council is facing means that spending £2.4 million per year on locality engagement to the detriment of other services is no longer sustainable;

(c)        acknowledges that if this level of saving was not found from the locality budgets, it would need to be found by making cuts to other parts of the Council’s budget and believes it is disingenuous of the main opposition group to call upon the Council to protect Community Assemblies without explaining which budgets they would cut;

(d)       regrets that as a result of the budget position, all areas across the City are facing substantial budget reductions, however, supports the proposals to allocate the remaining funding in line with the indices of multiple deprivation, noting that a significant proportion of Community Assembly funding was allocated in line with the indices of multiple deprivation;

(e)       welcomes that this is in line with the recommendations of the independent Fairness Commission of which the Leader of the main Opposition Group was a commissioner;

(f)        notes that as a result of the proposals, all areas will receive funding in accordance with the levels of deprivation in their area;

(g)       will continue to encourage local engagement and community empowerment, however accepts that this will be with significantly reduced resources due to the unfair Government cuts that the Council is facing;

(h)       believes that the current Community Assembly system is flawed as it has failed to engage communities sufficiently and has as its main focus formal Assembly meetings which have often failed to attract the public or convince them that they were influencing decisions;

(i)         notes that Councillor David Baker, one of the Lib Dem architects of Community Assemblies, is reported within the write-up of a Sheffield for Democracy meeting, called to discuss Community Assemblies, on 23rd October, 2012, as offering the perspective that “Community Assemblies (other than the North East Community Assembly) have not operated as intended”;

(j)         acknowledges that despite the flaws in the system, some good local work has been achieved by Community Assembly staff, local members and community groups; and

(k)        believes that more of a focus on working at a Ward level will encourage community engagement and participation and represents the best option given the scale of the budget cuts faced by the Council.

On being put to the vote the amendment was carried.

The votes on the amendment were ordered to be recorded and were as follows:-

For Paragraphs (a) (b) (g) (j) and (k) of the Motion (52)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Cllr Peter Rippon) and Councillors John Robson, Jack Scott, Roy Munn, Clive Skelton, Ian Saunders, Chris Rosling-Josephs, Helen Mirfin-Boukouris, Bryan Lodge, Denise Fox, Karen McGowan, Jayne Dunn, Stuart Wattam, Jackie Drayton, Ibrar Hussain, Talib Hussain, Robert Murphy, Mohammed Maroof, Geoff Smith, Mary Lea, Harry Harpham, Mazher Iqbal, Joyce Wright, Steven Wilson, Garry Weatherall, Sheila Constance, Chris Weldon, Alan Law, Steve Jones, Tim Rippon, Cate McDonald, George Lindars-Hammond, Janet Bragg, Pat Midgley, Terry Fox, Anthony Downing, David Barker, Lynn Rooney, John Campbell, Martin Lawton, Sioned-Mair Richards, Peter Price, Leigh Bramall, Gill Furniss, Richard Crowther, Neale Gibson, Nikki Sharpe, Ben Curran, Adam Hurst, Jackie Satur, Mick Rooney and Ray Satur.

Against Paragraphs (a) (b) (g) (j) and (k) of the Motion (16)

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Councillors Simon Clement-Jones, Shaffaq Mohammed, Rob Frost, Sylvia Anginotti, Colin Ross, Joe Otten, Keith Hill, Penny Baker, Diana Stimely, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Denise Reaney, Ian Auckland, Anders Hanson,David Baker and Trevor Bagshaw.

Abstained on Paragraphs (a) (b) (g) (j) and (k) of the Motion (0)

-

Nil.

For Paragraphs (c) (e) (f) (h) and (i) of the Motion (51)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Cllr Peter Rippon) and Councillors John Robson, Jack Scott, Roy Munn, Clive Skelton, Ian Saunders, Chris Rosling-Josephs, Helen Mirfin-Boukouris, Bryan Lodge, Denise Fox, Karen McGowan, Jayne Dunn, Stuart Wattam, Jackie Drayton, Ibrar Hussain, Talib Hussain, Mohammed Maroof, Geoff Smith, Mary Lea, Harry Harpham, Mazher Iqbal, Joyce Wright, Steven Wilson, Garry Weatherall, Sheila Constance, Chris Weldon, Alan Law, Steve Jones, Tim Rippon, Cate Mcdonald, George Lindars-Hammond, Janet Bragg, Pat Midgley, Terry Fox, Anthony Downing, David Barker, Lynn Rooney, John Campbell, Martin Lawton, Sioned-Mair Richards, Peter Price, Leigh Bramall, Gill Furniss, Richard Crowther, Neale Gibson, Nikki Sharpe, Ben Curran, Adam Hurst, Jackie Satur, Mick Rooney and Ray Satur.

Against Paragraphs (c) (e) (f) (h) and (i) of the Motion (16)

-

Councillors Simon Clement-Jones, Shaffaq Mohammed, Rob Frost, Sylvia Anginotti, Colin Ross, Joe Otten, Keith Hill, Penny Baker, Diana Stimely, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Denise Reaney, Ian Auckland, Anders Hanson,David Baker and Trevor Bagshaw.

Abstained on Paragraphs (c) (e) (f) (h) and (i) of the Motion (1)

-

Councillor Robert Murphy

For Paragraph (d) of the Motion (51)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Cllr Peter Rippon) and Councillors John Robson, Jack Scott, Roy Munn, Clive Skelton, Ian Saunders, Chris Rosling-Josephs, Helen Mirfin-Boukouris, Bryan Lodge, Denise Fox, Karen McGowan, Jayne Dunn, Stuart Wattam, Jackie Drayton, Ibrar Hussain, Talib Hussain, Mohammed Maroof, Geoff Smith, Mary Lea, Harry Harpham, Mazher Iqbal, Joyce Wright, Steven Wilson, Garry Weatherall, Sheila Constance, Chris Weldon, Alan Law, Steve Jones, Tim Rippon, Cate McDonald, George Lindars-Hammond, Janet Bragg, Pat Midgley, Terry Fox, Anthony Downing, David Barker, Lynn Rooney, John Campbell, Martin Lawton, Sioned-Mair Richards, Peter Price, Leigh Bramall, Gill Furniss, Richard Crowther, Neale Gibson, Nikki Sharpe, Ben Curran, Adam Hurst, Jackie Satur, Mick Rooney and Ray Satur.

Against Paragraph (d) of the Motion (17)

-

Councillors Simon Clement-Jones, Shaffaq Mohammed, Robert Murphy, Rob Frost, Sylvia Anginotti, Colin Ross, Joe Otten, Keith Hill, Penny Baker, Diana Stimely, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Denise Reaney, Ian Auckland, Anders Hanson, David Baker and Trevor Bagshaw.

Abstained on Paragraph (d) of the Motion (0)

-

Nil.

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

RESOLVED:That this Council:-

(a)       regrets that this Government is making unprecedented and unfair cuts to Sheffield City Council and that the Council has had to make savings of £140 million over the past two years with a further £50 million for 2013/14; 

(b)       is committed to local engagement and community empowerment, but believes that the unprecedented level of cuts that the Council is facing means that spending £2.4 million per year on locality engagement to the detriment of other services is no longer sustainable;

(c)        acknowledges that if this level of saving was not found from the locality budgets, it would need to be found by making cuts to other parts of the Council’s budget and believes it is disingenuous of the main opposition group to call upon the Council to protect Community Assemblies without explaining which budgets they would cut;

(d)       regrets that as a result of the budget position, all areas across the City are facing substantial budget reductions, however, supports the proposals to allocate the remaining funding in line with the indices of multiple deprivation, noting that a significant proportion of Community Assembly funding was allocated in line with the indices of multiple deprivation;

(e)       welcomes that this is in line with the recommendations of the independent Fairness Commission of which the Leader of the main Opposition Group was a commissioner;

(f)        notes that as a result of the proposals, all areas will receive funding in accordance with the levels of deprivation in their area;

(g)       will continue to encourage local engagement and community empowerment, however accepts that this will be with significantly reduced resources due to the unfair Government cuts that the Council is facing;

(h)       believes that the current Community Assembly system is flawed as it has failed to engage communities sufficiently and has as its main focus formal Assembly meetings which have often failed to attract the public or convince them that they were influencing decisions;

(i)         notes that Councillor David Baker, one of the Lib Dem architects of Community Assemblies, is reported within the write-up of a Sheffield for Democracy meeting, called to discuss Community Assemblies, on 23rd October, 2012, as offering the perspective that “Community Assemblies (other than the North East Community Assembly) have not operated as intended”;

(j)         acknowledges that despite the flaws in the system, some good local work has been achieved by Community Assembly staff, local members and community groups; and

(k)        believes that more of a focus on working at a Ward level will encourage community engagement and participation and represents the best option given the scale of the budget cuts faced by the Council.

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