Agenda item

Job Creation

It was moved by Councillor Ian Auckland, seconded by Councillor Denise Reaney, that this Council:-

(a)       believes that Liberal Democrats in Government are working to build  a stronger economy and a fairer society;

(b)       notes that since the 2010 General Election, more than one million private sector jobs have been created in the United Kingdom, alongside a massive expansion in the number of young people starting apprenticeships;

(c)        wholeheartedly welcomes the Liberal Democrat ‘A Million Jobs’ campaign, which now aims to create one million more jobs in Britain;

(d)       in particular, backs measures delivered by the Coalition Government which will help generate jobs in the Sheffield City Region, and welcomes the following outcomes:

(i)         new jobs and investment at the Advanced Manufacturing Park;

(ii)        a new University Technical College for Sheffield, which will provide the skills the next generation of Sheffielders need to compete; and

(iii)       5,430 young people starting an apprenticeship in Sheffield in just one year, a 54% increase on the previous Government’s last year in office;

(e)       thanks the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam for helping to secure investment for our City and supports his proposals, made in a recent speech in Sheffield, for a Local Growth Committee to ensure more power is devolved to regions; and

(f)        agrees to give its full backing to the ‘A Million Jobs’ campaign and directs that a copy of this motion is forwarded to all Sheffield MPs.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Geoff Smith, seconded by Councillor Julie Dore, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the deletion of all the words after the words ‘in Government’ in paragraph (a) and their substitution by the words ‘and particularly the Deputy Prime Minister, offer a record of broken promises and betrayal, with their primary record being their failure to deliver any significant growth plan”;

2.         the deletion of paragraphs (b) to (f) and the addition of new paragraphs (b) to (h) as follows:-

(b)     further believes that the Government, with Liberal Democrats’ support, have presided over the weakest economic recovery in recent history and have a record of creating a flatlining economy during their time in Government;

(c)     regrets that youth unemployment reached over 1 million whilst the Liberal Democrats were in Government and deplores the complacent failure of this Government who scrapped the Future Jobs Fund and have introduced a range of policies damaging to young people, including trebling tuition fees and scrapping Education  Maintenance Allowance;

(d)     remembers numerous measures introduced by the Government, with Liberal Democrats’ support, which have damaged Sheffield’s local economy, including scrapping the loan to Sheffield Forgemasters, abolishing Regional Development Agencies and the latest proposals to re-allocate huge amounts of EU economic development funding away from Sheffield and South Yorkshire;

(e)     expresses its disbelief at claims that the Liberal Democrats are creating a fairer society and recalls that the Government, with Liberal Democrats’ support, have cut the level of income tax paid by the highest earners at the same time as they have increased VAT, introduced unfair cuts to welfare, including the “Bedroom Tax”, and cut tax credits, all impacting on hardworking families on low and middle incomes;

(f)      notes that the current Administration have driven the growth in apprenticeships, funding a 100 Apprenticeship Scheme, the RISE graduation scheme, and developing and part-funding the unique Skills Made Easy apprenticeship programme;

(g)     notes that this Administration’s record sits in stark contrast to the record of the previous Administration, which did nothing to promote apprenticeships, and broke yet another promise to young people by secretly backtracking on a promise of its Leader to match the previous Government’s investment in the Future Jobs Fund; and

(h)     agrees to continue to support job creation in the City, however, is extremely concerned that the Government’s failure to produce a credible economic plan will continue to damage jobs and growth in Sheffield.

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)         believes that Liberal Democrats in Government and particularly the Deputy Prime Minister, offer a record of broken promises and betrayal, with their primary record being their failure to deliver any significant growth plan;

(b)         further believes that the Government, with Liberal Democrats’ support, have presided over the weakest economic recovery in recent history and have a record of creating a flatlining economy during their time in Government;

(c)         regrets that youth unemployment reached over 1 million whilst the Liberal Democrats were in Government and deplores the complacent failure of this Government who scrapped the Future Jobs Fund and have introduced a range of policies damaging to young people, including trebling tuition fees and scrapping Education  Maintenance Allowance;

(d)         remembers numerous measures introduced by the Government, with Liberal Democrats’ support, which have damaged Sheffield’s local economy, including scrapping the loan to Sheffield Forgemasters, abolishing Regional Development Agencies and the latest proposals to re-allocate huge amounts of EU economic development funding away from Sheffield and South Yorkshire;

(e)         expresses its disbelief at claims that the Liberal Democrats are creating a fairer society and recalls that the Government, with Liberal Democrats’ support, have cut the level of income tax paid by the highest earners at the same time as they have increased VAT, introduced unfair cuts to welfare, including the “Bedroom Tax”, and cut tax credits, all impacting on hardworking families on low and middle incomes;

(f)          notes that the current Administration have driven the growth in apprenticeships, funding a 100 Apprenticeship Scheme, the RISE graduation scheme, and developing and part-funding the unique Skills Made Easy apprenticeship programme;

(g)         notes that this Administration’s record sits in stark contrast to the record of the previous Administration, which did nothing to promote apprenticeships, and broke yet another promise to young people by secretly backtracking on a promise of its Leader to match the previous Government’s investment in the Future Jobs Fund; and

(h)         agrees to continue to support job creation in the City, however, is extremely concerned that the Government’s failure to produce a credible economic plan will continue to damage jobs and growth in Sheffield.

(Note: Councillor Robert Murphy voted for paragraph (h) and abstained from voting on paragraphs (a) to (g) of the Substantive Motion and asked for this to be recorded.)