Agenda item

Business Support

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

(a)       welcomes the redevelopment of The Moor, which was secured by the previous Administration and is progressing at pace;

(b)       thanks the Government for its support in enabling St Pauls (Phase 3) to proceed, notably through the Growing Places Fund and the city-centre development deal;

(c)        contrasts these successes with the calamitous collapse of the Council’s partnership over the Sevenstones New Retail Quarter, following months of dither and delay by the current Administration;

(d)       also notes with dismay the £62,000 taxpayer bill for the Council’s disastrous attempt to fight a Next homestore planning application on appeal;

(e)       highlights the following comments as damning indictments of the Administration’s business policy:

(i)         Lord Wolfson, Chief Executive of Next - Sheffield City Council is “closing its doors for business”;

(ii)        Sheffield Chamber of Commerce - “Sheffield’s going backwards”; and

(iii)       South Yorkshire Federation of Small Businesses  - Sheffield City Council has “lost touch with the business reality of the 21st Century”;

(f)        believes progress at The Moor and St Pauls demonstrates that Sheffield is ripe for investment but regrets that the current Administration’s rabid ‘anti-business’ attitude is damaging this potential;

(g)       furthermore, recalls the Administration’s abject failure to manage the Council’s capital budget and laments its staggering indifference to the damage this budget scandal has caused for jobs and businesses across Sheffield;

(h)       estimates that the current Administration’s incompetence has cost the City thousands of new jobs;

(i)         calls upon the Chief Executive to instigate an immediate independent inquiry into the failure to deliver the city-centre new retail quarter; and

(j)         further, sincerely hopes that the farce over Next will not be repeated with the application for an Ikea superstore and calls upon the Administration to work closely with all partners to ensure this application is successful.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Leigh Bramall, seconded by Councillor Chris Rosling-Josephs, 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 that the present Administration have made ‘Business Friendly’ and ‘Focusing on Jobs’ top priorities for the Council;

(b)       further welcomes the following programmes of the present Administration to support local businesses:-

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

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

(iii)       the export project supporting local SMEs in the export market;

(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;

(x)        the Digital Direction Programme; and

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

(c)        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;

(d)       believes that this Administration’s record sits in stark contrast to the record of the previous Administration, who 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;

(e)       welcomes the successful development of the Moor under the present Administration, a project that had stalled under the previous Administration;

(f)        further welcomes plans announced last month for the new St Paul’s office development around the Peace Gardens;

(g)       believes that the previous Administration sat back for three years and did nothing to progress the New Retail Quarter and believes that the main opposition group offer nothing more than empty words;

(h)       welcomes the decision to part company with Hammerson which will allow the project to move forward and notes that this has been supported by the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce;

(i)         further welcomes the action of the present Administration in securing the New Development Deal to inject funds into the retail quarter last November, prior to which the scheme was not viable and welcomes the work in the period since to redesign a new scheme that is viable in the current economic climate;

(j)         believes that the Administration is in a strong position to bring a high quality retail development to the Sheffield and resolves to continue to do everything it can to make this happen; and

(k)        regrets that the only anti-business rhetoric in the City comes from the main opposition group who continue to talk Sheffield down.

On being put to the vote the amendment was carried.

After a right of reply from Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, the original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-

RESOLVED:  That this Council:-

(a)       welcomes that the present Administration have made ‘Business Friendly’ and ‘Focusing on Jobs’ top priorities for the Council;

(b)       further welcomes the following programmes of the present Administration to support local businesses:-

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

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

(iii)       the export project supporting local SMEs in the export market;

(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;

(x)        the Digital Direction Programme; and

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

(c)        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;

(d)       believes that this Administration’s record sits in stark contrast to the record of the previous Administration, who 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;

(e)       welcomes the successful development of the Moor under the present Administration, a project that had stalled under the previous Administration;

(f)        further welcomes plans announced last month for the new St Paul’s office development around the Peace Gardens;

(g)       believes that the previous Administration sat back for three years and did nothing to progress the New Retail Quarter and believes that the main opposition group offer nothing more than empty words;

(h)       welcomes the decision to part company with Hammerson which will allow the project to move forward and notes that this has been supported by the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce;

(i)         further welcomes the action of the present Administration in securing the New Development Deal to inject funds into the retail quarter last November, prior to which the scheme was not viable and welcomes the work in the period since to redesign a new scheme that is viable in the current economic climate;

(j)         believes that the Administration is in a strong position to bring a high quality retail development to Sheffield and resolves to continue to do everything it can to make this happen; and

(k)        regrets that the only anti-business rhetoric in the City comes from the main opposition group who continue to talk Sheffield down.

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

For Paragraphs (a) (b) (c) and (e) (58)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Cllr Peter Rippon) and Councillors Julie Dore, 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, Robert Murphy and Jillian Creasy, Geoff Smith, Mary Lea, Mazher Iqbal, Joyce Wright, Steven Wilson, Garry Weatherall, Sheila Constance, Chris Weldon, Alan Law, Steve Jones, Tim Rippon, Cate McDonald, George Lindars-Hammond, Robert Johnson, Janet Bragg, Pat Midgley, Jenny Armstrong, Terry Fox, Anthony Downing, David Barker, Isobel Bowler, Nikki Bond, Qurban Hussain, Lynn Rooney, John Campbell, Martin Lawton, Sioned-Mair Richards, Peter Price, Leigh Bramall, Gill Furniss, Richard Crowther, Philip Wood, Neale Gibson, Nikki Sharpe, Adam Hurst, Alf Meade, Jackie Satur, Mick Rooney and Ray Satur.

Against Paragraphs (a) (b) (c) and (e) (17)

-

Councillors Shaffaq Mohammed, Rob Frost, Sylvia Anginotti, Colin Ross, Joe Otten, Penny Baker, Roger Davison, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Denise Reaney, Ian Auckland, Bob McCann, Katie Condliffe, David Baker, Alison Brelsford and Trevor Bagshaw.

Abstained Paragraphs (a) (b) (c) and (e) (1)

-

The Lord Mayor (Cllr Vickie Priestley).

For Paragraphs(d) (g) (j) and (k) (56)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Cllr Peter Rippon) and Councillors Julie Dore, 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, Mazher Iqbal, Joyce Wright, Steven Wilson, Garry Weatherall, Sheila Constance, Chris Weldon, Alan Law, Steve Jones, Tim Rippon, Cate McDonald, George Lindars-Hammond, Robert Johnson, Janet Bragg, Pat Midgley, Jenny Armstrong, Terry Fox, Anthony Downing, David Barker, Isobel Bowler, Nikki Bond, Qurban Hussain, Lynn Rooney, John Campbell, Martin Lawton, Sioned-Mair Richards, Peter Price, Leigh Bramall, Gill Furniss, Richard Crowther, Philip Wood, Neale Gibson, Nikki Sharpe, Adam Hurst, Alf Meade, Jackie Satur, Mick Rooney and Ray Satur.

Against Paragraphs(d) (g) (j) and (k) (17)

-

Councillors Shaffaq Mohammed, Rob Frost, Sylvia Anginotti, Colin Ross, Joe Otten, Penny Baker, Roger Davison, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Denise Reaney, Ian Auckland, Bob McCann, Katie Condliffe, David Baker, Alison Brelsford and Trevor Bagshaw.

Abstained on Paragraphs(d) (g) (j) and (k) (3)

-

The Lord Mayor (Cllr Vickie Priestley) and Councillors Robert Murphy and Jillian Creasy.

For Paragraph (f) (73)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Cllr Peter Rippon) and Councillors Julie Dore, Jack Scott, Roy Munn, Clive Skelton, Ian Saunders, Chris Rosling-Josephs, Helen Mirfin-Boukouris, Bryan Lodge, Denise Fox, Karen McGowan, Jayne Dunn, Stuart Wattam, Shaffaq Mohammed, Jackie Drayton, Ibrar Hussain, Talib Hussain, Mohammed Maroof, Rob Frost, Geoff Smith, Sylvia Anginotti, Mary Lea, Mazher Iqbal, Colin Ross, Joe Otten, Joyce Wright, Steven Wilson, Garry Weatherall, Penny Baker, Roger Davison, Sheila Constance, Chris Weldon, Alan Law, Sur Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Steve Jones, Tim Rippon, Cate McDonald, Denise Reaney, Ian Auckland, Bob McCann, George Lindars-Hammond, Robert Johnson, Janet Bragg, Pat Midgley, Jenny Armstrong, Terry Fox, Anthony Downing, David Barker, Isobel Bowler, Nikki Bond, Qurban Hussain, Lynn Rooney, John Campbell, Martin Lawton, Sioned-Mair Richards, Peter Price, Leigh Bramall, Gill Furniss, Katie Condliffe, David Baker, Richard Crowther, Philip Wood, Alison Brelsford, Neale Gibson, Nikki Sharpe, Adam Hurst, Alf Meade, Trevor Bagshaw, Jackie Satur, Mick Rooney and Ray Satur.

Against Paragraph (f) (2)

-

Councillors Robert Murphy and Jillian Creasy.

Abstained on Paragraph (f) (1)

-

The Lord Mayor (Cllr Vickie Priestley).

For Paragraph (h) (75)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Cllr Peter Rippon) and Councillors Julie Dore, , Jack Scott, Roy Munn, Clive Skelton, Ian Saunders, Chris Rosling-Josephs, Helen Mirfin-Boukouris, Bryan Lodge, Denise Fox, Karen McGowan, Jayne Dunn, Stuart Wattam, Shaffaq Mohammed, Jackie Drayton, Ibrar Hussain, Talib Hussain, Robert Murphy, Jillian Creasy, Mohammed Maroof, Rob Frost, Geoff Smith, Sylvia Anginotti, Mary Lea, Mazher Iqbal, Colin Ross, Joe Otten, Joyce Wright, Steven Wilson, Garry Weatherall, Penny Baker, Roger Davison, Sheila Constance, Chris Weldon, Alan Law, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Steve Jones, Tim Rippon, Cate McDonald, Denise Reaney, Ian Auckland, Bob McCann, George Lindars-Hammond, Robert Johnson, Janet Bragg, Pat Midgley, Jenny Armstrong, Terry Fox, Anthony Downing, David Barker, Isobel Bowler, Nikki Bond, Qurban Hussain, Lynn Rooney, John Campbell, Martin Lawton, Sioned-Mair Richards, Peter Price, Leigh Bramall, Gill Furniss, Katie Condliffe, David Baker, Richard Crowther, Philip Wood, Alison Brelsford, Neale Gibson, Nikki Sharpe, Adam Hurst, Alf Meade, Trevor Bagshaw, Jackie Satur, Mick Rooney and Ray Satur.

Against Paragraph (h) (0)

Nil.

Abstained on Paragraph (h) (1)

-

The Lord Mayor (Cllr Vickie Priestley),

For Paragraph (i) (56)

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Cllr Peter Rippon) and Councillors Julie Dore, 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, Mazher Iqbal, Joyce Wright, Steven Wilson, Garry Weatherall, Sheila Constance, Chris Weldon, Alan Law, Steve Jones, Tim Rippon, Cate McDonald, George Lindars-Hammond, Robert Johnson, Janet Bragg, Pat Midgley, Jenny Armstrong, Terry Fox, Anthony Downing, David Barker, Isobel Bowler, Nikki Bond, Qurban Hussain, Lynn Rooney, John Campbell, Martin Lawton, Sioned-Mair Richards, Peter Price, Leigh Bramall, Gill Furniss, Richard Crowther, Philip Wood, Neale Gibson, Nikki Sharpe, Adam Hurst, Alf Meade, Jackie Satur, Mick Rooney and Ray Satur.

Against Paragraph (i) (19)

Councillors Shaffaq Mohammed, Robert Murphy and Jillian Creasy, Rob Frost, Sylvia Anginotti, Colin Ross, Joe Otten, Penny Baker, Roger Davison, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Denise Reaney, Ian Auckland, Bob McCann, Katie Condliffe, David Baker, Alison Brelsford and Trevor Bagshaw.

Abstained on Paragraph (i) (1)

The Lord Mayor (Cllr Vickie Priestley).