Agenda item

(a)       recalls the regrettable decision to close Don Valley Stadium;

(b)       reminds Members that the plan to delay closure, proposed by the main opposition group, would have actually saved the Council money in the 2013/14 financial year;

(c)       recalls the pledge of the Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure that alternative facilities would be improved to required standards by the time Don Valley closed;

(d)       yet notes with concern the disparaging comments by members of the Sheffield athletics community regarding Woodbourn Road;

(e)       furthermore, highlights the difficulty of the Sheffield Eagles to find a new home in the City and expresses dismay that the team may be forced out of Sheffield;

(f)        welcomes the campaign to take community control of the Stadium and urges the Administration to provide assistance to community campaigners; and

(g)       requests the Cabinet Member to present an urgent plan to enable the demolition of the Stadium to be delayed until all outstanding issues are addressed.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, seconded by Councillor Cliff Woodcraft, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the deletion of paragraphs (f) to (g); and

2.         the addition of new paragraphs (f) to (j) as follows:-

(f)        notes the online comments of Lewis Samuel:

“@SaveDonValley offered to run the Stadium at no cost to the council tax payer. So what's the real agenda behind the closure?”;

(g)       further notes the comments of Rob Creasey in The Sheffield Star newspaper:

“We went to the Town Hall for a meeting and were told to go away … It was a cynical, political decision from a Council who have mismanaged the Stadium to the point where they want it destroyed”;

(h)       believes that additional time secured by 4SLC was crucial in the preparation of a community bid and the successful transfer of Stocksbridge Leisure Centre;

(i)         believes the Administration’s approach to Don Valley Stadium has been an insult to campaigners and that this may now leave the Council open to another judicial review; and

(j)         requests that the Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure immediately re-considers her decision and presents an urgent plan to enable the demolition of Don Valley Stadium to be delayed.

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

(Note: Councillors Jillian Creasy and Robert Murphy voted for paragraph 2(h) and abstained on paragraphs 1 and 2 (sub-paragraphs (f), (g), (i), and (j)) of the amendment and asked for this to be recorded.)

It was then moved by Councillor Isobel Bowler, seconded by Councillor Mary Lea, 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)       opposes in the strongest possible terms the devastating cuts imposed on the Council by the Government which are impacting on services across the Council and notes figures from the latest Medium Term Financial Strategy which confirm that the Council has a £78 million budget gap for the next two years in addition to the £182 million that has been saved over the past three years;

(b)       notes that by 2015/16, the Council will have had an overall reduction in Government formula funding by 50% and, with the scale of the cuts the council is facing, all services will face significant reductions meaning that the Council has no option but to do things differently;

(c)        regrets that one of the consequences of these unfair cuts to Sheffield is the closure of Don Valley Stadium, however, acknowledges that Woodbourn Road Athletics Stadium will be open from 6th October, meaning that Sheffield will continue to have a purpose built track and field facility;

(d)       welcomes the partnership working between local athletics clubs, Sheffield Hallam University and the Council in developing the Woodbourn Road facility;

(e)       therefore notes The Friends of Don Valley Stadium group’s application was assessed against the legislation as set out by the Government, and did not meet the criteria to warrant Don Valley Stadium being registered as an asset of community value; and

(f)        notes the comments by the Director of Culture and Leisure:

“But what we would like to say is this does not mean we are not wanting to look at other ways we can work with this group and other interested parties and we have offered to meet the group again to talk about what is next for the Stadium  …….  We really appreciate what the Friends were trying to achieve  ……..  If anyone can show they can take on the Stadium and have the cash to do it, clearly we will work with them  …….  The Council now has no budget to keep it open, no money to mothball it and no offer of money from anyone else.”

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

(Note: Councillors Jillian Creasy and Robert Murphy voted for paragraphs (a) and (b) and abstained on paragraphs (c) to (f) of the amendment and asked for this to be recorded.)

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

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)       opposes in the strongest possible terms the devastating cuts imposed on the Council by the Government which are impacting on services across the Council and notes figures from the latest Medium Term Financial Strategy which confirm that the Council has a £78 million budget gap for the next two years in addition to the £182 million that has been saved over the past three years;

(b)       notes that by 2015/16, the Council will have had an overall reduction in Government formula funding by 50% and, with the scale of the cuts the Council is facing, all services will face significant reductions meaning that the Council has no option but to do things differently;

(c)        regrets that one of the consequences of these unfair cuts to Sheffield is the closure of Don Valley Stadium, however, acknowledges that Woodbourn Road Athletics Stadium will be open from 6th October, meaning that Sheffield will continue to have a purpose built track and field facility;

(d)       welcomes the partnership working between local athletics clubs, Sheffield Hallam University and the Council in developing the Woodbourn Road facility;

(e)       therefore notes The Friends of Don Valley Stadium group’s application was assessed against the legislation as set out by the Government, and did not meet the criteria to warrant Don Valley Stadium being registered as an asset of community value; and

(f)        notes the comments by the Director of Culture and Leisure:

“But what we would like to say is this does not mean we are not wanting to look at other ways we can work with this group and other interested parties and we have offered to meet the group again to talk about what is next for the Stadium ...  We really appreciate what the Friends were trying to achieve ...  If anyone can show they can take on the Stadium and have the cash to do it, clearly we will work with them ...  The Council now has no budget to keep it open, no money to mothball it and no offer of money from anyone else.”

(Note: Councillors Jillian Creasy and Robert Murphy voted for paragraphs (a) and (b) and abstained on paragraphs (c) to (f) of the Substantive Motion and asked for this to be recorded.)