Agenda item

Notice of Motion given by Councillor Ian Auckland

That this Council:-

 

(a)       believes Liberal Democrats are committed to building a stronger economy by rebalancing the British economy away from the City of London and towards revitalising cities across the country;

           

(b)       welcomes news that the Government’s transport capital investment outside of London is set to increase by 28% in real terms in 2015-16;

           

(c)        notes that this represents a 16% increase relative to the previous Government’s 2010-11 budget;

           

(d)       thanks Liberal Democrats in Government for helping to secure another £16 million to allow the Bus Rapid Transit project to proceed with greener buses,  a new highway link and a high quality service between Sheffield and Rotherham;

           

(e)       furthermore, backs the on-going consultation into improvements to Dore and Totley station, which will deliver a significantly improved Manchester to Sheffield service;

           

(f)        fully endorses the Bus Rapid Transit and Northern Hub Rail projects, and thanks the Government for ensuring investment is available to enable these projects to proceed, and calls on future Governments to ensure these projects are completed;

           

(g)       reminds Members that these projects come in addition to unprecedented levels of investment in Sheffield’s transport infrastructure, including £1.2 billion to enable the Streets Ahead project, £58 million for the UK’s first tram/train pilot, and new facilities for electric vehicles;

           

(h)       believes these projects will help build a stronger local economy by creating jobs and enabling Sheffield to become a better place to do business;

           

(i)         however, notes South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority’s 2012/13 budget monitoring report, which demonstrated that projects in which Sheffield City Council were the lead authority, had a total underspend of £2.9 million, more than a third of the allocated budgets;

           

(j)         regrets that the current Administration have failed to effectively spend the capital funds that have been allocated  and believes these failures damage the potential to capitalise on future funding streams; and

           

(k)        calls upon the Administration to immediately publish its internal review into the failure to manage capital budgets, to ensure these mistakes are not repeated.

Minutes:

 

Transport Investment

 

 

 

It was moved by Councillor Ian Auckland, seconded by Councillor Joe Otten, that this Council:-

 

 

 

(a)       believes Liberal Democrats are committed to building a stronger economy by rebalancing the British economy away from the City of London and towards revitalising cities across the country;

           

(b)       welcomes news that the Government’s transport capital investment outside of London is set to increase by 28% in real terms in 2015-16;

           

(c)        notes that this represents a 16% increase relative to the previous Government’s 2010-11 budget;

           

(d)       thanks Liberal Democrats in Government for helping to secure another £16 million to allow the Bus Rapid Transit project to proceed with greener buses,  a new highway link and a high quality service between Sheffield and Rotherham;

           

(e)       furthermore, backs the on-going consultation into improvements to Dore and Totley station, which will deliver a significantly improved Manchester to Sheffield service;

           

(f)        fully endorses the Bus Rapid Transit and Northern Hub Rail projects, and thanks the Government for ensuring investment is available to enable these projects to proceed, and calls on future Governments to ensure these projects are completed;

           

(g)       reminds Members that these projects come in addition to unprecedented levels of investment in Sheffield’s transport infrastructure, including £1.2 billion to enable the Streets Ahead project, £58 million for the UK’s first tram/train pilot, and new facilities for electric vehicles;

           

(h)       believes these projects will help build a stronger local economy by creating jobs and enabling Sheffield to become a better place to do business;

           

(i)         however, notes South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority’s 2012/13 budget monitoring report, which demonstrated that projects in which Sheffield City Council were the lead authority, had a total underspend of £2.9 million, more than a third of the allocated budgets;

           

(j)         regrets that the current Administration have failed to effectively spend the capital funds that have been allocated  and believes these failures damage the potential to capitalise on future funding streams; and

           

(k)        calls upon the Administration to immediately publish its internal review into the failure to manage capital budgets, to ensure these mistakes are not repeated.

 

 

 

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:-

 

 

 

1.         the deletion of paragraphs (a) to (d) and (f) to (k);

 

 

 

2.         the re-lettering of paragraph (e) as a new paragraph (d); and

 

 

 

3.         the addition of new paragraphs (a) to (c) and (e) to (k) as follows:-

 

 

 

(a)       welcomes the locally designed and developed City Deal Sheffield secured from Government as a first small step towards devolving real powers from Whitehall to local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs);

 

 

 

(b)       welcomes the success of the current Administration and South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (SYITA) in developing innovative schemes and proposals that have secured tens of millions of pounds, including tram train, and the Bus Rapid Transport North scheme;

 

 

 

(c)        welcomes proposals to devolve the Northern Rail franchise to a local level;

 

 

 

(e)       notes the success of the current Administration and SYITA in developing the successful Sheffield Bus Partnership Agreement;

 

 

 

(f)        notes that the ground-breaking innovation in the development of the Sheffield Bus Partnership Agreement has led to Sheffield securing £18 million to further improve bus services in the City;

 

 

 

(g)       recalls that local Liberal Democrats consistently opposed the Bus Partnership Agreement, a position that would have denied the city £18 million of investment in public transport, and therefore welcomes the approach taken by the then Liberal Democrat Transport Minister, Norman Baker MP, in contrast to local Liberal Democrats, in recognising the excellent work of the SYITA and the current Administration to deliver a better bus service;

 

 

 

(h)       notes that the hard work of the partnership between the current Administration and the SYITA led to the SYITA being recognised as the Integrated Transport Authority of the Year at the National Transport Awards this Autumn;

 

 

 

(i)         however, notes that the success in securing capital investment comes amid a backdrop of unprecedented Government cuts to Council funding;

 

 

 

(j)         further notes that the level of cuts being imposed on local government is inevitably reducing and limiting the capacity of many local authorities to undertake work to develop the economy and major transport schemes, and believes this issue demonstrates a complete lack of joined up policy from the Coalition Government and demonstrates that the Coalition has no plan for sustainable growth; and

 

 

 

(k)        welcomes the commitment of the Administration to continue to work to deliver innovative transport schemes, in the face of these unprecedented cuts from Government.

 

 

 

On being put to the vote the amendment was carried.

 

 

It was then moved by Councillor Andrew Sangar, seconded by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

 

 

 

1.         the re-lettering of paragraphs (h) to (k) as new paragraphs (j) to (m); and

 

 

 

2.         the addition of new paragraphs (h) and (i) as follows:-

 

 

 

(h)       notes recent research by KPMG, which highlights South Yorkshire as one of the biggest winners of the proposed High Speed Rail 2 project;

 

 

 

(i)         fully supports High Speed Rail 2 and regrets that local Labour MPs refused to sign a letter to the Shadow Chancellor calling on him to clarify his position on the project;

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

After a right of reply from Councillor Ian Auckland, 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 locally designed and developed City Deal Sheffield secured from Government as a first small step towards devolving real powers from Whitehall to local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs);

 

 

 

(b)       welcomes the success of the current Administration and South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (SYITA) in developing innovative schemes and proposals that have secured tens of millions of pounds, including tram train, and the Bus Rapid Transport North scheme;

 

 

 

(c)        welcomes proposals to devolve the Northern Rail franchise to a local level;

 

 

 

(d)       furthermore, backs the on-going consultation into improvements to Dore and Totley station, which will deliver a significantly improved Manchester to Sheffield service;

 

 

 

(e)       notes the success of the current Administration and SYITA in developing the successful Sheffield Bus Partnership Agreement;

 

 

 

(f)        notes that the ground-breaking innovation in the development of the Sheffield Bus Partnership Agreement has led to Sheffield securing £18 million to further improve bus services in the City;

 

 

 

(g)       recalls that local Liberal Democrats consistently opposed the Bus Partnership Agreement, a position that would have denied the city £18 million of investment in public transport, and therefore welcomes the approach taken by the then Liberal Democrat Transport Minister, Norman Baker MP, in contrast to local Liberal Democrats, in recognising the excellent work of the SYITA and the current Administration to deliver a better bus service;

 

 

 

(h)       notes that the hard work of the partnership between the current Administration and the SYITA led to the SYITA being recognised as the Integrated Transport Authority of the Year at the National Transport Awards this Autumn;

 

 

 

(i)         however, notes that the success in securing capital investment comes amid a backdrop of unprecedented Government cuts to Council funding;

 

 

 

(j)         further notes that the level of cuts being imposed on local government is inevitably reducing and limiting the capacity of many local authorities to undertake work to develop the economy and major transport schemes, and believes this issue demonstrates a complete lack of joined up policy from the Coalition Government and demonstrates that the Coalition has no plan for sustainable growth; and

 

 

 

(k)        welcomes the commitment of the Administration to continue to work to deliver innovative transport schemes, in the face of these unprecedented cuts from Government.

 

 

 

(Note: 1. Councillors Simon Clement-Jones, Shaffaq Mohammed, Rob Frost, Sylvia Anginotti, Colin Ross, Joe Otten, Penny Baker, Diana Stimely, Roger Davison, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Denise Reaney, Ian Auckland, Anders Hanson, Katie Condliffe, David Baker and Trevor Bagshaw voted for paragraphs (a) to (d) and against paragraphs (e) to (k) of the Substantive Motion and asked for this to be recorded.

 

 

 

2. Councillors Robert Murphy and Jillian Creasy voted for paragraphs (a), (c), (d) and (h), against paragraph (g) and abstained on all of the remaining paragraphs of the Substantive Motion and asked for this to be recorded.)