Agenda item

3.1

Appointment of the Deputy Leader of the Council

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Julie Dore, announced the appointment of Councillor Leigh Bramall, the Cabinet Member for Business, Skills and Development, as Deputy Leader following the resignation of the previous Deputy Leader, Councillor Harry Harpham. Councillor Dore thanked Councillor Harpham, who would continue in the role of Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods, for his work as Deputy Leader.

3.2

Petition

3.2.1

Petition Regarding the Yemeni Community Association

The Council a received a petition containing 45 signatures relating to complaints about the Yemeni Community Association.

Representations on behalf of the petitioners were made by Fouad Almohamadi, who stated that the Yemeni Community Association did not represent the community’s needs. He stated that the petitioners would like the Council to investigate the setting up of a new community interest organisation as an alternative group to the existing Association and which represented the interests of the entire Yemeni community. He referred to concerns regarding the finances of the Association.

The Council referred the petition to Councillor Mazher Iqbal, the Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health. Councillor Iqbal stated that it was not the Council’s responsibility to investigate the establishment of organisations in the way requested by the petition. The Yemeni Community Association did receive a small grant from the Council related to adult learning. However, the Community Association was a registered charity and he suggested that concerns were raised with the Charity Commission. Councillor Iqbal said that he would be pleased to meet with the petitioners to discuss the issues which had been raised.

3.3

Public Questions

3.3.1

Public Question Concerning Voter Registration and Voting

Adam Butcher asked what the Council was going to do to make sure that all people with a disability can vote in the run up to the General and Local Elections in May 2015.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Julie Dore responded that this was a very important issue. Since the introduction of individual voter registration, it had become more difficult for some people to make sure they could vote. Firstly, the Council needed to make sure that people with a disability were registered to vote as would be the case with other underrepresented groups, such as people in black and minority ethnic communities. Resources had been set aside to make sure that people understand how to vote and that people were registered to vote either at the ballot box or by post.

A call to action had been made to community organisations to ask people with a wider understanding of issues affecting particular groups to help the Council to make sure that people were able to register to vote and exercise their vote. She commented that pensioners exercised their right to vote and were effective at influencing policy as a result. In contrast, and for example, young people and people with disabilities may not register or use their vote and yet they were also affected by government policy and needed their respective voices to be heard.

3.3.2

Public Questions Concerning Inequalities and Child Sex Workers

Kutekwa Knowledge asked how inequality in Sheffield and Rotherham could be addressed.

He also asked how the issue of child sex workers could be addressed.

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, the Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health stated, in relation to inequalities, that the Council, as with other public sector organisations, was in a fifth year of budget cuts. Inequalities were becoming more pronounced and had been affected by government policy, including the increase in university tuition fees the ceasing of the Education Maintenance Allowance and other welfare changes. He said that he could not answer the questions in respect of Rotherham. However, in Sheffield the City had tried to address inequalities through the establishment of the Fairness Commission which had made recommendations upon which the Council was making sure that it delivered, including the Sheffield apprenticeship scheme and implementation of a living wage. Nevertheless, inequalities were still apparent and evidenced by a growth in the number of food banks in the City and the numbers of people and in particular children who were living in poverty. The Council’s Cabinet was to consider a tackling poverty strategy for Sheffield which had been developed in partnership with other stakeholders.

Councillor Jackie Drayton, the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, stated that it was not correct to use the term child sex workers. It was illegal to have sex with a child under the age of consent. The term abuse or child sexual exploitation was more accurate as they referred to perpetrators’ use and abuse of children, something which was totally unacceptable. The Council and partner organisations did what they could to prevent, protect, pursue and ultimately prosecute perpetrators of child sexual exploitation. She stated that the City Council was not complacent and it would continue to monitor and review its services to see how they could be improved.  The Council was conscious of the recent events relating to child sexual exploitation in Rotherham. Funding had been obtained for South Yorkshire to share good practice of the child sexual exploitation team in Sheffield and to work with therapeutic services for young people who had been abused; support young people and their families; raise the profile of child sexual exploitation so that people were aware of the signs that a child was being abused and knew how to report concerns; and to help young people through the criminal justice system.

3.3.3

Public Question Concerning Uncollected Council Tax

Heather Parys stated that she understood the Council had to make savings of £60 million. She asked if the Council could tell her how much was owed in the Housing Revenue Account and uncollected Council Tax and what the Council was proposing to do to recoup the losses which could go some way towards the shortfall.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, Councillor Ben Curran, stated that there was £31 million outstanding in Council Tax. There was also £31 million outstanding when the current Administration took office from the previous Administration. These were debts that were owed to the Council and it was working hard to make sure the debts were collected. There were only a small proportion of the debts which were written off. Critics said that the Council had an increasing amount of uncollected Council Tax, but it did actually collect a large amount of Council Tax and performed better than most of the other Core Cities and better than the average.

The Council issued 57,714 Summons, 39,000 liability orders and made 44,000 payment arrangements and 11,500 applications were made to deduct money from benefits. Research by the Local Government Association suggested that, if the HMRC collected tax as efficiently as local authorities like Sheffield, there would be £20 billion more in the public purse. 

Councillor Harry Harpham stated that with regards to the Housing Revenue Account, the amount of rent owed to the Council fluctuated. The total amount owed at this time was £10.8 million, comprising rent owed by current tenants and including £5.4 million, which related to former Council tenants. Monies outstanding from former tenants were not simply written off but were collected from those tenants when they became Council tenants at a future point in time. The Council did everything possible to ensure that income from rent which was owed to it was collected.

3.3.4

Public Question Concerning Salaries for Senior Council Officers

Michael Barge asked how many Council officers were paid over £100,000 per annum.

Councillor Ben Curran, the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources stated that there were seven officers paid over £100,000 per annum. This included the post of Director of Public Health, although the present post holder was due to retire shortly. The remuneration package for the Director of Public Health post (which had transferred from the NHS) would be reviewed.

Councillor Curran stated that he did not agree with proposals which suggested arbitrary pay cuts for posts earning above £100,000 and he believed that such proposals relating to pay should be subject to appropriate consultation through trades unions. The Council had saved £1 million on senior staff pay. There was a balance needed, both of making sure the right candidates were recruited to senior posts and, at the same time, ensuring value for money for Council Tax payers.

3.3.5

Public Question Concerning Dormitory Homes on the M1 Corridor

Andy Belt asked a question concerning a proposal for dormitory commuter homes on the M1 corridor and referred to a Notice of Motion at Council in February 2015 concerning housing. He asked why Sheffield believed it had a right to develop dormitory commuter homes on the M1 corridor in an area of Barnsley.

Councillor Harry Harpham, the Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods stated that Sheffield would not be permitted to authorise the building of homes on land coming within the area of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. He said that he was not aware of any such proposal and confirmed that he would look at this matter further.

3.3.6

Public Questions Concerning Openness and Transparency

Martin Brighton referred to issues of respect to openness and transparency. He asked the following questions:

1.           Which Council department has purview over Capita to ensure that all contract requirements are met, and

2.           How can a citizen inspect, subject to commercial sensitivities, the contracts with Capita from 2005 to 2014.

Councillor Ben Curran, the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, stated that the Resources Portfolio of which Eugene Walker was the interim Executive Director, had responsibility for the contract with Capita. The contract with Capita did include a number of commercially sensitive elements. There was information on the Council’s website summarising the main points of the Capita contract. Councillor Curran stated that he would send Mr Brighton the link to the information concerning the contract on the Council’s website. The Council would also comply with any requests about the contract under freedom of information legislation.

3.3.7

Public Questions Concerning Reporting of Abuse

Martin Brighton stated that in light of the announcement by David Cameron, and supporting argument from Yvette Cooper, concerning 5 years prison for those who fail to act appropriately when abuse is reported to them, would the Council agree that: ordering the destruction of CCTV evidence; extending the principle to abuse of adults, despite the council’s ongoing denials that abuse occurred; and historic abuses without closure now be investigated, could be valid examples of applications of the proposed new law?

He asked whether, given the reports by Jay, Casey, and recently in Oxford, along with Cameron’s statement, would the Council be prepared to look again at the answers given to him in this chamber on 5 November 2008, along with subsequent Council actions.

Councillor Jackie Drayton, the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, responded that the Government had announced that it was to consult on extending the criminal neglect element of the law. The Council was clear about its procedure in relation to children and adult safeguarding. Councillor Drayton stated that she was not aware of any of the instances referred to in Mr Brighton’s questions. She stated that if Mr Brighton believed that there was such a case, he should report the details, including the people involved and the time and place of the incident. If he provided the information, then then the matter would be investigated as appropriate.

Councillor Mary Lea, the Cabinet Member for Health, Care and Independent Living, stated that the Prime Minister had made a speech concerning child abuse. The City Council recognised adult abuse and adult safeguarding was a priority for the Council and partner organisations. Councillor Lea stated that in cases where it was suspected that criminal offences had occurred, the matter must be reported to the police.

Councillor Jackie Drayton, the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, stated that in reference to the questions which Mr Brighton asked in at Council in November 2008, whilst she had been in attendance she did not recall the detail. However, she had obtained the minutes of that meeting and she read aloud the question which Mr Brighton had asked relating to an unnamed third party. She then quoted the response which was that the Leader of the Council had responded that Mr Brighton should raise his concerns with the police, ombudsman or Information Commissioner as appropriate. The City had a Safeguarding Children Board and an Adult Safeguarding Board which would follow up allegations.

3.3.8

Public Questions Concerning Truthfulness

Martin Brighton asked what objection the Council could possibly have to the naming and shaming of elected members or senior council employees who do not answer questions in this or any other council meeting truthfully; and are not truthful to outside authorities investigating council behaviour.

Councillor Julie Dore, the Leader of the Council, stated that “truthfully” was the key phrase which she took from Mr Brighton’s question. She said that she was not aware of an untruthful response at any meeting or other forum. However, she said that if Mr Brighton did have evidence to the contrary then she requested that he provides this evidence to her.

3.3.9

Public Questions Concerning Representation of Tenants

Martin Brighton stated that the Council has said in answer to public questions that it would respect the tenants’ expressed opinion on who they decide should represent them. He asked why this principle is not being applied.      

Councillor Harry Harpham, the Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods requested that Mr Brighton provide to him concrete examples of the concerns that he had alluded to in his question. Upon receipt of such information, he would be able look into the issue further.

3.4

Petition

3.4.1

Petition Requesting the Reinstatement of a Grit Bin on Matthews Fold or Matthews Lane

The Council received an electronic petition containing 12 signatures requesting the reinstatement of a grit bin on Matthews Fold or Matthews Lane. There was no speaker to the petition.

The Council referred the petition to Councillor Jayne Dunn, Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Streetscene, who noted receipt of the petition. Councillor Dunn stated that the matter raised would be added to the review of the winter gritting service, including the criteria.