Agenda item

Job Creation

It was moved by Councillor Leigh Bramall, seconded by Councillor Cate McDonald, that this Council:-

(a)       welcomes recent news that jobs have been created in Sheffield and supports the work of the present Administration to support private sector development and bring jobs to Sheffield;

(b)       welcomes a series of announcements including:

(i)         the expansion of XLN from London to Sheffield which will create 300 jobs in the city;

(ii)        the development of Kilner Way retail park which will create approximately 600 jobs in the city;

(iii)       the approval of the IKEA planning application which will create around 700 jobs in the city;

(iv)       the progress of the Factory of the Future which has also been given planning permission and notes that this development will put Sheffield at the forefront of hi-tech, advanced manufacturing and research and welcomes the collaborative work with the University of Sheffield to ensure the development of this project; and

(v)        the start of work to construct Sheffield's first Grade A office development since the recession, to further develop the city's attraction to the financial and business sector to broaden the city's economy and create jobs;

(c)        further notes this Administration's work to grow the city's small and medium enterprise (SME) business base and create jobs through a series of projects funded through the Keep Sheffield Working Fund, including:

(i)         the award winning RISE graduate internship project;

(ii)        a project to help SMEs begin exporting or export more; and

(iii)       a project to help SMEs with high growth potential to become bigger, better businesses employing more people;

(d)       further welcomes Chinese investors recently confirming they see Sheffield as a great place to invest on the announcement of new plans for a £60m Chinese-backed development on the edge of the city centre;

(e)       confirms that the Council has been actively engaged in facilitating many of these initiatives for a considerable period of time, and as such they represent positive developments secured in the face of the longest recession since the second world war, demonstrating this Administration's commitment to developing jobs and prosperity; and

(f)        confirms that the Council will continue to work proactively with the private and public sector to deliver more jobs and therefore calls on the main opposition group on the Council to stop talking the city down with its claims the Administration is anti-business.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Ian Auckland, seconded by Councillor Joe Otten, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the deletion in paragraph (e) of all the words after the words “world war” and their substitution by the words “from quarter 2 of 2008 to quarter 3 of 2009”; and

2.         the deletion of paragraph (f) and the addition of a new paragraph (f) as follows:-

(f)        hopes that this Council will work proactively with the private and public sector to deliver more jobs and therefore calls on the Administration of the Council to stop undermining this goal with the use of what this Council believes to be “Old Labour” posturing and rhetoric.

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

The original Motion was then put to the vote and carried, as follows:-

RESOLVED:  That this Council:-

(a)       welcomes recent news that jobs have been created in Sheffield and supports the work of the present Administration to support private sector development and bring jobs to Sheffield;

(b)       welcomes a series of announcements including:

(i)         the expansion of XLN from London to Sheffield which will create 300 jobs in the city;

(ii)        the development of Kilner Way retail park which will create approximately 600 jobs in the city;

(iii)       the approval of the IKEA planning application which will create around 700 jobs in the city;

(iv)       the progress of the Factory of the Future which has also been given planning permission and notes that this development will put Sheffield at the forefront of hi-tech, advanced manufacturing and research and welcomes the collaborative work with the University of Sheffield to ensure the development of this project; and

(v)        the start of work to construct Sheffield's first Grade A office development since the recession, to further develop the city's attraction to the financial and business sector to broaden the city's economy and create jobs;

(c)        further notes this Administration's work to grow the city's small and medium enterprise (SME) business base and create jobs through a series of projects funded through the Keep Sheffield Working Fund, including:

(i)         the award winning RISE graduate internship project;

(ii)        a project to help SMEs begin exporting or export more; and

(iii)       a project to help SMEs with high growth potential to become bigger, better businesses employing more people;

(d)       further welcomes Chinese investors recently confirming they see Sheffield as a great place to invest on the announcement of new plans for a £60m Chinese-backed development on the edge of the city centre;

(e)       confirms that the Council has been actively engaged in facilitating many of these initiatives for a considerable period of time, and as such they represent positive developments secured in the face of the longest recession since the second world war, demonstrating this Administration's commitment to developing jobs and prosperity; and

(f)        confirms that the Council will continue to work proactively with the private and public sector to deliver more jobs and therefore calls on the main opposition group on the Council to stop talking the city down with its claims the Administration is anti-business.