Agenda item

City Centre Economy

It was moved by Councillor Sarah Jane Smalley, seconded by Councillor Jillian Creasy, that this Council:-

(a)       welcomes the ongoing public debate about the future of the city centre which is important to the people who live and work in it as well as visitors from the rest of Sheffield, the city region and beyond;

(b)       recognises the calls for:-

(i)            a greater focus on micro and small independent businesses;

(ii)        more residential development which caters for a wider mix of households;

(iii)       more green spaces;

(iv)       a more coordinated approach to balancing the night time entertainment with the need to sleep; and

(v)        ongoing support for the vulnerable people who gravitate to the city centre;

(c)        notes that the Cultural Industries and Devonshire Quarter Action Plans set out just such a vision and specifically sought to protect and promote the businesses and communities which created them;

(d)       notes that elements of these plans have been carried through into the 2010 draft City Policies and Sites and 2013 draft City Centre Masterplan, both of which have been approved by Cabinet;

(e)       therefore welcomes recent initiatives which foster these aims, for instance:

(i)         the support by the Council and Sheffield University for “meanwhile” use of buildings in the city centre;

(ii)        the Star newspaper’s call for an overhaul of the business rates system which is crippling small traders;

(iii)       the Inside-Out festival on 25th October 2014 organised by Sheffield City Centre Residents Action Group to celebrate community in the city centre;

(iv)       the proposed development and application for funding for a wildflower meadow at Love Square on West Bar; and

(v)        the efforts to improve joint working between Planning, Licensing and the public to ease issues around late night opening and alcohol related problems, including the Central Local Area Partnership public meeting on 4th November 2014; and

(f)        asks officers to reconsider the City Centre vibrancy measures used by Sheffield City Council in order to broaden the definition of vibrancy; currently these measures focus on spend and visitors including footfall in the main shopping streets, visits to the largest galleries and hotel occupancy, and it is suggested that they be broadened to include measures around the variety of businesses, for example measuring size by turnover, “localness” (i.e. registered in city region or outside) and at what times the organisations are open for business.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Leigh Bramall, seconded by Councillor Neale Gibson, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the insertion of new paragraphs (a) to (c) as follows, and the re-lettering of all subsequent paragraphs accordingly:-

(a)       believes that Sheffield City Centre lies at the heart of the Sheffield City Region economy and the development of the city centre will play a crucial part in creating more jobs and growth in the city and city region as a whole;

(b)       acknowledges the importance of creating more jobs in the city centre, particularly noting recent research illustrating that Sheffield only has 33,780 private sector jobs in the city centre, the lowest of the Core Cities and significantly below 96,917 in Manchester, 91,356 in Birmingham and 72,689 in Leeds, and notes research for the Local Enterprise Partnership which suggested that strengthening Sheffield City Centre is essential to improving the overall performance of the city region’s economy;

(c)        unequivocally supports the case for a city centre HS2 station and believes that this is fundamental to the future of both the city centre, the city and wider city region’s economy and is extremely disappointed with the recent report of HS2 Ltd’s Chairman, David Higgins, which continued to back Meadowhall despite the overwhelming evidence in favour of a city centre station;

2.         the addition of the words “which was initiated by Labour Councillors” at the end of original sub-paragraph (e)(v); and

3.         the addition of the words “whilst ensuring that any changes do not detract from the crucial aim of supporting the development of the city centre economy” at the end of original paragraph (f).

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

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

RESOLVED:  That this Council:-

(a)       believes that Sheffield City Centre lies at the heart of the Sheffield City Region economy and the development of the city centre will play a crucial part in creating more jobs and growth in the city and city region as a whole;

(b)       acknowledges the importance of creating more jobs in the city centre, particularly noting recent research illustrating that Sheffield only has 33,780 private sector jobs in the city centre, the lowest of the Core Cities and significantly below 96,917 in Manchester, 91,356 in Birmingham and 72,689 in Leeds, and notes research for the Local Enterprise Partnership which suggested that strengthening Sheffield City Centre is essential to improving the overall performance of the city region’s economy;

(c)        unequivocally supports the case for a city centre HS2 station and believes that this is fundamental to the future of both the city centre, the city and wider city region’s economy and is extremely disappointed with the recent report of HS2 Ltd’s Chairman, David Higgins, which continued to back Meadowhall despite the overwhelming evidence in favour of a city centre station;

(d)       welcomes the ongoing public debate about the future of the city centre which is important to the people who live and work in it as well as visitors from the rest of Sheffield, the city region and beyond;

(e)       recognises the calls for:-

(i)            a greater focus on micro and small independent businesses;

(ii)        more residential development which caters for a wider mix of households;

(iii)       more green spaces;

(iv)       a more coordinated approach to balancing the night time entertainment with the need to sleep; and

(v)        ongoing support for the vulnerable people who gravitate to the city centre;

(f)        notes that the Cultural Industries and Devonshire Quarter Action Plans set out just such a vision and specifically sought to protect and promote the businesses and communities which created them;

(g)       notes that elements of these plans have been carried through into the 2010 draft City Policies and Sites and 2013 draft City Centre Masterplan, both of which have been approved by Cabinet;

(h)       therefore welcomes recent initiatives which foster these aims, for instance:

(i)         the support by the Council and Sheffield University for “meanwhile” use of buildings in the city centre;

(ii)        the Star newspaper’s call for an overhaul of the business rates system which is crippling small traders;

(iii)       the Inside-Out festival on 25th October 2014 organised by Sheffield City Centre Residents Action Group to celebrate community in the city centre;

(iv)       the proposed development and application for funding for a wildflower meadow at Love Square on West Bar; and

(v)        the efforts to improve joint working between Planning, Licensing and the public to ease issues around late night opening and alcohol related problems, including the Central Local Area Partnership public meeting on 4th November 2014 which was initiated by Labour Councillors; and

(i)         asks officers to reconsider the City Centre vibrancy measures used by Sheffield City Council in order to broaden the definition of vibrancy; currently these measures focus on spend and visitors including footfall in the main shopping streets, visits to the largest galleries and hotel occupancy, and it is suggested that they be broadened to include measures around the variety of businesses, for example measuring size by turnover, “localness” (i.e. registered in city region or outside) and at what times the organisations are open for business whilst ensuring that any changes do not detract from the crucial aim of supporting the development of the city centre economy”.

(Note: Councillors Jillian Creasy, Robert Murphy, Sarah Jane Smalley and Brian Webster voted for paragraphs (d) to (i) and abstained on paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of the Substantive Motion and asked for this to be recorded.)