You are here: Home » Your City Council » Council Meetings » Full Council » 3rd December 2003

Council Summons 3rd December 2003

Notice is hereby given that a Meeting of the Council of the City of Sheffield will be held in the Council Chamber within the Town Hall, Sheffield, on Wednesday, 3rd December, 2003, at 2.00 p.m.

THE FOLLOWING BUSINESS IS PROPOSED TO BE TRANSACTED-

1. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEETING

To receive the record of the proceedings of the meeting of the Council held on 5th November, 2003, and to approve the accuracy thereof.

2. PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS

To receive any questions or communications from the public, or communications submitted by the Lord Mayor or the Chief Executive and to pass such resolutions thereon as the Standing Orders permit and as may be deemed expedient.

3. MEMBERS' QUESTIONS

(a) Questions relating to urgent business - Standing Order No. A18(4).

(b) Questions on the discharge of the functions of the South Yorkshire Joint Authorities for Fire and Civil Defence, Passenger Transport, Pensions and Police - Section 41 of the Local Government Act, 1985 - Standing Order No. A18(4).

Assembly - Standing Order No. A18(4).

(d) Supplementary questions on Written Questions submitted at this meeting -

Standing Order No. A18(1).

(e) Verbal questions to Cabinet Members and Chairs of Scrutiny Boards and

Regulatory Boards - Standing Order No. A18 (3).

4. REPRESENTATION

To consider any changes to the memberships of Boards etc. and the appointment of representatives to serve on other bodies.

5. ITEM REFERRED TO COUNCIL

FOOD SERVICE PLAN

To consider any decision which may be referred by the Cabinet at its meeting on 26th

November, 2003.

6. OBSERVATIONS

To receive observations on the minutes of the meetings of the various Council bodies.

7. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR PAUL SCRIVEN

That this Council:

(a) notes the views of the Local Government Minister that in many areas of the Country, Council Tax levels are reaching the limits of acceptability;

(b) notes that Council Tax represents 5.1% of income for the poorest tenth in society and 1.2% for the richest tenth in society, even after the effects of the Council Tax Benefit system, and is thus the most unfair and regressive tax operating in the UK today

(c) notes that across the Country, 2 million households qualify for Council Tax Benefit but do not claim it owing to the process being complex and demeaning;

(d) notes that significant sums of money are spent on collecting Council Tax that would be better spent providing front line services;

(e) notes that those who lose out most on Council Tax are amongst the most vulnerable people in society, particularly many pensioners;

(f) believes that taxation should be fair so that hard-working families on ordinary incomes do not have to pay higher percentages in tax than the very rich, as the Council Tax system obliges them to, and accordingly calls on the Government to axe the Council Tax and replace it with a Local Income Tax which would provide a fair way of raising local government funds; and

(g) directs that copies of this Motion be sent to the Balance of Funding Review Group, established by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Local Government Association to examine Local Government Funding; and to the Minister for Local Government and his opposite numbers in the 2 main opposition parties at Westminster.

8. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR BOB McCANN

That this Council:

(a) notes the decision of Cabinet on 22nd October, 2003 regarding Park Hill;

(b) welcomes the stance taken by both groups when in administration that decisions of major significance should be taken by the full Council, regardless of whether there is a statutory requirement for that decision to be made by full Council;

(c) believes that the Park Hill proposals would benefit from having the opportunity to be considered by a meeting of full Council;

(d) deplores the decision of the administration to depart from that principle on this issue and believes that this is due to a lack of confidence in these proposals;

(e) believes that people are more important than buildings, and regrets that these proposals do not place the present residents of Park Hill at their heart;

(f) deeply regrets the decision to list the building, a status that presents a significant obstacle to the effective regeneration of the area and welcomes the foresight shown by the opposition group in 1997 in opposing the granting of listing status;

(g) is concerned that Park Hill runs the risk of becoming the latest case of this administration promising that a project would cost Council Tax payers and Council rent payers £0 but which goes on to cost them millions of pounds;

(h) is sceptical, based on past performance, of this administration’s ability to deliver big projects, such as Park Hill, on time and on budget; and

(i) believes that the English Partnerships appraisal has to be the last chance for Park Hill, to end the uncertainty over its future and to allow the people of Park Hill to get on with their lives and that therefore a full debate should take place at the January 2004 Council meeting.

9. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR CHRIS WELDON

That this Council:

(a) welcomes the conclusions of the first two Neighbourhood Commissions;

(b) notes that Commissions were set up to look at ways of bringing homes up to a decent and sustainable standard and that:

(i) the key features of stock transfer, arms length management and private finance initiative were examined;

(ii) Commission members were able to compare the advantages and disadvantages of the options using a comprehensive checklist;

(iii) other concerns of tenants were also addressed including:

(A) who was the landlord;

(B) rents;

(D) whether there was a ballot;

(E) whether there was a board with tenants on it;

(F) how far the option had been tried and tested elsewhere; and

(G) the future of the Right to Buy; and

(iv) there have been visits to other organisations to look at the various options in Derby, Bradford, Liverpool and Wilmslow;

(c) recognises that this Administration’s continued commitment to listening to the people of Sheffield is crucial if the Council is to achieve successful neighbourhoods;

(d) affirms the resolution of the Council of 4th June, 2003, which requested the Chief Executive to call a meeting of representatives of all parties so that they can agree to work together on the Administration’s approach to achieving decent homes and sustainable neighbourhoods;

(e) notes that as a result of the resolution, a meeting did take place in July 2003 with representatives of the two main parties and that the following areas of agreement were reached:

(i) it is a priority to achieve decent homes by 2010 and to have a plan in place to meet this target by 2005;

(ii) tenants should be involved in option appraisal through neighbourhood commissions;

(iii) there should be a ballot for any stock transfer or ALMO;

(iv) there is a need for demolition and stock reduction strategies to address low demand; and

(v) that some areas need wider regeneration which includes creation of mixed tenure estates and provision of new forms of housing;

(f) notes that the current Administration’s strategy addresses all of the

above; and

(g) therefore calls upon all Members to work together as agreed and ensure that it

is clear to the people of Sheffield that the right strategy to achieve successful

neighbourhoods is now in place and that all parties support it.

10. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR JAN WILSON

That this Council:

(a) notes that like most big cities, Sheffield has some of the most deprived Wards in the Country and that in the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000:

(i) ten of Sheffield’s 29 Wards are in the top ten percent of most deprived Wards in England;

(ii) seven Wards are in the top five percent of most deprived Wards; and

(iii) three Wards are in the top one percent of most deprived Wards;

(b) further notes that Sheffield also has some of the most affluent areas in England and that:

(i) two of Sheffield’s Wards are in the ten percent least deprived in the whole Country;

(ii) Sheffield differs from several other big cities in that its affluent suburbs are largely within the City Council’s boundaries; and

(iii) a map of social indicators for Sheffield shows the same broad pattern; a deprived North-East and an affluent South-West;

(i) research shows that this is a precondition for achieving greater equality within cities; and

(ii) to close the gap and ensure that every neighbourhood is successful, the Council needs to improve the more deprived areas faster than the City as a whole;

(d) believes that the City can point to a number of significant successes in neighbourhood renewal and notes that:

(i) there are many examples of pioneering approaches to regeneration in Sheffield that have subsequently been taken up by others;

(ii) unemployment has fallen fastest in the areas where it was highest, reducing the wide gap that opened up in the 80’s and early 90’s;

(iii) secondary schools performance has improved fastest in the inner

city areas;

(iv) targeted action on crime in deprived areas such as the burglary initiative in Foxhill has had a significant impact; and

(v) in common with the position nationally, the health of the City has improved generally, but the gap between the most healthy and least healthy areas has widened; and

(e) recognises that Councillors are elected to represent the whole City and that Members of all parties should therefore wholeheartedly support the Council’s new approach to closing the gap, which was endorsed by Cabinet on 20th August, 2003.

11. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR STEVE JONES

That this Council:

(a) welcomes the Government’s Balance of Funding Review, which is looking at how local government should be funded in future;

(b) notes that the Review:-

(i) is considering a range of short and long-term options;

(ii) will establish the “pros and cons” of each option;

(iii)will take a broad look at the full impact of each option so that all the implications can be established; and

(iv) will be completed by summer 2004;

(i) a reformed Council Tax;

(ii) localised non-domestic rates;

(iii) local income tax;

(iv) localised Vehicle Excise Duty;

(v) localised Stamp Duty on property transfers;

(vi) local sales tax; and

(vii) local land value tax;

(d) welcomes the fact that the options will be assessed to see how they meet important criteria including:-

(i) progressivity;

(ii) evenness of distribution;

(iii) buoyancy;

(iv) in-year predictability; and

(v) collectability / administrative ease;

(e) is therefore amazed to see that the minority group have decided to opt for a Sheffield local income tax, in advance of the findings of the thorough review;

(f) notes that expert opinion is estimating that the burden of the minority group’s proposal to be around 7p in the pound or more and that such a measure could seriously disadvantage the people of Sheffield;

(g) calls upon the minority group to make public their local income tax calculations, with indications of it’s viability against the criteria laid out above; and

(h) would reassure the people of Sheffield that any reform could only be implemented by a National Government and that therefore any minority group proposal will have to be considered with some caution, and a judgment made as to how likely it would be to proceed through Parliament.

12. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR ANNE SMITH

That this Council:

(a) notes the level of disrepair into which the Park Hill Flats have been allowed to fall over the years;

(b) is concerned that the financial and other costs, not fully quantified, and the continuing uncertainties associated with the redevelopment proposals, only serve to further exacerbate the problems;

(d) further notes the false hopes and broken promises which the tenants of the Flats have endured over the past years; and

(e) therefore determines that the only satisfactory way forward for the tenants and the citizens of Sheffield, is to obtain Listed Building Consent for the demolition of the Park Hill Flats and the redevelopment of the whole site.

13. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR MICK ROONEY

That this Council:

(a) congratulates the Social Services Directorate on achieving two stars in the latest social services performance ratings for English Councils;

(b) recognises that this is a particularly noteworthy achievement considering that only 18 months ago the Directorate was on “special measures”, and being closely monitored by Government officials;

(d) notes that the Department of Health confirmed that:-

(i) Social Services are serving people effectively and have promising prospects for improvement;

(ii) services to children and families have improved from serving some people well, to serving most well;

(iii) Community Care services have moved from uncertain to promising prospects; and

(iv) Sheffield has increased from an overall score in a range of performance indicators of 60% in2001/02 to 67% in 2002/03;

(e) further notes enormous progress in:-

(i) arranging for older people to live safely at home;

(ii) supporting families to stay together where possible;

(iii) improving provision through the Learning Disabilities Partnership Board;

(iv) arranging adoptions for children who cannot remain with their birth families; and

(v) making sure disabled people have real choice about their services;

(f) welcomes the impact this improvement has for the whole City through the increase in genuine partnership working with Health Services, Housing providers, Police, Education and many voluntary and community sector organisations; and

(g) appreciates the crucial role Social Services has to play in this Council’s drive to make Sheffield safer and to close the gap.

14. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR TERRY FOX

That this Council:

(a) welcomes the three month trial permit scheme which allows ‘green’ vehicles to park free of charge in the City centre;

(b) notes that the drivers of vehicles powered by:-

(i) liquefied petroleum gas;

(ii) natural gas;

(iii) electricity; and

(iv) dual fuel;

and other non-petrol or diesel vehicles can apply for the new permit that costs just one penny, allowing them to park free in Council run pay and display car parks and on-street parking bays;

(i) this Council, as evidenced by the Connect Sheffield initiative is committed to ensuring that the City centre is welcoming and accessible for shippers and visitors, whichever mode of transport they use; and

(ii) the Better Buses project clearly demonstrate the majority party’s commitment to improving transport and making Sheffield cleaner, greener and safer through positive incentives to reduce emissions and use public transport;

(d) notes that the absence of any such commitment from the minority party, who seem keen to keep up their reputation as the local natural party of opposition by:-

(i) opposing bus lanes locally when nationally they claim their “first priority is to improve the quality and reliability” of public transport;

(ii) criticising black cab drivers apparently based on a single unfortunate experience;

(iii) suggesting that drivers with clean licenses after five years should be allowed to drive 5 mph faster than the official limit;

(iv) claiming to be pro-car where they are fighting in traditional opposition party areas and anti-car where they see a threat from an alternative opposition party;

(v) opposing a road safety policy whose aim is to tackle the areas with the highest child accidents; and

(vi) by opposing the expenditure of a further £0.5m on road safety, in addition to the £0.5m already being spent on tackling accident hot spots across the whole City; and

(e) congratulates the Chief Executive and all other Officers who have helped and are helping implement the common sense policies of the Council.

15. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR KATE DAWSON

That this Council:

(a) is of the view that Sheffield deserves a high quality Fire and Rescue Service and that this will not be achieved through the non-strategic closure of fire stations in Sheffield;

(b) believes that improvements to Fire Service provision in other areas of South Yorkshire should not be at the expense of provision in Sheffield;

(c) is opposed therefore to the proposed closure of Ringinglow Fire Station, a move which has been encouraged by changes in Government policy; and

(d) directs that copies of this resolution be sent to South Yorkshire's Chief Fire Officer, the South Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Authority, the Sheffield Members of Parliament, the Minister of State responsible for the Fire Service and his opposite numbers in the two main opposition parties at Westminster, and the South Yorkshire branch of the Fire Brigades’ Union.

16. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR ANDREW WHITE

That this Council:

(a) believes that Sheffield's pensioners deserve to be treated with dignity;

(b) believes that they should have a decent income as of right instead of being forced to claim means- tested top-ups just to get enough money to live; and

17. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR IBRAR HUSSAIN

That this Council:

(a) notes that during President Bush’s visit, he and the Prime Minister discussed the nine Britons among the approximately 660 persons detained by the United States at Guantanamo;

(b) further notes that the Prime Minister, during the President’s visit, stated that the issue of the British detainees would be “resolved at some point soon”;

(c) therefore calls upon the British Government to request that the British detainees are promptly repatriated to face trial in the British Courts; and

(d) requests that copies of this Motion are sent to all the Sheffield Members of Parliament, the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister.

Dated this 25th day of November, 2003

How useful is this page?

[ Comment On This Page? ]

Browsealoud |