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Minutes of Council Meeting held 2nd March, 2005

Minutes of a Meeting of the Council held 2nd March, 2005

Meeting of the Council of the City of Sheffield held in the Council Chamber within the Town Hall, Sheffield, on Wednesday, 2nd March, 2005 pursuant to notice duly given and Summonses duly served.

PRESENT

THE LORD MAYOR (Councillor Mike Pye)

THE DEPUTY LORD MAYOR (Councillor Roger Davison)

1 Arbourthorne Ward		10 Dore & Totley Ward	19 Mosborough Ward
Julie Dore		Anne Smith	Mike Peat
John Robson		Mike Waters	David Barker
Tim Rippon		Keith Hill	Sam Wall

2 Beauchief/Greenhill Ward		11 East Ecclesfield Ward	20 Nether Edge Ward
Anthony Holmes		Pat Fox	Pat White
Simon Clement-Jones		Vic Bowden
Clive Skelton		Graham Oxley

3 Beighton Ward		12 Ecclesall Ward	21 Richmond Ward
Ian Saunders		Sylvia Dunkley	Martin Lawton
Chris Rosling-Josephs		Kate Dawson	John Campbell
Helen Mirfin-Boukouris			Terry Barrow

4 Birley Ward		13 Firth Park Ward	22 Shiregreen & Brightside Ward
Bryan Lodge		Joan Barton	Jane Bird
Angela Smith		Chris Weldon	Peter Price
		Alan Law	Peter Rippon

5 Broomhill Ward		14 Fulwood Ward	23 Southey Ward
Paul Scriven		Andrew Sangar	Tony Damms
Shaffaq Mohammed		Janice Sidebottom	Leigh Bramall
			Gill Furniss

6 Burngreave Ward		15 Gleadless Valley Ward	24 Stannington Ward
Jackie Drayton		Terry Fox	Arthur Dunworth
Ibrar Hussain		Rosemary Telfer	David Baker
Steve Jones		Garry Weatherall	Vickie Priestley

7 Central Ward		16 Graves Park Ward	25 Stocksbridge & Upper Don Ward
Jean Cromar		Ian Auckland	Martin Davis
Jillian Creasy		Barrie Jervis	Martin Brelsford
Mohammad Azim

8 Crookes Ward		17 Hillsborough Ward	26 Walkley Ward
Brian Holmes		Robert MacDonald	Diane Leek
John Hesketh		Janet Bragg	Veronica Hardstaff
Sylvia Anginotti		Alf Meade	Jonathan Harston

9 Darnall Ward		18 Manor Castle Ward	27 West Ecclesfield Ward
Mary Lea		Pat Midgley	Kathleen Chadwick
Harry Harpham		Jan Fiore	Alan Hooper
		Jan Wilson	Trevor Bagshaw

			28 Woodhouse Ward
			Marjorie Barker
			Mick Rooney
			Ray Satur

1.	APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
	Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mohammad Altaf, Alison Brelsford, Peter Moore, Ali Qadar, Andrew White and Alan Whitehouse.

2.	MINUTES OF PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEETING
	RESOLVED: On the motion of Councillor Pat Midgley, seconded by Councillor Jan Fiore, that the minutes of the meeting of the City Council held on 2nd February, 2005, be approved as a correct record.

3.	PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS
	Petitions
	The Council received petitions containing (a) 113 signatures urging the City Council to follow its own stated policy for rivers as set out in the Urban Design Compendium and to recommend refusal any proposal for new developments adjacent to the Porter Brook Conservation Area which does not open up the Porter Brook between Renton Street and Howard Street and after hearing representations made on behalf of the petitioners by Dr. Nigel Dunnet, and comments made by Councillor Tim Rippon, the Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration and Planning Policy in which he explained to the petitioners the planning process, referred the petition for consideration by the City Centre and East Planning and Highways Area Board;
	(b) 709 signatures, plus individual representations, calling for a safer “Moss Way” road and requesting either a traffic light system combining a pedestrian crossing, or a pedestrian crossing at the junction of Ochre Dike Lane/Moorthorpe Way, which adjoins Moss Way and after hearing representations made on behalf of the petitioners by Ms. Andrea Dodson, in which Ms. Dodson related her experience of the number of road traffic accidents on “Moss Way” and comments made by Councillor Jan Wilson, the Leader of the City Council in which the Leader asked for details of correspondence with the City Council which had been referred to by the petitioners and which she had assured the petitioners that all information would be taken into account when road safety assessments were being made of the road, with an emphasis being placed on the priority of pedestrian safety, referred the petition for consideration by the City Centre and East Planning and Highways Area Board;
	(c) 207 signatures, demanding urgent action to meet the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol in our region and requesting the City Council to produce a “10 year climate change action plan for Sheffield” and to appoint an “Energy/Climate Change Champion” in accordance with the Climate Change Action Plan for Yorkshire and the Humber draft consultation, to put this plan into effect and after hearing representations made on behalf of the petitioners by Ms. Annie Nelligan in which she requested that the City Council work to ensure that people’s daily habits are changed to protect the environment and comments made by the Leader of the City Council, Councillor Jan Wilson, on behalf of Councillor Gill Furniss the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Environment, Culture, Leisure and Sport referred the petition to Councillor Furniss for consideration;
	(d) 24 signatures of elderly people drawing attention to the lack of a bus service in the area of Verdon Street and referred the petition for consideration by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority;
	(e) 338 signatures, objecting to the demolition of any existing properties on Popple Street, Roby Street, Lloyd Street, Wade Street, Lauder Street, Willoughby and Hind Street as part of the Burngreave and Fir Vale Masterplan and after hearing representations made on behalf of the petitioners by Mr. Peter Sanderson, referred the petition to Councillor Chris Weldon, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Neighbourhoods who in responding had also referred to the consultation process which was being undertaken by officers of the City Council and the South Yorkshire Housing Association and indicating that no decision would be made upon the future of the area until such time as the results of the consultation had been shared with the local residents; and
	(f) 17 signatures from residents of Brunswick Road Burngreave, complaining about problems of pest control in properties in that road and requesting that the City Council take appropriate action and referred the petition for consideration by Councillor Gill Furniss, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Environment, Culture, Leisure and Sport.

	Public Questions re: Page Hall Masterplan
	Mr. John Keene and Ms. Vicky Clarke asked questions with regard to future proposals in connection with the Page Hall Masterplan with particular concerns being expressed at the possibility that the Masterplan would result in residents of the area leaving the area to be replaced by other residents. Concerns were also expressed at the possible destruction of the local community and the financial burdens which could possibly be placed upon existing residents with regard to the refurbishment of their homes.
	In response, Councillor Chris Weldon, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, indicated that he understood the concerns expressed by Mr. Keene and Ms. Clarke but referred to the consultation process which was now being undertaken by officers of the City Council and the South Yorkshire Housing Association. He emphasised that the results of this consultation process would be shared with residents of the Page Hall area who would have the opportunity to enter into dialogue with the City Council upon the future of the area. In conclusion, Councillor Weldon stressed that it was the intention of the City Council to improve the Fir Vale area but not at the expense of dispersing existing residents from their homes.

4.	SOUTH YORKSHIRE POLICE AND SOUTH YORKSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE - STRATEGIC ISSUES
	The Council received presentations from Meredydd Hughes, Chief Constable, South Yorkshire Police on policing issues in South Yorkshire and Mark Smitherson, Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, on the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Integrated Risk Management Plan.
	Introducing his presentation the Chief Constable referred to the National Policing Plan 2004/2007 which had been introduced by the Right Honourable David Blunkett MP the former Secretary of State for the Home Office and indicated that the key priorities in the Plan related to (a) the provision of a citizen focused service to the public which responded to the needs of individuals and communities and inspired confidence in the police, particularly amongst minority ethnic communities, (b) tackling anti-social behaviour and disorder and (c) continuing to reduce burglary, vehicle crime, robbery and drug related crime in line with the Government’s Public Service Agreement Targets. The National Plan would concentrate upon combating serious and organised crime, both across and within force boundaries and narrowing the justice gap by increasing the number of offences brought to justice; with these aims being underpinned by the national themes of community engagement and civil renewal and counter-terrorism and the threat of terrorism.
	The Chief Constable went on to indicate that the South Yorkshire Police Strategic and Local Policing Plan Priorities related to the provision of a citizen focused service, tackling anti-social behaviour and disorder, reducing crime, combating serious and organised crime and increasing the number of offenders brought to justice with these categories being the National Policing Plan Priorities and in addition the South Yorkshire Police Priorities were to improve visibility and public reassurance and improve road safety. Commenting upon the latter category the Chief Constable stressed the need to balance the demands of communities whilst his force continued to move towards targets on reducing accidents.
	Turning to the Police Authority priorities, Mr. Hughes emphasised the three aims of effective communication with the public; increasing public reassurance and maintaining/improving performance. With regard to communications he indicated that his Service’s call handling facility was still not as good as he would wish but nevertheless continued to show marked improvement. The area of increasing public reassurance was marked by continuing development of neighbourhood policing and joint working with the Local Authorities in South Yorkshire and particularly the City Council, whilst maintaining and improving performance was a priority set to meet public expectations.
	The Chief Constable then went on to refer to his Force’s priorities which also related to neighbourhood policing, improvement of the Atlas Court facility and the introduction of Automatic Number Plate Recognition Equipment. He stressed that the Force would invest over £2m in resources into neighbourhood policing, that there was a determination to make the Atlas Court facility more effective whilst balancing this objective with other service demands and that investment into Automatic Number Plate Recognition would relate both to staff and equipment.
	It was the South Yorkshire Police’s strategy that, by March, 2007, on a force wide basis the Sheffield Policing Structure would be decided, arrangements for neighbourhood policing would be in place, budgets would be fully devolved and there would be centrally focused tasking and co-ordinating.
	In conclusion the Chief Constable referred to the principle of “Driving Down Crime to Buy Time” and referred to the Sheffield Crime Performance Statistics for the year 1st April, 2004 to 1st March, 2005. In this regard he referred to a 26.8% increase in violent crime with a detection rate of 56.5% which increase related to the changes in policy for recording incidents of violent crime but stressed that, South Yorkshire continued to remain as safe as it had ever been. He also indicated that there had been a decrease of 6.9% in incidents of domestic burglary with a detection rate of 29%, a decrease of 22.8% in robbery with a detection rate of 30.4% and finally a decrease of 11.6% in motor vehicle crime with a detection rate of 12%.
	Following on from the Chief Constable’s presentation, Mark Smitherson, Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service led a presentation by himself and officers of his Service upon the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Integrated Risk Management Plan which was the subject of a consultation process within the County which would end on the 28th March, 2005.
	Introducing the consultation, John Hoey, Assistant Chief Fire Officer referred to the introduction from April, 2004 of the Service’s Integrated Risk Management Plan and indicated that such Plans applied to the whole of the United Kingdom Fire Service. He went on to refer to the provisions of the Fire and Rescue Services Act, 2004 which had introduced the most fundamental changes in the Service in the last 50 years and had resulted in the Service not just concentrating upon its reaction to fires but had also acquired a statutory obligation to address issues of fire prevention, together with community safety and road traffic accidents; with the latter obligations resulting in closer consultations with Local Authorities.
	Turning to the issue of Community Engagement, Mr. Hoey indicated that the primary focus of the Fire Service was one of prevention and protection in addition to its traditional role of intervention. The first of these two tasks would be addressed through education and legislation with intervention being carried out through the traditional method of operational response.
	The Integrated Risk Management Plan was now in its second year and had expanded to include engagement in community safety work, for example the carrying out of home fire risk checks, the adoption of a “risk based” approach to provision, the introduction of targets to reduce fatalities, injuries and arson, work to improve partnerships with other statutory bodies and the provision of value for money.
	There had been a number of successes in the first year of the Plan which related to an effective call challenging policy resulting a 50% reduction of hoax calls to the Service, the introduction of the safer homes concept, increasing the Service’s work with Sheffield First for Safety by the development of the Fire Service’s role as a strategic partner in the City and work to reduce arson by 40%.
	The South Yorkshire Service was also engaged in protection and prevention work resulting from improved legislation which would ensure that by the end of the second year of the Plan, a whole range of organisations in the private sector would be responsible for undertaking fire risk assessments in their premises and that improved partnerships would see the Service increasingly involved in Local Public Service Agreements and strategic partnerships.
	Reference was also made to the work being carried out by the Service in pursuing the policy of increased installation of sprinklers. Also in the field of protection and prevention reference was made to the work of a dedicated team of fire investigation officers and work in schools to improve awareness of young people who it was recognised would play a fundamental role in future years in the reduction of incidents.
	Work was also being undertaken to reduce deaths from road traffic accidents and in this regard fire officers were developing first aid skills to meet new legislation which placed upon the Service responsibility to work with the police on prevention of road traffic accidents.
	Increased attention had been given to those groups in the community who were recognised as being “at risk” or vulnerable by age or socio-economic background with the Force conducting home fire risk assessment work with such groups.
	The Chief Fire Officer went on to refer to a new risk profile which had been developed for dwellings in South Yorkshire and indicated those dwellings which were recognised as being in very high, high, medium and low risk, areas and in this regard drew a correlation between an areas risk level and the response time of the Fire Service whilst stressing that such times were maximum calculations.
	The Chief Fire Officer referred again in some detail to his Service’s responsibility for intervention and response. In addition to response times, this also related to ensuring that appliances were in the “right place at the right time” through the practice of predictive mobilising. He also referred to the Service’s policy with regard to the application of aerial appliances (turntable ladders) and indicated that there was now a move to “hybrid appliances” which would release both financial and personel resources. There was a constant examination of the operation value of fire stations in the County with consideration being given to the possibility of relocating stations at locations which would ensure that one station would serve an area which had previously been served by two. Work was also being undertaken to examine the structure of duty shift systems which could lead to the reduction in the number of employees and increase in resources and efficiency with similar work being undertaken in the areas of station management, incident command and call-responders.
	In conclusion the Chief fire Officer referred to his Service’s response to civil contingencies in the light of the Service’s statutory obligations to ensure that adequate provision is made for a variety of emergencies such as natural disasters and terrorist attack.
	Following the presentations, the Lord Mayor, Councillor Mike Pye, invited members of the City Council to ask questions of the Chief Constable and the Chief Fire Officer.
	Councillor Barrie Jervis, referred to high incidences of anti-social behaviour in the Graves Park Ward which he represented and also the unlawful parking of vehicles in the Ward and asked the Chief Constable what measures his Service would be taking to remedy this situation. In response the Chief Constable indicated that he believed that with regard to anti-social behaviour and problems of car parking, the situation was improving following the establishment of closer working relationships with officers of the City Council but nevertheless undertook to give Councillor Jervis a detailed response on his points from the Divisional Commander responsible for the area.
	Councillor Ibrar Hussain expressed concern at stop and search practices being carried out by the Police particularly on persons from the black and minority ethnic communities in the City and asked what steps the police were taking which would give confidence to those communities that their actions were connected with anti-terrorism measures and did not have racist connotations. He also asked about recruitment from the black and minority ethnic communities, the level of complaints with regard to “999” and “2202020” calls and concerns expressed within the Burngreave Ward at the apparent lack of feedback from the Police in connection with neighbourhood policing matters.
	In response the Chief Constable indicated that a substantial amount of work had been carried out by the Police Authority with regard to the apparent disproportionate incidences of stop and search within the black and minority ethnic community although there were serious concerns that some statistics in this matter might be flawed and did not take into account asylum seekers and illegal immigrants. He added that, from the 1st April, new techniques would be introduced with regard to recording incidences of stop and search with a new database allowing a more thorough investigation of allegations of misbehaviour. He believed that the way forward in this matter was to work on the attitudes of individuals concerned rather than encouraging the completion of documentation which led to increased bureaucracy.
	Turning to the question of terrorism, Mr. Hughes believed that much of the key information in this field lay within local communities and that it was the responsibility of his force to maintain the closest links with such communities.
	On the question of recruitment from the City’s black and minority ethnic communities, the Chief Constable indicated that the Service were ahead of the targets which had been set to ensure that the Force reflected the ethnic balance of South Yorkshire and that the force reflected the community which they served. He accepted however that there were not enough persons from the BME communities working in support jobs in the Service and that steps were being taken to actively encourage recruitment from BME communities to such posts. He was also aware of the issues surrounding “999” and “2202020” calls and work was continuing to improve this element of the service and to identify how high levels of performance could be reached.
	Councillor Shaffaq Mohammad also referred to incidences of stop and search of people from the City’s BME communities and asked how the communities could be reassured by the Police that such matters were in the best interests of all concerned. He went on to also refer to the second year of the Fire Service’s Draft Integrated Risk Management Plan and particularly to the educational elements which, whilst he recognised dealt with school pupils, did not apparently make contact with young persons in the 16 to 19 age group who were not in education.
	On the first point raised by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammad, the Chief Constable indicated that the judicial process took time but that a number of high profile cases relating to persons from BME communities throughout the country would be coming to Court this year and, from this members of the communities would see that the methods employed by the Police were justified. He stressed however that because of the nature of the actions against terrorism, much of the information received by the Police could not be made available in court as evidence but nevertheless, in South Yorkshire his Service would do their utmost to keep communities informed. In conclusion he indicated that approximately 50% of incidences of stop and search led to arrest.
	Dealing with the questions raised by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammad in connection with the Fire Service, the Chief Fire Officer stated that much consideration had been given within his Service as to the means of engaging key groups of which those young people in the 16 to 19 years age range who were not in education were recognised as one. In this regard therefore community engagement was seen as important with leaders of communities being seen as key stakeholders. He stressed that every member of the Fire Authority recognised the need to use Local Authorities as a valuable resource to reach disaffected communities and that work was also continuing within his Authority to examine means by which those groups who were not in education could be more effectively reached.
	Councillor Jean Cromar referred to partnership working in the Sharrow area of the City and believed that such working only appeared effective in the south of the area, this being a result of a number of Police Divisions having responsibility for the area. She also asked if the figure of ten per year relating to recruits from the black and minority ethnic community was a net figure taking into account those persons who left the Police Force. With regard to the Fire Service, Councillor Cromar asked if the transfer of resources from one element of the Service to another, would lead to the detriment of parts of the Service.
	The Chief Constable responded to Councillor Cromar’s comments by indicating that he had now given one Inspector responsibility for all of the Sharrow area and that as a result of this, he expected the difficulties outlined by Councillor Cromar to be resolved by the end of March. Turning to targets in recruitment, the Chief Constable stressed his belief that such targets were less about numbers than about recruiting the right calibre of person.
	The Chief Fire Officer indicated that significant savings which were highlighted in the Integrated Risk Management Plan, meant the delivery of efficient services within budgets. The new strategy requirements meant that the Service had no choice but to demonstrate their engagement with the community together with the attainment of performance targets.
	Responding to a question from Councillor Mike Waters upon the implications of the Licensing Act 2003 with regard to standard drinking hours, the Chief Constable believed that there was now a significant shift in the issues involved. He stressed that, in his opinion, the difficulties lay in the details of the Act which not only gave opportunities for staggering closing times in the City’s licensed premises but lead to the possibilities of increases in binge drinking. The issue was to ensure that licences were appropriate and that communities had the ability to be involved in objections to applications. There was therefore a need for joint working in this area between police, other statutory authorities and communities to enable matters to be progressed satisfactorily. He did however believe that there were a number of good things in the legislation.
	Councillor John Campbell asked how effective were the links between the Police Force and the black and minority ethnic communities, adding that there was a perception within those communities that the police were loathe to listen to their views or to respond to their concerns. He also asked how senior officers within the force including the Chief Constable worked with community representatives, for example Sheffield Racial Equality Council, and how the performance of the police could be measured on a local basis. Turning to the Chief Fire Officer, Councillor Campbell asked if the Service had considered investment in dogs to assist in fire investigation work.
	The Chief Constable stated that the Police Authority invested heavily both in time and resources in consulting with “hard to reach” groups but that if Councillor Campbell had any specific concerns in this area he would be pleased to ask officers from his force to discuss these concerns with him. With regard to the term “communities” the Chief Constable also stressed that this included the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Trans-Gender communities.
	The Chief Fire Officer commenting upon Councillor Campbell’s point with regard to the use of dogs in fire investigation works, stated that such use had been a long standing national resource but that, whilst there was no intention to introduce them specifically into South Yorkshire, his Service had access to this resource through regional arrangements.
	Turning to the question of road traffic offences, Councillor Janice Sidebottom asked what measures could be taken to convince motorists to follow the Highway Code.
	Councillor Sidebottom also asked the Chief Fire Officer what work was being done by his Service what work was being other than fire prevention work in those areas of South Yorkshire identified as being low risk levels with regard to fire.
	The Chief Constable stated that it was a misconception that there were now fewer officers in road safety than before and he stressed that all officers in his force were charged with enforcing road traffic matters. Many issues surrounding road traffic incidents were ones of education with a need to change the culture surrounding driver behaviour. There was also a need for more clarity on speed limits and to ensure that roads were signed correctly and in this regard work was being undertaken with the Local Authorities in South Yorkshire. He added however that in addition to enforcing the Highway Code, his officers also had to ensure that other issues such as anti-social behaviour were also enforced.
	In response to Councillor Sidebottom’s second question, the Chief Fire Officer indicated that his Service attached great importance to their work with regard to road traffic accidents. He stated that the risk model which he had referred to in his presentation not only took into account incidences of fire but also other matters such as road traffic accidents. His Authority were concentrating upon refocusing resources to those areas where risks to life existed and it was important to ensure that such resources were therefore targeted at communities.
	Councillor Mick Rooney went on to ask the Chief Fire Officer if arrangements were in place to ensure cross border provision in fire cover arrangements, for example around Mosborough. He also referred to meetings which had been established with his local community in connection with the “2202020” facility and believed that such meetings were, largely, not now being held and that if on rare occasions such meetings were held, they were attended by a community constable and not a senior officer.
	Responding to Councillor Rooney’s latter point, the Chief Constable indicated that he would ask the District Commander for South Sheffield to contact Councillor Rooney to discuss this matter.
	Commenting upon Councillor Rooney’s first question, the Chief Fire Officer indicated that there was a tradition within the Service to rely on colleagues in neighbouring services particularly for larger incidents. He added that it was a requirement within the Integrated Risk Management Plan for his Service to consult with neighbouring forces as such contact would lead to increased effectiveness and efficiency.
	Councillor Graham Oxley referred to off road motorcycles which had been a persistent problem within his Ward and indicated that although the local police had taken steps to control such activities they had not managed to resolve the problem.
	The Chief Constable answered this point by indicating that there were extensive powers to caution and prosecute users of off road motorcycles and also to confiscate their vehicles. He accepted however that there were two additional issues which were important in consideration of this matter. The first of such issues related to the design of the land used by the motorcyclists and this led the police to work with the Local Authority and landowners and the second issue related to enforcement which, to a large extent relied upon the quality of information available to the police. He accepted that there appeared to be no short term solutions to the difficulties raised by Councillor Oxley.
	Councillor Terry Barrow also asked about the decline in community meetings and the possibility of false economy being achieved through the continued use of serving police officers at the Atlas Court facility. She also asked if the Chief Fire Officer would explain how a number of posts could be released through the discontinuance of the use of aerial appliances.
	The Chief Constable again referred the first part of Councillor Barrow’s question to the individual District Commanders who he would ask to re-examine their decision with regard to attendance at meetings with the community. Turning to the Atlas Court situation, he explained that although large numbers of civilian staff had been recruited, such staff still needed to be trained adequately to make judgements on the type of calls coming into the Centre and the appropriate response to such calls and that until such time as this training was completed, it was necessary for police officers to participate in the call handling system.
	With regard to the final question from Councillor Barrow, the Chief Fire Officer set out his Service’s reasons for discontinuing the use of aerial appliances and indicated that rather than utilise specialist crews on such appliances, cover could be met by the use of hybrid appliances with “regular” crews who would also be used for other fire fighting activities and therefore there would be a saving in staff resources.
	Councillor Keith Hill asked when the 2202020 system would be regarded as satisfactory by the Police Authority and what measures the Authority were taking to