Cabinet Agenda 30 July 2008
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, 30th July, 2008 at 2.00 p.m.
Public Inspection Of Documents And Access To Meetings
Council Meetings are open to the public. Admittance to the public gallery can be gained via the First Point Reception, Old Town Hall, Pinstone Street. Details of the business to be transacted can be viewed in advance at the First Point Reception which is open between 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. Monday – Thursday and between 9.00 a.m. and 4.45 p.m. on Friday, or you can ring on telephone no. 2734552. A copy of the Council Summons and any reports are also available on the Council’s website at www.sheffield.gov.uk.
The Following Business Is Proposed To Be Transacted-
1. Minutes Of Previous Council Meetings
To receive the record of the proceedings of the meeting of the Council held on 2nd July, 2008 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(6).
(b) Supplementary questions on written questions submitted at this meeting - Standing Order No. A18(4).
(c) Questions on the discharge of the functions of the South Yorkshire Joint Authorities for Fire and Rescue, Passenger Transport, Pensions and Police - Section 41 of the Local Government Act, 1985 - Standing Order No. A18(6).
(d) Questions on the discharge of the functions of the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly – Standing Order No. A18(6).
4. Representation, Delegated Authority And Related Issues
To consider any changes to the memberships and arrangements for meetings of Boards etc., delegated authority, and the appointment of representatives to serve on other bodies, and to approve revised Cabinet Member Portfolios.
5. Annual Report Of The Scrutiny Boards 2007/2008
To receive the Annual Report on the work of the following Scrutiny and Policy Development during the Municipal Year 2007/2008:-
Children and Young People;
Culture, Economy and Sustainability;
Health and Community Care;
Successful Neighbourhoods; and
Strategic Resources and Performance.
6. Items Referred To Council
Repayment Of £2.4 Million By The Primary Care Trust For Continuing Care Costs Incurred By The City Council In 2007/08
To consider a report and recommendation referred by the Health and Community Care Scrutiny and Policy Development Board at its meeting held on 21st July, 2008.
Community Assemblies And Community Working
To consider a report and any recommendation arising therefrom which may be referred by the Cabinet at its meeting to be held on 23rd July, 2008.
7. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Andrew Sangar
That this Council: -
(a) notes that, since the local elections in May, this Council has been working towards a two school solution, a new school for Myers Grove and to stop the closure of Wisewood;
(b) notes that, unlike the previous Labour administration, the new Liberal Democrat administration has listened and worked towards a two school solution which is what local people overwhelmingly said they wanted democratically via the ballot box;
(c) therefore condemns the Labour Government for threatening to withdraw around £100 million worth of investment for other local schools if the school closures don't go ahead, an act which was described in the local media as ‘blackmail’;
(d) notes that this is even more deplorable given that the Liberal Democrat administration made a £25m offer to fund the extra investment required to deliver a two school solution, just as the Liberal Democrat Group said they would do whilst in opposition and the Labour Group said wasn’t possible;
(e) is dismayed that the local Labour Party, including all five local Labour MPs, opposed a two school solution ignoring the democratic wishes of local people;
(f) regrets that due to the new barriers put up by the previous Labour administration and the Labour Government, before and after the local elections, it has become impossible to halt the closures without other local schools incurring unacceptable penalties due to the decision from the Labour Government;
(g) regrettably accepts that the original outline business case for Building Schools for the Future funding is submitted to Government which would mean Wisewood School closes; and
(h) thanks local parents and young people for campaigning to save their local school and is saddened that they have been blocked by the local Labour party and the Labour Government.
8. Notice of Motion Given by Councillor Harry Harpham
That this Council:
(a) notes that the discussions that have taken place regarding the future of Myers Grove and Wisewood schools over the past two years have been extremely difficult and emotive;
(b) notes that the priority has always been to find a long term and viable solution to the problems of falling rolls in the North West of the city and inadequate buildings at the two schools, so that better educational outcomes can be secured for local children;
(c) believes that educational attainment is a top priority for the Council, and considers that now that the position regarding Myers Grove and Wisewood is unequivocal, all Councillors in Sheffield must work together to achieve the best educational outcomes for local children;
(d) feels that this issue, which has been going on for a very long time, must now be resolved so that local parents and members of the community, as well as teachers and governors at the two schools can have some certainty about the future;
(e) would like to thank local people, parents, teachers, governors and the Proposing Group for all the time, energy and dedication they have committed to this important issue.
9. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Paul Scriven
That this Council: -
(a) welcomes the positive impact that the new Liberal Democrat administration has already made through delivering on local people’s priorities;
(b) supports the commitment to make it easier for local people to recycle, in stark contrast to the previous Labour administration, including the provision of free green waste sacks, a trial for a recycling scheme to deal with kitchen waste and the introduction of segregated recycling bins in district shopping areas;
(c) supports action to protect and enhance our local environment including protecting local parks from development, extra cleaning to improve our main rivers, extra action to tackle graffiti and the planting of 5,000 extra trees, which is in stark contrast to the previous Labour administration who were keen to build on our key local parks;
(d) supports the new commitment to making tackling pupil attainment one of the key objectives of this Council, but recognises the magnitude of this task due to pupil attainment being allowed to fall to unacceptably low standards compared with the national average under the previous Labour administration;
(e) supports the funding of 15 extra Police Community Support Officers in order to make local people feel safer and welcomes the roll out of free activities for young people in order to give them something positive to do, and notes that this approach is in contrast to the previous Labour administration whose short term strategy concentrated on gimmicks;
(f) welcomes the decision to scrap the ‘favoured areas’ policy for basic services so that services like filling in potholes, repairing street lights and unblocking gullies will be prioritised on a worst first basis, unlike the previous Labour administration who wanted to unfairly skew basic services;
(g) welcomes the new commitment to become business friendly and notes the positive reception from businesses themselves who want to see a local Council that starts to support them rather than hinder them as was the case under the previous Labour administration;
(h) welcomes the fact that the new Liberal Democrat administration have already demonstrated they are committed to giving local people more power through new plans for Community Assemblies, allowing Area Panels greater control over budgets and the introduction of ballots on changes to local school status;
(i) supports the action taken to try and make it easier to get around Sheffield including making bus and trams gates clearer, starting a huge new programme to replace and repair road and street signs and asking local people to suggest changes to improve the road network, and notes that this in stark contrast to the previous anti-car Labour administration; and
(j) looks forward to further action on these and other priorities over the coming months and years.
10. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Bryan Lodge
That this Council:
(a) notes that Derek Dooley is one of Sheffield’s favourite sporting legends and one of the city’s best-loved sons;
(b) notes with sadness that Derek Dooley passed away this year, aged 78;
(c) believes that it is a fitting tribute to Derek Dooley to name a Sheffield road after him;
(d) notes that Councillor Bryan Lodge recently asked local people, via the Sheffield Star and BBC Radio Sheffield, to let him know what they thought of the idea of naming a road after the local hero;
(e) confirms that the majority of people who contacted Councillor Lodge, to give their opinion on this idea, agreed that naming a road after Derek would be a fitting tribute, and felt that the Parkway would be the most suitable road to name, however notes that other suggestions were made, including Infirmary/Penistone Road and the new Inner Relief Road; and
(f) confirms that this Council is happy that Councillor Sylvia Dooley has chosen ‘Cutler’s Gate’ to be renamed, and is glad that this will provide a lasting memorial to one of Sheffield’s best-loved sons.
11. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Alan Hooper
That this Council: -
(a) notes that Derek Dooley is one of Sheffield’s favourite sporting legends and one of the city’s best-loved citizens;
(b) notes with sadness that Derek Dooley passed away this year, aged 78;
(c) also notes that the Council has been working with the Dooley family looking at a number of ways to make a fitting tribute;
(d) welcomes the decision to rename a section of the Inner Relief Road ‘Derek Dooley Way’ which will mean Derek Dooley remains a part of the fabric of Sheffield forever;
(e) believes it is a fitting tribute to a man who was revered by fans at both Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday given that the road provides a link to both clubs; and
(f) thanks the Dooley family for working with the Council to see this idea come to fruition.
12. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Tim Rippon
That this Council: -
(a) is concerned that the current challenging economic climate may be having a negative effect on local businesses in Sheffield city centre;
(b) believes that the City Council should support local businesses in any way possible;
(c) with that aim in mind, suggests that the Council:
i. investigates the possibility of providing free public transport to all on Saturdays and Sundays;
ii. suspends any increase in car parking charges for a period of at least 12 months;
(d) notes that this policy would:
i. meet the City’s aims to support people to be more environmentally friendly, by encouraging people to use public transport;
ii. minimise the financial costs for hard-pressed motorists who do choose to bring their cars into the City centre;
iii. offer support to businesses in the City during the current challenging economic climate, by encouraging more people to come into the city on weekends;
(e) believes that this policy could be funded for the current year from the Council’s underspend as outlined in the 2007/08 Financial Out-turn Report; and
(f) directs the Chief Executive to investigate the feasibility of this policy and the cost of such a policy and report back to the Council within 2 months with a plan for taking this idea forward.
13. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Jillian Creasy
That this Council:-
(a) notes the rapidly rising fuel prices and the related problems of energy security, economic stability and fuel poverty;
(b) further notes that Sheffield has a Regional Spatial Strategy target of 10.6 megawatts of renewable energy generation by 2010 and a Sheffield Development Framework commitment of 12 megawatts by 2010;
(c) also notes and accepts the decision of the Cabinet at its meeting on 13th February 13th 2008 relating to Developing Westwood Country Park for Wind Energy:
(d) believes that high energy prices have the greatest impact on the most vulnerable residents of our city;
(e) also believes that renewable energy is an important part of the solution and that wind power is a large and vital component of the necessary mix of such energies;
(f) resolves to continue the feasibility study into the wind farm project at Westwood Country Park, High Green and make an objective decision based on the findings of this study;
(g) believes that to reject proposals for the above wind power project without proper consideration will send a signal to developers that this Council would be unfriendly to future schemes and that this runs contrary to the current administration's claims to support business;
(h) directs that consideration be given to allocating 5% of Council profits from this and future renewable energy projects to the local community; and
(i) resolves to encourage financial investment by members of local communities in future projects.
14. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Sylvia Dunkley
That this Council: -
(a) is pleased that the 2008 British Transplant Games and the accompanying cultural and social programme are to be held in Sheffield on 7th to 11th August;
(b) welcomes all the competitors, and their families and friends to the city, and wishes them every success;
(c) believes that the Transplant Games will raise awareness locally of the ongoing need for organ donation by demonstrating the benefits of transplantation;
(d) congratulates The Star newspaper for their commitment to promoting the organ donor campaign and for their support for the Transplant Games;
(e) notes that there are currently over 15 million people registered in the United Kingdom on the NHS organ donor register but is concerned that about 1000 patients still die each year before receiving the organ transplant they need ;
(f) therefore, encourages all staff and Members of the City Council who are not yet on the organ donor register to give serious consideration to registering and directs officers to include such a message on the next payslip possible; and
(g) directs that a copy of this Notice of Motion be sent to the charity Transplant Sport UK which organises the Games and the Editor of The Star newspaper.
15. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Chris Weldon
That this Council:
(a) believes that feeling safe in their communities is one of the most significant concerns for local residents in Sheffield;
(b) is concerned that only months after taking control of Sheffield City Council with an election pledge to put more uniformed officers on the beat, the new administration has turned down an opportunity to provide 10 additional Police Community Safety Officers (PCSOs) for Sheffield’s streets;
(c) notes that the new administration has recently announced the provision of funding for 15 PCSOs, and is disappointed that a golden opportunity has been missed to increase this number to 25;
(d) notes that at a meeting of the Successful Neighbourhoods Scrutiny and Policy Development Board on Monday 14th July 2008, Councillor Tony Damms put forward proposals to use un-prioritised funding of £300,000, identified within the Finance Plan for the Safer Communities Partnership, to create a rapid response team of 10 PCSOs to be deployed in hotspots around the city;
(e) is disappointed that the proposal put forward was defeated by councillors from the majority group, as both the two main political groups have made pledges to Sheffield people to increase the number of uniformed officers on the streets;
(f) reconfirms that people want to see more of a police presence in their local communities, because they want to feel safer on the streets, and therefore appeals to the new administration to reverse their decision and support the use of un-prioritised funding of £300,000, identified within the Finance Plan for the Safer Communities Partnership, to create a rapid response team of 10 PCSOs to be deployed in hotspots around the city.
16. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Jillian Creasy
That this Council:
(a) welcomes the Government's consultation on a £100bn renewable energy plan, albeit a plan that is conservative in its aims and unclear in its details;
(b) regrets that the Government continues to rely on the Renewables Obligation scheme, which has resulted in the United Kingdom having one of the lowest rates of investment in renewable technologies in Europe, rather than adapting the scheme to reflect a feed-in-tariff that would encourage innovation and change from the ground up, benefiting people across the United Kingdom and tackling climate change;
(c) notes the proposal of Good Energy Ltd that would adapt the Renewables Obligation scheme to a Feed in Tariff model, allowing for a smooth transition between the schemes; and
(d) therefore directs officers to:-
(i) respond to the Renewables Consultation, specifically Question10, making clear the Council's support for a Feed in Tariff at levels comparable with successful schemes elsewhere, based on actual energy generation rather than export to the grid;
(ii) write to the Energy Minister, Malcolm Wicks MP, calling on the UK Government to act with urgency and to ensure the Energy Bill, currently delayed over summer, will allow for a Feed in Tariff to be introduced;
(iii) write to Sheffield Members of Parliament urging them to push for necessary changes to the Energy Bill to allow for the introduction of a Feed in Tariff; and
(iv) write to Friends of the Earth and the Renewable Energy Association informing them of the Council's support for their campaign on this issue.
17. Notice Of Motion Given By Councillor Bernard Little
That this Council:
(a) notes that Kingsnorth Coal fired power station in Kent, if built, will emit between 6 and 8 million tonnes of CO2 every year, more than the entire yearly emissions from Ghana;
(b) fears that, if this development goes ahead, the power company E.ON will build another six coal fired power stations in the next five years, collectively emitting around 50 million tonnes of CO2 a year;
(c) recognises that the United Kingdom has to cut its emissions by more than 40% by 2020 and more than 80% by 2050 if it is to do what scientists say is necessary;
(d) notes that Jim Hansen, Director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York and top climate science adviser for the United States Government, wrote late last year a letter to the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown stating "If we continue to build coal-fired power plants without carbon capture, we will lock in future climate disasters associated with passing climate tipping points."
(e) notes that modern coal fired power stations are slightly more efficient than old ones but are still responsible for a quarter of current global CO2 emissions;
(f) also notes that there are 200 years left of coal at current rates of consumption, but burning it will push levels of CO2 in the atmosphere at well over what is recommended as safe;
(g) further notes that carbon capture and storage is a method of capturing and compressing the waste CO2 from power stations and then pumping it into salt aquifers or old oil wells for long term storage, but that it is not yet ready for use for large coal fired power stations and that the industry itself say this is at least 10 years away, with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, admitting it may never work;
(h) is committed to reducing the carbon footprint of Sheffield in line with sound scientific evidence;
(i) considers that, arguing that China and India should stop building coal fired power stations when we the Government is intent on building its own is not leading the world by example, especially when the average emissions for each person is significantly lower in China than in Britain;
(j) notes that there is no projected energy gap because, from the Government’s own figures, the amount of electricity generating capacity reduction by 2027 from closing old coal and nuclear power stations is 35% and that the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has said the country will be generating 40% from renewables by 2020;
(k) suggests that, instead of employing people to burn coal, an energy system should be built, installed and run, based on renewables (wind, marine and solar) and notes that, in Germany, this is already employing 250,000 people;
(l) notes that Martin Temple, Chairman of the Engineering Employers Federation, has said: "Moving to a low-carbon economy will create significant business opportunities for the UK, but we will need to move quickly and decisively. Businesses around the world are alive to the massive opportunities and a number of governments are making their exploitation a national priority", and that such a change would be a potential boost for manufacturing and engineering in Sheffield;
(m) regrets that the Government presently has no specific policies on coal fired power stations other than to encourage carbon capture and storage;
(n) believes that the Government is mistaken in the belief that:-
(i) the European emissions trading scheme will be sufficient to make the energy market reduce carbon emissions;
(ii) the market should change and should not rule out the use of any fuel; and
(iii) the UK does not have to reduce emissions domestically because it can offset overseas; and
(o) therefore, directs the Chief Executive to:-
(i) write to Business Minister John Hutton, with copies to all Sheffield Members of Parliament, conveying the Council’s demand that the proposed Kingsnorth coal fired power station be subject to a public enquiry and that no new coal fired power stations are built without fully operational carbon capture and storage; and
(ii) send a message to the Climate Camp at Kingsnorth conveying the Council’s support for their campaign for the Government to halt plans for an expansion of coal power.
18. Observations
To receive observations on the minutes of the meetings of the various Council bodies for the period 16th June to 11th July, 2008.
Chief Executive
Dated this 22nd day of July, 2008
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