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Council Agenda 5th September 2007
CITY OF SHEFFIELD
METROPOLITAN DISTRICT
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COUNCIL SUMMONS
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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, 5th September, 2007, 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 MEETING
To receive the record of the proceedings of the meeting of the Council held on 25th July, 2007 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.
5. ITEMS REFERRED TO COUNCIL
CORPORATE PLAN 2007-2010
To consider a report and recommendations arising therefrom which were referred by the Cabinet at its meeting held on 22nd August, 2007.
CITY STRATEGY 2005-2010 - REVISION
To consider a report and recommendations arising therefrom which were referred by the Cabinet at its meeting held on 22nd August, 2007.
6. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR CHRIS WELDON
That this Council:
(a) wishes to confirm that Tenants and Residents’ Associations (TARAs) are highly valued by the Council for the public service that they provide in their local areas and would like to thank all TARAs for the vital work they undertake within their communities;
(b) confirms the Council’s commitment to working in partnership with TARAs to make every neighbourhood in Sheffield a successful neighbourhood;
(c) has been recently made aware that some TARAs have been experiencing difficulties regarding charging arrangements for premises;
(d) would like to reassure all TARAs that there has been no change of policy regarding charging arrangements, and that there are no plans to change this policy;
(e) further confirms that the Cabinet Member for Safer Neighbourhoods will arrange for a city-wide summit to be convened during the autumn, to which all TARAs will be invited, which will provide an opportunity for TARAs to raise any remaining concerns that they may have, and have their issues addressed; and
(f) directs that a copy of this Motion is sent to all TARAs in Sheffield.
7. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR ANDREW SANGAR
That this Council:
(a) notes the electoral pilot scheme carried out in Sheffield’s 3rd May 2007 local elections which included voting over the internet, by telephone and at an early voting station;
(b) notes that the decision to carry out a pilot during Sheffield’s 3rd May 2007 local elections was taken by senior officers without any consultation or democratic input from the public, political parties other than the party of the administration, or any other appropriate groups;
(c) notes that the report into the Sheffield pilot makes a number of criticisms, including that the scheme failed to increase turnout and that there were serious concerns with the accountability and transparency of counting electronic votes;
(d) notes that a number of local people encountered problems in attempting to cast their vote at the last local elections;
(e) notes that as a result of this pilot, and other similar schemes, the Electoral Commission has recommended that no further pilots take place, primarily due to concerns over security;
(f) notes that the overall cost of the pilot scheme was £760,362, this can be separated into:-
(i) £395,000 for internet voting (or £110 per internet voter);
(ii) £285,000 for telephone voting (or £425 per telephone voter);
(iii) £54,000 for advance voting (or £60 per advance voter); and
(iv) £26,000 for registration form printing;
(g) notes that the Electoral Commission’s report into Sheffield’s pilot states that it had a ‘negligible effect’ on turnout, therefore believes that these costs cannot be justified and represent a substantial waste of taxpayers money;
(h) resolves that Sheffield does not take part in any further electoral pilot schemes without the support of full Council and condemns the present administration for allowing the previous failed and expensive pilot to take place;
(i) believes that if the present Government are serious about increasing turnout, then action must be taken through electoral reform;
(j) believes that if we had an electoral system under which every vote counted, turnout levels would increase and the concept of democracy would be strengthened within the UK, and therefore this Council does not support the current ‘first past the post‘ system;
(k) calls on the Government to reform the system under which both local and parliamentary elections are held so that a form of proportional representation is used to ensure that there is more of a link between the total share of the vote and the number of seats; and
(l) directs that a copy of this Motion is sent to all the Sheffield Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister.
8. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR BOB McCANN
That this Council:
(a) notes that when the Decent Homes Programme comes to an end in 2010 Sheffield will be faced with the important task of maintaining council housing stock at the ‘Decent Homes’ level, thus providing future tenants with quality housing;
(b) believes it is vital that local tenants are the driving force behind any decision on how to maintain ‘Decent Homes’ level post 2010 and the future of council housing stock; and
(c) believes that debate on the future of Sheffield’s council housing stock should involve the public and allow for input from all political parties, local tenant organisations and other interested groups.
9. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR DAVID BAKER
That this Council:
(a) notes the independent think tank ‘Social Market Foundation’ findings that the Government’s plan to build three million new homes by 2020 will mean that two million homes will have to be built on undeveloped countryside or green belt;
(b) is fully committed to protecting Sheffield’s green belt;
(c) is opposed to the practice of ‘garden grabbing’ and allowing gardens to be seen as brownfield sites, when in fact they clearly help to contribute to the green nature of the City, therefore urges Government to change the policy so that gardens are not automatically designated as brownfield;
(d) instructs that these policies are firmly embedded, so far as legally possible, within all aspects of Council policy including the Sheffield Development Framework;
(e) believes that Sheffield’s industrial heritage means that there is a higher than average proportion of appropriate brownfield sites available for development and believes that the use of existing developed land could be considerably improved; and
(f) therefore is confident that Sheffield can provide an acceptable level of new homes to address affordable housing issues without building on green belt.
10. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR MIKE REYNOLDS
That this Council:
(a) deplores the failure to maintain the fabric of the Greystones Community Centre to such an extent that it has had to be declared unfit for purpose;
(b) further deplores the failure of the Council to address the parking problems associated with the previous users of the building;
(c) is shocked at the considerable sums of money that have been said to have been required for the relocation of community user groups from this condemned facility, such as £24,000 for the provision of an alarm system at a local school;
(d) notes the lack of provision by the Council of community facilities for residents in the areas surrounding Greystones Community Centre, particularly for young people and the elderly;
(e) notes that the site of the Centre is to be sold by public tender; and
(f) directs that a significant amount of the balance of the receipt from the sale be set aside for the provision of community facilities in the area, in consultation with existing and potential community user groups, to be considered as a priority through the corporate capital strategy process within the overall annual budget process.
11. OBSERVATIONS
To receive observations on the minutes of the meetings of the various Council bodies for the period
7th July to 17th August, 2007.
Dated this 28th day of August, 2007
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