Council Meeting 2 February 2005
COUNCIL SUMMONS
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, 2nd February, 2005, 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 January, 2005 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).
(c) Questions on the discharge of the functions of the Yorkshire and Humber 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 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
To consider a decision which was referred by the Cabinet at its meeting held on 12th January, 2005.
PROTOCOL FOR SCRUTINY OF HEALTH IN SHEFFIELD
To consider a decision which was referred by the Care, Health and Protection Scrutiny Board, acting
in its statutory capacity for the Scrutiny of Health on behalf of the City Council, at its meeting held on
17th January, 2005.
MEMBERS’ ALLOWANCES 2005/06 AND OTHER ISSUES
To consider any decision which may be referred by the Cabinet at its meeting to be held on 26th January, 2005.
CITY COUNCIL’S FINANCIAL AND SERVICE STRATEGY
To consider any decision which may be referred by the Cabinet at its meeting to be held on
26th January, 2005.
CORPORATE CAPITAL STRATEGY AND THREE YEAR FORWARD CAPITAL PROGRAMME
To consider any decision which may be referred by the Cabinet at its meeting to be held on 26th January, 2005.
REVIEW OF ELEMENTS OF THE COUNCIL’S DECISION-MAKING PROCESS
To consider any decision which may be referred by the Cabinet at its meeting to be held on 26th January, 2005.
HOUSING REVENUE ACCOUNT, REVENUE BUDGET AND RENT INCREASES 2005/06
To consider any decision which may be referred by the Cabinet at its meeting to be held on 26th January, 2005.
NEIGHBOURHOODS INVESTMENT PROGRAMME
To consider any decision which may be referred by the Cabinet at its meeting to be held on 26th January, 2005.
2005/06 LOCAL TRANSPORT PLAN FINANCIAL BLOCK ALLOCATIONS
To consider any decision which may be referred by the Cabinet at its meeting to be held on 26th January, 2005.
6. OBSERVATIONS
To receive observations on the minutes of the meetings of the various Council bodies for the period 15th December, 2004 to 14th January, 2005.
7. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR JAN WILSON
That this Council:
(a) congratulates Sheffield Homes on gaining a 3 Star rating and welcomes the release of £140m of neighbourhood investment in the coming year;
(b) thanks tenants across the whole City for their commitment to working with the Council to achieve successful neighbourhoods;
(c) congratulates and thanks Council staff for all their hard work in achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating in the recent Comprehensive Performance Assessment;
(d) notes with particular satisfaction the improvement in the environment rating, following the extra investment prioritised by the current Administration;
(e) congratulates the Chief Executive on his Knighthood; and
(f) agrees that all these events demonstrate that Sheffield is on the up and that Members of all Groups on the Council should welcome that fact.
8. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR JOHN ROBSON
That this Council:
supports, in principle, the fluoridation of the public water supply.
9. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR IBRAR HUSSAIN
That this Council:
welcomes the long overdue release of the last four British men, Moazzam Begg, Martin Mubanga, Richard Belmar and Feroz Abbasi, held at Guantanamo Bay.
10. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR MIKE WATERS
That this Council:
having regard to the conclusions of the Chief Executive’s investigation into complaints about planning applications for 291 Totley Brook Road:-
(a) accepts that the allegations of deliberate, inappropriate action on the part of planning officers/managers were unfounded; and welcomes the introduction of additional procedures and proposed supplementary planning guidance to ensure that similar situations do not occur in future;
(b) notes with concern the recent letter in the Sheffield Star from a Member of the largest minority group on the Council containing allegations of a serious nature, made subsequent to the Chief Executive’s investigation, as follows-
(i) The South Planning Board meeting of 10th January shows that we have a long way to go
before the process is efficient, accountable and transparent.
(ii) Apart from an acknowledgement of relatively modest administrative failures and a
creaking paper management system, the Council continues the sad old formula.
(iii) Officers mumbled through their hands and were unintelligible.
(iv) Permission was refused for local councillors to represent the views of citizens who could not be there.
(v) Council planners and advisors were given two bites of the cherry and allowed to make four speeches of unlimited length.
(vi) The planning system gives the impression that Board members are endorsing a foregone conclusion.
(vii) The planning appointment system perpetuates a one party state.
(viii) The planning system shows a disturbing lack of balance between implementing the UDP and facilitating the City’s growth, allows Sheffield suburbs to suffer from development
at all costs and leaves members of the public cynical.; and
(c) directs that in the light of these fresh and serious allegations, the Chief Executive considers a further investigation as a matter of urgency.
11. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR PAUL SCRIVEN
That this Council:
(a) believes that the Leader of the Council’s willingness to blame motorists for congestion problems in Sheffield shows both arrogance and ignorance, and reinforces the view that the current administration are vehemently anti-car;
(b) acknowledges that an increase in the number of car users has contributed to congestion problems in Sheffield, but recognises that other factors have made the problem significantly worse;
(c) believes that the most successful way to reduce congestion is to offer a viable alternative to car usage in the shape of public transport that is not driven purely by profit and is both reliable and affordable;
(d) is therefore disappointed that recent figures show the number of bus journeys in South Yorkshire are deteriorating faster than the national average and that both punctuality and reliability of bus services in South Yorkshire are falling;
(e) is therefore saddened that the current administration continue to pander to bus operators who are offering a second rate service to citizens, whilst at the same time imposing above inflation fare hikes and, furthermore, the present administration has directly contributed to the lack of bus services in areas of the City due to their ‘North’ Sheffield bus strategy;
(f) notes that the ‘bus consultation’ carried out by the present administration has done little to persuade bus operators to reduce fares or reinstall cut bus services for the people of Sheffield;
(g) supports the suggestion of a re-regulation of bus services, based on the London model; and
(h) directs that a copy of this motion be sent to the Secretary of State for Transport, all Sheffield Members of Parliament and all bus operators in Sheffield expressing this Council’s wish that the Government works to introduce measures that allow for bus services to be properly regulated by local authorities.
12. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR DAVID BAKER
That this Council:
(a) recognises that some communities in Sheffield are concerned that their neighbourhood is becoming unbalanced and unsustainable due to private developers extensively acquiring family houses in the local area, which are then used exclusively for student accommodation;
(b) recognises that, with the increase in student population in the City, the problems associated with over concentration of students are now becoming apparent in communities on the fringes of existing student Houses in Multiple Occupation areas;
(c) recognises that the problems caused by population imbalance in areas of high student concentration can be resisted by the use of Student Housing Restraint Areas (SHRAs), a measure which is successfully used by a number of local authorities;
(d) believes that the introduction of SHRAs in Sheffield, if used appropriately, will prevent the continuing loss of family homes on the fringes of areas of high student concentration, prevent the provision of further student accommodation within a defined area and encourage the provision of purpose built and managed student accommodation in specific locations;
(e) directs that, in consultation through local Area Panels, a number of SHRAs are implemented where appropriate so that where the City Council is able to exercise control, it will resist all development proposals which would result in more students living within the SHRA;
(f) directs that a strategic body is set up to oversee the implementation of SHRA’s, and that this body should be made up of representatives from the Council, the Universities, Student Unions and local communities;
(g) directs that SHRAs be the subject of an annual review carried out by the aforementioned strategic body; and
(h) directs that, after the consultation period, supplementary planning guidance should be issued as soon as possible.
13. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR MARTIN BRELSFORD
That this Council :-
(a) notes that Sheffield has achieved a recycling rate of 12% and congratulates the people of Sheffield for their efforts in doing their bit for the environment;
(b) believes that increases in recycling rates have been facilitated by the waste management contract with ONYX; and
(c) recognises that many different environment bodies across Sheffield are working together and that any further progress with recycling can only be achieved with a focus on partnership.
14. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR SYLVIA DUNKLEY
That this Council :-
(a) recognises the unique importance of Sheffield's historic metal trades buildings celebrated in the publication 'One Great Workshop' and its wealth of historic buildings, many of which are mentioned in the recently published Pevsner Architectural Guide;
(b) welcomes the role that the historic environment can play in urban regeneration and its potential for improving the quality of life for all who live in, work in and visit Sheffield;
(c) is concerned that some well-loved local historic buildings are at risk because they do not have the protection of listing;
(d) in light of the present Government’s failure to enable local authorities to protect locally important buildings:-
(i) calls upon the Government to enable local authorities to establish effective local lists of historic buildings and to give them the necessary powers to protect these buildings;
(ii) further calls upon the Government to equalise the VAT regime between refurbishing non-ecclesiastical listed buildings (17.5% VAT) and new build (0% VAT); and
(iii) requests the Chief Executive together with the relevant Cabinet Member to appoint an historic environment champion for Sheffield as suggested by English Heritage and has already been done by cities such as Liverpool and Bath; and
(e) directs that this Notice of Motion be sent to the relevant Government Minister, all Sheffield Members of Parliament and Sheffield's Conservation Advisory Group.
15. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR MARTIN BRELSFORD
That this Council :-
congratulates Michael Vaughan and his England team on showing their ‘bouncebackability’ and becoming the first England team in 40 years to win a test series in South Africa.
Dated this 25th day of January, 2005