Council Agenda 5 December 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 December, 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 7th November, 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 ARRANGEMENTS FOR COUNCIL MEETINGS
To consider a report and any recommendation arising therefrom which may be referred by the Cabinet at its meeting to be held on 28th November, 2007.
LICENSING ACT 2003 – STATEMENT OF LICENSING POLICY
To consider a report and a recommendation arising therefrom which was referred by the Cabinet at its meeting held on 14th November, 2007.
JORDANTHORPE EXTRA CARE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
To consider a report and a recommendation arising therefrom which was referred by the Cabinet at its meeting held on 14th November, 2007.
PRIVATE SECTOR HOUSING SERVICES POLICY
To consider a report and a recommendation arising therefrom which was referred by the Cabinet at its meeting held on 14th November, 2007.
MEMBERS’ ALLOWANCES 2008/09 AND ONWARDS
To consider a report and any recommendation arising therefrom which may be referred by the Cabinet at its meeting to be held on 28th November, 2007.
THE LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY OF COUNCIL HOUSING
To consider a report and any recommendation arising therefrom which may be referred by the Cabinet at its meeting to be held on 28th November, 2007.
6. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR BRYAN LODGE
That this Council:
(a) recalls the petition received at the Council meeting on 7th November, containing 88 signatures of residents of Rudyard Road and adjoining streets, calling on the Council to find a way of allowing the residents to access their homes by car through the Hillsborough tram gates;
(b) thanks Mr Lee Reynolds for making representations to the Council on behalf of the
petitioners and notes that Mr Reynolds drew attention to the increased journey time, traffic congestion and exhaust pollution created by the half-mile alternative route that residents have to take, to access their homes;
(c) notes that at that meeting the Cabinet Member for Transport and Streetscene recognised the difficulties faced by the petitioners and gave a commitment to Mr Reynolds that he would ask that officers find a commonsense approach to resolve this problem;
(d) confirms that due to regulations set by the Department for Transport, finding a workable solution to this problem has not been straightforward;
(e) recognises the officers’ hard work in coming up with a creative solution to this problem and is very pleased to confirm that officers have now found a scheme which will allow the residents of Rudyard Road and adjoining streets to access their homes via the tram gates, subject to the approval of the local Planning and Highways Area Board;
(f) confirms that officers intend to report their proposals to the West and North Planning and Highways Area Board, at their meeting on 11th December 2007; and
(g) thanks the residents of Rudyard Road and adjoining streets for bringing this matter to the attention of the Council, and looks forward to seeing a new scheme introduced at the earliest possibility.
7. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR BOB McCANN
That this Council:
(a) notes that the 24-hour 101 number that allows local people to report anti-social behaviour and non-emergencies has taken over 85,000 calls since its launch, which is equivalent to 1 in 6 people in Sheffield using the service;
(b) furthermore notes that whilst the service has had some problems with resolving some issues for local residents, which is mainly down to a lack of action on the Council’s part, an impressive 88% of customers reported that they were satisfied with the handling of their call and the outcome of the call;
(c) believes that tackling anti-social behaviour within our communities is a top priority for local people, and notes that since the 101 number was launched in May 2006 it has been key in empowering local people to take action against the individuals that blight their community;
(d) therefore finds it unacceptable that this Labour Government have announced they intend to cut funding for the popular and important local service;
(e) agrees with the joint statement from the Assistant Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police and this Council’s Assistant Chief Executive, Legal and Governance, on news of the cut, which noted: -
“This decision does not signify the failure of 101 in Sheffield. There is substantial evidence that the service has had a really positive impact on the lives of people across the City, who previously may not have known where to turn to, in order to eradicate anti-social behaviour blighting their local neighbourhoods and communities.”
(f) believes that if the 101 service is stopped, it will make it harder for the public to report anti-social behaviour issues and therefore harder to deal with those causing the problems in our local neighbourhoods;
(g) notes with disappointment that yet again the local Labour Party have failed to secure Government funding and support for Sheffield on an important issue;
(h) notes that this is particularly disappointing as the 101 service in Sheffield could undoubtedly be funded if the Labour Government concentrated on practical solutions to tackle anti-social behaviour rather than wasting millions on ineffective gimmicks such as compulsory national ID cards, “state super-nannies” and “respect tsars”;
(i) therefore resolves to campaign against the decision to cut funding for Sheffield’s 101 service through:
(i) sending a copy of this Motion to the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary and all
Sheffield local Members of Parliament, requesting an explanation from the Government
why funding has been cut given the millions wasted on the ineffective gimmicks
previously mentioned; and
(ii) writing to all local Members of Parliament requesting that they lobby the Government to
reverse the decision and restore funding for the service in Sheffield, asking that they
report back on progress;
(j) directs that the Leader of Council personally takes responsibility for the actions above and report back to this Council at the next meeting outlining the responses and progress; and
(k) furthermore directs that in light of the funding cut the Leader of Council outlines the options available for the 101 service, if the decision is not reversed, to the leaders of each group on the Council as soon as they become clear and before any decision on the future of the service is made.
8. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR JAN WILSON
That this Council:
(a) notes that 101, the single non-emergency number, has been operating very effectively in Sheffield for well over a year;
(b) notes that the 101 number has taken over 85,000 calls from concerned residents about a range of anti-social behaviour and community safety issues;
(c) further notes that all the feedback from local Sheffield residents shows that the establishment of the 101 number has been very successful in:-
(i) giving reassurance to individuals experiencing anti-social behaviour;
(ii) taking action at the appropriate level; and
(iii) offering a comprehensive, joined-up service;
(d) feels that there is substantial evidence that the service has had a really positive impact on the lives of people across the City;
(e) believes that 101 has resulted in increased partnership working between Sheffield City Council and South Yorkshire Police, which has resulted in more joined-up services and effective working relationships;
(f) expresses great disappointment that the Home Office has indicated that it will not continue funding for the 101 number;
(g) requests that all Members of this Council use their best endeavours to secure long term funding for this service;
(h) notes that members of the majority group have contacted several Members of Parliament to ask that they work to secure permanent funding for this very effective and well-received service;
(i) endorses the action of the Leader of the Council, who has written to the Home Secretary on this subject;
(j) confirms that the Council and South Yorkshire Police will ensure that the benefits of our partnership approach continue to inform work around community safety and anti-social behaviour, and will keep working together to ensure Sheffield remains the safest large City in the Country; and
(k) directs that a copy of this Motion is sent to the Sheffield Members of Parliament and the Home Secretary.
9. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR SYLVIA DUNKLEY
That this Council:
(a) is pleased that the Government decided earlier this year to publish the Local Transport Bill in draft form thus enabling a considerable amount of consultation, debate and evidence-giving to take place over the summer;
(b) welcomes some of the changes the Bill is proposing such as more devolved transport powers, the requirement for local integrated transport strategies to be produced, the abolition of “the only practicable way” test for bus quality contracts and the ability for local transport authorities to enter into Statutory Quality Partnerships with more than one operator ;
(c) is dismayed, however, that:
(i) the actual Local Transport Bill has been introduced into the House of Lords first, rather than the House of Commons, using a procedure which limits the opportunities for further debate and amendment;
(ii) the original proposal in the draft Bill that local authorities could specify routes, frequencies and maximum fares in bus Statutory Quality Partnerships has now been altered in the actual Bill to give bus operators a veto, thus rendering SQPs ineffective as they have been for the last seven years;
(iii) the approvals process for a Bus Quality Contract via a non-elected Approvals Panel remains in the Bill thus making the process for introducing a Quality Contract unnecessarily tortuous and also gives the Panel the power to veto an area’s integrated transport strategy;
(iv) the transition arrangements in the event of a Quality Contract not being awarded to the existing operator are still too weak and could result in local bus services being decimated in the period between the contract being awarded and coming into effect; and
(v) the wording of the Bill fails to specify that only elected Members of the new Integrated Transport Authorities can decide whether to co-opt non-elected transport experts and whom to co-opt and fails to restrict voting on these new Transport Authorities to elected Members only;
(d) believes, therefore, that unless the Bill is amended to rectify these serious errors it will be impossible to achieve the Bill’s stated purpose of tackling congestion and improving public transport; and
(e) directs that copies of this Motion be sent to the Secretary of State for Transport and the Shadow Secretaries of State for Transport for the two main opposition parties, all the Sheffield Members of Parliament and the Director General of the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.
10. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR JEAN CROMAR
That this Council:
(a) notes that during October 2007 people all around the World commemorated Russian journalist and human rights defender Anna Politkovskaya, who was murdered on 7th October 2006 outside her flat in Moscow;
(b) further notes that Anna Politkovskaya was almost certainly killed because of her work as a journalist, in which she exposed human rights violations throughout Russia;
(c) notes that other journalists in countries around the world have been killed in similarly mysterious circumstances;
(d) supports the work of Amnesty International in exposing human rights violations around the World;
(e) believes that it is right to put on the record our support for democratic values and the freedom of the press;
(f) further believes that Sheffield, as a City with a conscience, should show solidarity with those standing up for human rights;
(g) therefore resolves to plant a tree in the City to commemorate Anna Politkovskaya and her work in defending human rights; and
(h) directs that a copy of this Motion is sent to the Sheffield Amnesty International Group and the UK Russian Embassy.
11. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR MARTIN BRELSFORD
That this Council:
(a) recognises the importance placed upon improving transport links between the ‘Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester triangle’ in the recently agreed Sheffield Economic Masterplan;
(b) further recognises the potential of the Woodhead Tunnels for contributing to improved transpennine transport links as recognised in the South Pennines Integrated Transport Strategy and the Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Strategy;
(c) accepts that only the 1950s Woodhead Tunnel is of sufficient size to accomodate larger gauge freight vehicles;
(d) is dismayed, therefore, at the proposal by the National Grid to lay electricity transmission cables on the floor of the modern tunnel which could prejudice any future reopening of the tunnel for rail use;
(e) notes that the Peak District National Park Authority has written to each of four Secretaries of State seeking the withdrawAl of permitted development rights for this proposal but without success;
(f) further notes that the PDNPA does not have sufficient resources to tackle this issue on its own and also faces the risk of substantial compensation claims;
(g) believes therefore that:
(i) assurances should be sought from National Grid that the necessary steps will be taken to protect the development of a suitable rail option alongside electricity transmission (including the upkeep and when necessary the upgrading of old tunnels and possible later transfer back to the old tunnels of any cabling); and
(ii) the PDNPA’s request for a study into the feasibility of reopening the Woodhead railway should be supported; and
(h) directs that copies of this Motion be sent to the Secretary of State for Transport and her opposite numbers, Sheffield’s Members of Parliament, the Chair of the Peak District National Park Authority and the nine local Members of Parliament within whose constituencies the Woodhead line lies.
12. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR ANNE SMITH
That this Council:
(a) recognises the recent serious accidents, particularly the tragedy that occurred on 10th November, on the Hathersage Road;
(b) notes that improvements installed at the bottom end of Hathersage Road have been effective, with no accidents at the junction of Cross Lane and Long Line occurring since the improvements were made;
(c) believes that the combination of a long, wide, tightening bend together with a speed limit of 60mph is an extremely dangerous mix;
(d) directs that consideration be given to reducing the speed limit beyond the Dore Moor Inn to 50mph;
(e) directs that much bigger, more visible and better warning signs are installed on the stretch of road in question;
(f) directs that, if practicable in engineering terms, speed activated signs are installed to warn drivers if they are exceeding the speed limit;
(g) instructs Highways officers to take any other measures that they think necessary, through the appropriate channels, to improve the safety of road-users on the Hathersage Road; and
(h) calls for funding for these works to be prioritised within the Council's Road Safety Investment Programme.
13. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR JILLIAN CREASY
That this Council:
(a) notes that the production of foie gras involves confining ducks and geese to small cages and force feeding them via a tube or pipe until their livers are swollen to about ten times the normal size;
(b) believes that this is an unacceptably cruel practice resulting in pain and injury to the birds;
(c) notes that production of foie gras is already outlawed in fifteen countries, including the UK, but that we continue to import large quantities;
(d) believes that it should take a firm stand against this form of cruelty to animals and therefore;
(e) resolves to:
(i) instruct the Chief Executive to write to Lord Rooker, Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming and Animal Health, informing him of the Council’s view and requesting a review of Government policies on animal welfare issues;
(ii) ban the sale or use of foie gras by the Council, in its premises;
(iii) place a link to the website Compassion in World Farming on the Council website; and
(iv) inform major retailers, restaurants, hotels and hospitality organisations in the City of its view.
14. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR JAN WILSON
That this Council:
(a) warmly welcomes the decision of John Hutton, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and Stephen Timms, Minister of State for Competitiveness to ensure that ‘Made in Sheffield’ can continue to be used and recognised as a symbol of quality and pride for products made in the City;
(b) notes that this is an important marketing tool for Sheffield and for jobs in the City; and
(c) thanks the Master Cutler and the Cutlers Company, the Assay Master and the Sheffield Assay Office, the President and Chief Executive of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, and the Members of Parliament for Sheffield Attercliffe, Brightside, Central, Heeley and Hillsborough for their concerted and successful lobbying of Government on this matter.
15. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR MARY LEA
That this Council:
(a) notes that, as home to more than 16 million people, the Core Cities regions are responsible for around 30% of England’s carbon emissions and as such are well placed to make a significant contribution to the UK’s response to the climate change challenge;
(b) notes that the Core Cities Climate Change Group, which Sheffield took a lead in developing, and which is chaired by Sheffield, was set up in early 2006;
(c) further notes that this group works on common goals around issues like renewable energy and achieving a low carbon economy;
(d) is pleased to confirm that through the work of this group, in November 2007 the Leader of Sheffield City Council, along with the leaders of the other seven Core Cities and Government Ministers Hazel Blears and Joan Ruddock signed a commitment to tackle climate change;
(e) notes that the Shared Commitment to Climate Change Action sets out a range of measures which Government and the Core Cities will carry out to reduce carbon emissions, through measures such as improving public transport, addressing the energy efficiency of buildings, and improving waste and water management; and
(f) reaffirms the City Council’s commitment to working to achieve environmental excellence and a sustainable future for Sheffield, and looks forward to continuing to work with the Government and the other Core Cities to make a genuine contribution to reducing the UK’s carbon footprint.
15. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR HARRY HARPHAM
That this Council:
notes the comments of the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam in the London Evening Standard of 23rd November 2007 where he expressed his concerns and anxieties about the educational opportunities for his children in South West London and, in consequence, invites him to consider the opportunities which would be afforded to him and his family by living in his constituency, which would enable his children to maximise their educational and social potential through attendance at excellent local schools.
16. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR BERNARD LITTLE
That this Council:
(a) notes the proposed removal of the target for renewable energy in new developments in the Secretary of State's recommended changes to the draft Yorkshire and Humber Regional Spatial Strategy;
(b) notes that the target was established in consultation with all key regional agencies and local authorities and that it had successfully passed through the Examination in Public stage and was endorsed in the recommendations put forward by the Independent Panel;
(c) notes that only 5 months earlier a similar policy in the North East Regional Spatial Strategy passed through virtually unchanged in the Secretary of State's list of proposed changes to that document;
(d) notes that once the Planning Policy Statement on Climate Change is published it may become more difficult for Councils to implement the modest 10% minimum renewable energy targets in new developments;
(e) notes that because it sets a target for the percentage of renewable energy generated on site, the policy encourages greater energy efficiency in new developments and is a driver to reduce carbon emissions;
(f) further notes that the policy has been proven to be effective by those Councils already implementing this policy such as the London Borough of Croydon, which has now applied it to over 130 planning applications;
(g) also notes that in the past six months alone, 22 planning applications have gone through the Sheffield Planning Boards where a 10% reduction in the energy needs of the development through the use of renewables has been successfully sought; and
(h) therefore calls on the Chief Executive to write to the Minister for Housing and Planning, calling on the Minister to:-
(i) give an unequivocal statement that the forthcoming Planning Policy Statement on Climate Change will allow Councils to set minimum 10% renewable energy targets in new developments; and
(ii) reconsider her recommendation to delete the renewable energy target in
new development from the Yorkshire and Humber RSS.
17. OBSERVATIONS
To receive observations on the minutes of the meetings of the various Council bodies for the period
20th October to 16th November, 2007.
Dated this 27th day of November, 2007