Minutes of Previous Council Meeting 4th January 2006

Minutes of a Meeting of the Council of the City of Sheffield held in the Council Chamber within the Town Hall, Sheffield on Wednesday, 4th January, 2006, pursuant to notice duly given and Summonses duly served.

PRESENT

THE LORD MAYOR (Councillor Roger Davison)

THE DEPUTY LORD MAYOR (Councillor Jackie Drayton)

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

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

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

4 Birley Ward			13 Firth Park Ward			22 Shiregreen & Brightside Ward
Bryan Lodge			Joan Barton			Jane Bird
Mike Pye			Chris Weldon			Peter Price
Denise Fox			Alan Law			Peter Rippon

5 Broomhill Ward			14 Fulwood Ward			23 Southey Ward
Paul Scriven			John Knight			Leigh Bramall
Alan Whitehouse			Janice Sidebottom			Gill Furniss
Shaffaq Mohammed

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

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

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
Mohammad Altaf			Jan Wilson			Trevor Bagshaw

						28 Woodhouse Ward
						Marjorie Barker
						Mick Rooney
						Ray Satur


	1.	APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
		Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Alison Brelsford, Martin Brelsford, Martin Davis, Tony Damms, Keith Hill, Vickie Priestley, Andrew Sangar, Andrew White and Pat White.

	2.	COUNCILLOR ANNE SMITH, M.B.E.
		The Lord Mayor (Councillor Roger Davison) referred to the fact that Councillor Anne Smith had been awarded an M.B.E. in the New Year’s Honours List and Members joined him in congratulating Councillor Anne Smith on her achievement.

	3.	MINUTES OF PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEETING
		RESOLVED: On the motion of Councillor Pat Midgley, seconded by Councillor Jean Cromar, that the minutes of the meeting of the City Council held on 7th December, 2005 be approved as a correct record.

		(NOTE: Arthur Dunworth voted against the resolution and asked for his vote to be recorded).

	4.	PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS

	4.1	Petitions
		(a) Petition concerning road safety at the Ecclesall Road South/Knowle Lane junction
		The Council received a petition containing 1,218 signatures organised by Ecclesall Community Forum, drawing attention to the large volume of cars, buses, lorries and cyclists using the roads at the junction of Ecclesall Road South, Knowle Lane, Millhouses Lane and Woodholme Road every day, causing severe congestion and hazardous conditions for motorists and pedestrians, including schoolchildren, and calling upon the City Council to improve road safety at the junction.
		After hearing representations made on behalf of the petitioners by Matthew Mascarenhas-Keyes, Katy Yeardley and Ashwin Walton (school pupils), supported by Dr. Stella Mascarenhas-Keyes, the Council referred the petition for consideration by the City Centre, South and East Planning and Highways Area Board and the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport (Councillor Terry Fox) who thanked the schoolchildren for bringing the issue to the attention of the Council, but pointed out that there were many other locations in the City with similar or worse problems and that such requests had to be processed by reference to adopted Council criteria and prioritised accordingly. He added that the issues raised in the petition would be investigated and a report submitted to a future meeting of the City Centre, South and East Planning and Highways Area Board.

		(b) Petition opposing the widening of the M1 Motorway
		The Council received a petition containing 346 signatures expressing opposition to the proposed widening of the M1 motorway.
		After hearing representations made on behalf of the petitioners by Julie White, who called upon the City Council to oppose the widening proposals and to investigate alternative solutions such as local traffic measures and travel plans to reduce fuel consumption and the effects on climate change and to improve air quality in the area, the Council referred the petition for consideration by the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport (Councillor Terry Fox), who stated that City Council officers were looking at the issues with the Highways Agency and that if the M1 widening was the agreed way forward, officers would look at ways of managing the traffic generated in the area and the drawing up of travel plans. He added that Officers were also working with the Primary Care Trusts on low emission zones and pointed out that EU standards of air quality would have to be met before any decision was reached on the M1 widening, following public consultation.

		(c) Petition concerning grants to the Somali Community Association
		The Council received a petition containing 311 signatures of members of the Somali Community Association in Sheffield requesting that the City Council helps the Association to get the required grants to make it function as it used to do. Representations were made on behalf of the petitioners by Abdillahi Boss, the Secretary of the Association, regarding their lack of opportunity to apply for a revenue grant in 2006-2007 and that £5,600 compensation due to the Association for moving from its old premises had not yet been paid. He claimed that the Association felt let down by the Council and were being treated less favourably than other ethnic minority groups and wished to be treated on an equal footing.
		The Council referred the petition for consideration by the Cabinet Member for Social Regeneration and Adult Services (Councillor Mick Rooney), who stated that he had had no knowledge of this situation until it had been brought to his attention recently, following which he had issued instructions for officers to make the payment of compensation. He undertook to make arrangements to talk about the details of the current grant application with the petition organiser.

		(d) Petition concerning Mohammad Arrian
		The Council received a petition containing 355 signatures urging that the decision to deport Mohammad Arrian to Afghanistan on 17th January, 2006 be revoked and that he be granted Indefinite Leave to Remain status to live in Sheffield to buil, d a new life with his family and friends.
		After hearing representations made on behalf of the petitioners by Davud Arrian, the Council referred the petition for consideration by the Leader of the Council (Councillor Jan Wilson), who acknowledged the contribution that Mohammad Arrian had made to people in the City and expressed her deep concern at the situation. However, she emphasised that the Council could not make a decision in this case as it was a matter for the Home Office, although she understood that Richard Caborn, MP was due to discuss the case with the Home Office Minister. She thanked the petitioners for bringing the case to the Council’s attention and wished Mohammad Arrian and his family well for the future.

	4.2	Motion re Suspension of Standing Orders
		It was moved by Councillor Paul Scriven, seconded by Councillor Peter Moore, that, in accordance with Standing Orders A14 and A5, the Council’s Standing Orders be suspended to enable an urgent Notice of Motion to be discussed in relation to the plight of Mohammad Arrian.

		On being put to the vote, the motion was negatived.

	4.3	Public Questions
		(a) Public questions concerning Ecclesall Road South/Knowle Lane junction
		Dr. Mascarenhas-Keyes referred to the Local Transport Plan and travel to school surveys and asked what had been done in this respect with schools in Ecclesall. Mrs. Alka Walton asked how long the investigation process into the issues raised in the petition would take.
		In response, the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport (Councillor Terry Fox) undertook to provide Dr. Mascarenhas-Keyes with details of work already done in schools and stated that the investigation process into the petition would take at least one month.

		(b) Public question concerning Britain in Bloom
		With reference to a response to the Ecclesall Road South petition given earlier in the meeting concerning lives taking precedence over flowers and to information supplied to him that the pedestrian crossing budget amounted to £200,000 per annum, Mr. Hedges asked how much money was spent on Britain in Bloom and, as a matter of public record, for the Council to state where its priorities laid.
		In response, the Cabinet Member for Streetscene and Green Spaces (Councillor Harry Harpham) stated that everybody in the Council Chamber would agree that the saving of lives was more important than the displaying of flowers and pointed out that he had gone on public record at a previous Council meeting, in an answer to a written question, giving details of the total costs of Sheffield’s entry to the Entente Florale

		(c) Public question concerning Mohammad Arrian
		Chris Searle, Deacon Dave Havard, Mark Wallace and Satish Sachdeva paid tribute to the excellent work carried out by Mohammad Arrian as a valued member of the community and asked if the City Council could do all within its powers to prevent his deportation. In response, the Leader of the Council (Councillor Jan Wilson) reiterated that the Council could not make a decision in this case and that it would be for individual Councillors to make representations to the Home Office. She considered that it would be inappropriate and misleading to debate the issues at this Council meeting and emphasised that the Council on a cross party basis had been robust in its work concerning asylum seekers. She hoped that Mohammad Arrian’s family would understand the sentiments expressed at this meeting and would feel that the Council was supportive of them.

		(d) Public questions concerning the widening of M1 Motorway
		Maureen Edwards asked if the Council could look at the possibility of easing traffic congestion on the M1 motorway by providing sustainable local transport solutions, rather than road widening, which would also contribute to improving the air quality. Jeff Kirby asked what the Council was doing to protect the health of residents in Tinsley and Brinsworth by improving air quality and called on the Council to help local people by objecting to any motorway widening that will make air quality worse in the area.
		In response, the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport (Councillor Terry Fox) stated that, as a local resident, he shared the concerns of residents in the area about air quality and he referred to work that was being carried out by the Council in conjunction with Rotherham Borough Council, the Highways Agency and the Primary Care Trusts in connection with the South and West Yorkshire Multi-Modal Study, Air Quality Action Plan, low emission zones, traffic demand management and alleviating congestion at junctions 33 and 34 of the M1 motorway.

	5.	DEVELOPMENTS IN POST-16 EDUCATION
		Tony Tweedy, Head of Lifelong Learning and Skills, Children and Young People’s Directorate, gave a presentation on progress and challenges for post-16 education in Sheffield. He showed a chart of school leaver destinations for 2005, which indicated that 68% had gone into full-time education, 17% into work based learning, with 8.6% not in education, employment or training. In demonstrating progress that had been made in the City, he stated that 82% of people in post-16 participation in education, employment and training was close to the national average. The number of school leavers not in education, employment or training had fallen from 10.4% in 2002 to 8.6% in 2005. Black and minority ethnic students had a higher post-16 participation rate than their white counterparts and 74% retention at 17 was only 2% below the national average.
		He pointed out that improved Key Stage 4 attainment had been reflected in increased Level 3 recruitment, which represented a 5% increase in three years. There had been £37m investment in two new colleges, which were both operating to capacity, with a 4.5% growth in recruitment from 11 schools in the north since 2003 and two 11-18 Academies had been approved for two schools with the lowest post-16 participation. He added that the Level 1 and 2 success rates in the Sheffield College were above national benchmarks and the education to employment success rate of 38% was above the national average. The rate of improvement for apprenticeship success rates was greater than that nationally and the A/AS average points score was above the national average.
		He then went on to describe the challenges for Sheffield in the context of the 14-19 Implementation Plan, under which it was envisaged that 40% of key stage 4 students would pursue a vocational pathway by 2013, with 90% post-16 participation by 2015. It was also planned to produce a 14-19 prospectus by 2007 with entitlement to 14 specialised diploma lines by 2013. There would be a strong strategic partnership between the Local Authority and the Learning and Skills Council to ensure entitlement was delivered. He stated that other challenges for Sheffield included closing the Key Stage 4 attainment gap, continuing to drive up post-16 progression in the north of the City, achieving a 90% target for those in learning, meeting LPSA 2 targets of 7.3% not in education, employment and training by 2007 and 75% of those leaving care into employment and training by 2008, along with addressing black and ethnic minority post-16 attainment and progress to Level 3. The challenges also included improved progression rates from education to employment, a 20% increase in apprenticeship completion rate by 20% by 2006, reducing the numbers in employment without training and addressing unmet demand in the south east by tackling the numbers not in education or employment training and to improve level 3 take up.
		He concluded by highlighting the critical actions, which included the need to plan, evaluate and review in partnership citywide through the 11-19+ Board and locally through Area Improvement Partnerships. In order to tackle unmet need in the south east of the City, a new vision would be drawn up for 14 to 19 provision, along with building, motivating and creating relevant 14-19 pathways that would drive up engagement and attainment in a programme of Learning for Life. He added that a vulnerable young people’s strategy would be introduced to reduce the numbers of people not in education or employment training and to increase care leavers into learning and address under performance by black and ethnic minorities and to further improve education to employment (E2E) and Apprentice Outcomes in a programme of Success for All.

		John Taylor, Chief Executive of the Sheffield College, then gave a presentation on developments in post-16 education. He began by summarising the recent history of the College, from a time when it was disengaged from local strategic planning, had an overly complex management structure, was operationally inefficient, with poor accommodation, financial difficulties and only satisfactory achievements. He then described the current picture, which showed successful financial recovery, the introduction of a federal devolved management structure, with an ambitious accommodation strategy and outstanding academic achievements. He highlighted recent achievements which included A level results consistently exceeding a 93% pass rate and the College becoming the region’s leader for success in Work Based Learning, being engaged with over 700 employers and having major links with National Health Service and Teaching Hospitals and international technological organisations. He displayed slides of the recently opened Hillsborough College, along with plans for rebuilding Castle College, which were at an advanced stage. He commented on the nationally recognised success with black and ethnic minority students and illustrated this with slides showing overall retention rates by ethnicity and their achievements.
		He then displayed a slide depicting the new corporate identity for the College based on the graphic symbol of “a spark in time” which recognised the College’s transformation and launch of a new federal structure. He elaborated on the future of the College, set in the context of the Foster Report, the Leitch Interim Report on a review of skills and the Learning and Skills Council’s Agenda for Change and its national and regional priorities. He then summarised the strategic imperatives for the College in terms of marketing, federalism, strategic partnerships, efficiency, workforce development and excellence.
		He concluded the presentation by focusing on the challenges for the city which was to address the potential of excess capacity and associated risk of inefficiencies, to guard against an increased bureaucracy leading to lack of institutional focus, to address the impact of changes to national and local priorities and to meet the demands on pre and post 16 education placed on the College by achieving a 90% participation rate.

		Fiona Blacke, Executive Director of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) continued the series of presentations by illustrating the large and wide range of colleges and providers of post-16 education in Sheffield, which included two further education colleges, five smaller further education providers, over 30 work-based providers and over 90 community-based organisations providing adult programmes. She outlined the LSC’s proposals for a dynamic programme of change for the post-16 sector focused on seven key themes of skills for employers, quality, funding, business excellence, reputation, data and changes in the LSC management, with more power devolved to the region and a local partnership team in Sheffield. She set out the Government and the LSC’s priorities for the next two years, which involved increased funding going into further education, and commented that funding pressure would require a focus on key priorities and change in the pattern of adult provision. It was also proposed to increase participation by 16-18 year olds, particularly from the hard to reach groups, and to deal with some of the technical anomalies in the current funding systems for schools and colleges. There would also be an increase in funding rates for 16-18 year olds in line with the Government’s minimum funding guarantee, whilst restraining further growth in unit funding levels.
		She pointed out that free tuition to adult learners in entitlement groups would continue to be provided, along with national free remission categories and there would be a roll out of the national Employer Training Programme by August, 2006. Increased attainment rates were aimed for in respect of basic skills, Level 2 at 19, Level 3 and apprenticeship completion. There would also be a ring-fenced budget to help ensure continued availability of learning opportunities for personal and community development. A re-balance of public and private contributions towards the cost of education and training would be created with an expectation that, by the turn of the decade, national fee assumption would rise to 50%. She briefly touched on progress and achievements in regard to further education, school sixth forms, work-based learning, adult and community learning and education for prisoners and ex-offenders.
		In relation to funding of further education, she stated that funding had risen by 29% since 2002/03, from £34m to £44m in 2005/06, with funding for 16-18 year olds having risen by 49% and for adults by 7%. She added that learner numbers in further education had risen by 12% since 2002/03, from 27,500 to 31,100 in 2004/05, and that the number of 16-18 year olds in further education had risen by 10% and adults by 13%. She then highlighted the success rates at Sheffield College, which had risen by 7% since 2001-02, from 58% to 65% in 2003-04, by 5% for 16-18 year olds and by 8% for adults. Similar pictures applied with other providers in the city, with further education being graded as satisfactory, often good, and no unsatisfactory provision. She stated that the Sheffield Work Based Learning budget included over £6m for 16-18 year olds, almost £2m for 19+ learners and over £3m for the Entry to Employment Programme. She added that the priorities for development and investment on work-based learning covered the areas of engineering, construction, health and care and printing
		In relation to Local Authority provision of Adult and Community Learning, she stated that in 2004/05, sub-contracting organisations delivered in over 90 community settings across the City and 3,922 adults had participated, many of whom had progressed onto further courses. Similar levels of delivery in 2005/06 were underway, with provision in 2005 being judged as good (grade 2) by inspectors. She went on to comment on the voluntary and community sector provision including the Adult and Community Learning Project and the LSC’s investment on learning, supporting the Neighbourhood Renewal agenda in Sheffield. She elaborated on work with employers on 25+ and on the Additional Priority Group Projects involving 885 black and ethnic minority learners, 500 lone parent learners and 500 learners with disabilities.
		She concluded her presentation by highlighting issues for the future which included reducing the number of 16 year olds not involved in education, employment and training, achieving Level 2 at 19, ensuring a range of progression routes from 14 to 19 year olds into vocational provision and ensuring a balance and mix of adult provision.
		A lengthy question and answer session followed, at the end of which the Lord Mayor (Councillor Roger Davison) thanked Tony Tweedy, John Taylor and Fiona Blacke for giving excellent presentations and for giving thorough answers to the many questions asked by Members of the Council.

	6.	REPRESENTATION
		RESOLVED: On the motion of Councillor Pat Midgley, seconded by Councillor Jean Cromar that (a) approval be given to the following changes to the memberships of Boards, etc. and the appointment of representatives to serve on other bodies:-

		Children and Young People Scrutiny and Policy Development Board		-	Councillor Jane Bird to replace Councillor Jean Cromar.

		Strategic Resources and Performance Scrutiny and Policy Development Board		-	Councillor Ju