Minutes of Previous Council Meeting held 7th December 2005

Minutes of a Meeting of the Council held Wednesday, 7th December, 2005

Meeting of the Council of the City of Sheffield held in the Council Chamber within the Town Hall, Sheffield, on Wednesday, 7th December, 2005 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			Keith Hill	Sam Wall

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

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

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	Tony Damms
Alan Whitehouse			Janice Sidebottom	Leigh Bramall
Shaffaq Mohammed				Gill Furniss

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

7 Central Ward			16 Graves Park Ward	25 Stocksbridge & Upper Don Ward
Jean Cromar			Peter Moore	Martin Davis
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.	STATEMENT BY COUNCILLOR JANE BIRD
		The City Council noted a statement given by Councillor Jane Bird in her capacity as the Authority’s spokesperson for the South Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Joint Authority and relating to the position of herself and her four other City Council colleagues on that Authority with regard to the items to be considered at this meeting in relation to the future of Ringinglow Road Fire Station which would be considered under the Fire and Civil Defence Authorities Draft Corporate Plan.
		Councillor Bird indicated that the consultation period for the Plan would cease on the 6th January, 2006 with responses to the consultation being considered by the Fire and Civil Defence Authority at its meeting to be held on 25th January, 2006. She emphasised that it was imperative that the five City Council representatives on the Fire and Civil Defence Authority gave due consideration to the matter at the meeting of the Fire and Defence Authority to be held on 25th January, 2006 when all available information would be presented to the Authority.
		In the light of this situation therefore the five City Council representatives would neither speak nor vote on any of the items in which the City Council would consider Ringinglow Road Fire Station but would remain in the meeting.

	2.	APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
		Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Alison Brelsford, Martin Brelsford, Andrew Sangar and Andrew White.

	3.	MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
		RESOLVED: On the motion of Councillor Pat Midgley, seconded by Councillor Jean Cromar, that the minutes of the meetings of the City Council held on 2nd November, 2005 be approved.

	3.	PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS

	3.1	Petitions
		The Council received petitions containing (a) 410 signatures, expressing the view that nuclear weapons are a crime against humanity and a scandalous diversion of taxpayers money which could be invested in the City’s services; and also that the nuclear energy programme increases the capacity for nuclear weapons proliferation and calling for the City Council to rejoin the Nuclear Free Local Authorities and to contribute to the local government campaign for a safe, sustainable and nuclear free future and, after hearing representations made on behalf of the petitioners by Mr. Norman Smith, and comments made by Councillor Jan Wilson the Leader of the City Council who, accepted the points made by Mr. Smith and indicated that all Members of the City Council were interested in pursuing alternative methods of energy and indicated that this matter would be the subject of a debate later in the meeting, referred the petition for further consideration by the Leader of the City Council;
		(b) containing 3,691signatures protesting regarding bus fare increases and service cuts and calling upon the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and the City Council to bring about the re-regulation of local public transport with “Quality Contracts” and demand that the Government bring public transport back into public ownership and after hearing representations made on behalf of the petitioners by Mr. Calvin Payne and comments made by Councillor Terry Fox, the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, who indicated that he had previously explained his position on this matter in discussions with Mr. Payne’s Group and that the City Council had undertaken the “Bus Commission” which had resulted in 12,000 comments made by members of the public and also accepting the frustrations felt by bus users with the present system indicating that due processes had to be followed with all parties wishing to have satisfactory outcome in the provision of public transport, referred the matter to Councillor Fox and the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority;
		(c) containing 57 signatures protesting against the felling of street trees on Hangingwater Close without any consultation with local residents and after hearing representations made on behalf of the petitioners by Mr. Harry Horsfield and comments made Councillor Harry Harpham, the Cabinet Member for Streetscene, Parks and Green Spaces, that this was the first indication he had of the problems and that, he would look into the complaints made by the petitioners, referred the petition to the attention of Councillor Harpham;
		(d) 12 signatures of residents of Drakehouse Lane West, protesting at the lack of parking space adjacent to their homes and calling upon the Council to examine the possibility of making the road a “parking restricted area” for residents and visitors only, referred the petition for consideration by the City Centre, South and East Planning and Highways Area Board; and
		(e) 3,698 signatures protesting at the Council’s decision to close down the Marsh Lane car boot sale which has been held in the area for 20 years and enquiring why the Council should wish to deprive people of this well organised facility when it is not in the City but rather, in North East Derbyshire and referred the petition for consideration by Councillor Tim Rippon, the Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration, Culture and Planning.

		(NOTE: Councillor Ray Satur declared an interest in paragraph(b) above, relating to bus services and did not speak or vote thereon).

		Public Questions re: Ringinglow Fire Station
		Elizabeth Parry, Brian Liversidge, Mike Reynolds and Jeremy Pagan asked questions with regard to the future of Ringinglow Fire Station and particularly why the South Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Authority were prepared to put the sale of the Fire Station premises before people’s lives, did the City Council believe that it was acceptable for the City to receive a reduced level of coverage if the Station were to be closed, given evidence that the critical time in terms of responses to fires was between six and eight minutes would it be found acceptable for this time to be extended to 10 minutes if Ringinglow Fire Station were to close, as the City Council had responsibility for economic and social well being of the City, did it accept that all residents of the City had an equal right to the same level of protection and whether it was considered that the closure of the Fire Station and the alternative proposals represented a proper use of resources by the Fire Service.
		In response, Councillor Jane Bird, the City Council’s spokesperson for the South Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Authority, indicated that the proposals for Ringinglow were part of a wider plan being formulated by the Fire and Civil Defence Authority but that these plans were still the subject of consultation and a final decision on the proposals contained therein had n, ot yet been reached.
		The Leader of the City Council, Councillor Jan Wilson also referred to the need for the consultation to be undertaken but accepted that within that consultation process it had to be clear that the people of the City had a fundamental right to an acceptable level of service. She emphasised however that this matter did not fall within the remit of the City Council, that those members of the City Council who served on the Fire and Civil Defence Authority, could not, at this point in time comment upon the matter because of the consultation being undertaken but that the views being expressed with regard to the future of Ringinglow Fire Station would be passed to the South Yorskhire Fire and Rescue Authority as part of the consultation process.

		Public Questions re: Public Transport
		Ian Wallace, Zeno Lin and Mary Foster, asked questions with regard to public transport policy and in particular why cheap fare legislation could not be re-introduced, how the public transport provision previously enjoyed in the City could not be reintroduced and the terms relating to travel for senior citizens which appeared to be causing confusion, and in response, Councillor Terry Fox, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport indicated that consultations were being held with Members of Parliament and the Government with a view to pursuing proposals with regard to improving public transport in South Yorkshire and the City in particular, and that there was an acceptance by both the City Council and the Passenger Transport Authority of the need to introduced a strategy which would halt the decline in usage of public transport and finally that he would be seeking clear definitions with regard to terms and conditions for travel concessions for senior citizens with the prospect of such terms and conditions being improved following discussions with the Passenger Transport Authority.

		Public Question re:G8 Policing
		Jenny Patient asked a question with regard to the estimated costs of £1.6m incurred in policing the G8 Summit held in the City in the summer and her understanding that although it had been indicated that the Home Office would meet the costs of the policing these costs would now be falling upon the South Yorkshire Police Authority and in response Councillor Jan Wilson, the Leader of the City Council indicated that although it was also her understanding that the cost of policing the G8 Summit would be met by the Home Office this was a matter for the South Yorkshire Police Authority and she would be asking Councillor Jan Fiore, the City Council’s spokesperson on that Authority to pursue this matter.

	4.	ORDER OF BUSINESS
		RESOLVED: On the motion of Councillor Pat Midgley, seconded by Councillor Clive Skelton, that the Council do now proceed to the considerations of Items 6 and 7 relating to Notices of Motion in connection with Public Transport and Ringinglow Fire Station respectively.

	5.	NOTICE OF MOTION RE: PUBLIC TRANSPORT
		It was moved by Councillor Terry Fox, seconded by Councillor Bryan Lodge

		That this Council:

		(a) expresses its disappointment with First Group at their recent fare increases, which are resulting in local people being priced out of affordable public transport;

		(b) believes that First Group’s record of 3 fare increases in 12 months is excessive and entirely unacceptable;

		(c) endorses the Passenger Transport Authority’s recent vote of no confidence in First Group;

		(d) endorses the Council’s position on regulated bus services, as laid out in the Council resolution of 30th July, 2003, given by Councillor Sylvia Dunkley and seconded by Councillor Jan Wilson, which reads:

		‘This Council:

		calls on the Government to bring back a system of regulated bus services similar to the one operating in London, which will allow Passenger Transport Authorities / Executives to:

		(a) specify the routes, timetables and fares of bus services, emphasizing the social, environmental and economic importance of bus services rather than the profit motive;

		(b) remove the wasteful ‘on the road’ competition which eats up resources better deployed on improving services;

		(c) operate a bus service ‘of last resort’ where commercial bus operators cannot or will not operate a service;

		(d) make sure public finance and subsidies are used in the most cost effective manner; and

		(e) lease buses to smaller bus companies;

		and directs that copies of this resolution be sent to the Sheffield Members of Parliament, the Secretary of State for Transport and his opposite numbers in the two Westminster opposition parties, and the Chair of the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority’; and

		(e) will continue to work with local interest groups to lobby the Government to allow Sheffield to have a regulated bus service similar to the one operating in London.

		Whereupon it was moved by Councillor Sylvia Dunkley, seconded by Councillor Paul Scriven as an amendment

		That the Motion now submitted, be amended by:

		1. the addition of the following words as a new paragraph (d):-

		(d) recognises that FirstBus are allowed to operate within an unregulated market despite providing a vital basic service to the general public, and therefore condemns the present Government for a complete lack of action on the issue since coming to power in 1997;

		2. the deletion of the existing paragraph (e);

		3. the relettering of existing paragraph (d) as paragraph (e); and

		4. the addition of the following words as new paragraphs (f) (g) and (h):-

		(f) supports and will work with all those campaigning for better bus services and directs that the Council spearheads a campaign on a cross-Party basis which focuses on the need to move to re-regulation of bus services in Sheffield in line with the London model;

		(g) directs that henceforward all lobbying of Government on this issue is on a cross-party basis; and

		(h) directs that copies of this resolution be sent to the Sheffield Members of Parliament, the Secretary of State for Transport and his opposite numbers in the two Westminster Opposition Parties, and the Chair of the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority.

		On being put to the vote the amendment was negatived.