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Meeting of the Sheffield City Council to be held Wednesday 7th June 2006

CITY OF SHEFFIELD

METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

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, 7th June, 2006, 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 MEETINGS

To receive the record of the proceedings of the meeting of the Council held on:

(a) 3rd May, 2006; and

(b) the Annual Meeting held on 17th May, 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) Questions submitted at this meeting – Standing Order A18(2)

(d) 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).

(e) 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. ITEM REFERRED TO COUNCIL

ESTABLISHMENT OF AN AUDIT COMMITTEE

To consider a decision which was referred by the Cabinet at its meeting held on 24th May, 2006

6. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR CHRIS WELDON

That this Council:

(a) believes that the most important role for elected Members is to listen to and respond to the concerns and views of Sheffield people, who we are elected to represent;

(b) is concerned about the number of people who have in recent months raised concerns with elected Members about anti-social behaviour, which we know is blighting people’s lives in some parts of the City;

(c) believes that it is of utmost importance to respond to people’s genuine concerns about anti-social behaviour and is therefore pleased that a new Cabinet post has been created to tackle anti-social behaviour;

(d) believes that Sheffield’s neighbourhoods are really improving and are now seeing the benefit of the millions of pounds of investment that have gone into local areas through schemes such as Housing Market Renewal and the Decent Homes Programme;

(e) believes that it is important that we protect this investment and make sure that our local communities are not ruined by the actions of a minority of people whose behaviour is not acceptable;

(f) welcomes the roll out of Safer Neighbourhood Teams throughout the City;

(g) recognises the importance of working in partnership with Sheffield Homes, the Police and other agencies to create safer neighbourhoods;

(h) believes that people in local neighbourhoods have invaluable knowledge about their communities and believes that it is imperative to work with local people, to deal with the problem of anti-social behaviour;

(i) is very much committed to tackling anti-social behaviour in Sheffield’s neighbourhoods and asks local people to work with us to achieve this; and

(j) asks all Members of this Council to wholeheartedly support this Motion.

7. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR BOB McCANN

That this Council:

(a) believes that crime and the fear of crime are among the most important issues facing communities today;

(b) believes that local people in Sheffield consider that crime and the fear of crime has been a growing problem for the last decade despite extensive Government legislation;

(c) believes that crimes that affect the quality of life of local people, such as vandalism and anti-social behaviour, are best dealt with through a system of restorative justice which:-

(i) brings victims, offenders, and communities together giving local people more say on the reparations to be made by offenders;

(ii) puts victims’ needs at the centre of the criminal justice system and;

(iii) finds positive solutions to crime by encouraging offenders to take responsibility for their actions;

(d) notes that a restorative justice pilot scheme is running very successfully in the form of the North Liverpool Community Justice Centre and is bringing justice to the heart of the community, combining a courtroom with a range of community resources available to local people, victims and witnesses, as well as offenders;

(e) calls upon the Chief Executive to make representations to the Home Secretary requesting that Sheffield be included in any further round of Community Justice Centre pilots; and

(f) undertakes to write to every Sheffield Member of Parliament to inform them of this Motion and to urge them to lobby the Home Secretary on this issue on Sheffield’s behalf.

8. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR JAN WILSON

That this Council:

(a) believes that it is of utmost importance to encourage people to exercise their democratic right to vote;

(b) is deeply concerned about the number of people in Sheffield who are not registered to vote;

(c) believes that it is essential to ensure that people have the maximum opportunity to register to vote so that they do not lose their chance to participate in the electoral process; and

(d) therefore calls on the Chief Executive to explore ways of increasing voter registration.

9. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR SIMON CLEMENT-JONES

That this Council:

(a) believes that we need to further reduce the amount of ‘black bin’ waste produced in Sheffield so that less waste is collected and there is a reduction in the need to landfill and/or incinerate;

(b) notes that the people of Sheffield want to be able to recycle more and help preserve the environment for future generations;

(c) recognises that whilst there are facilities available to recycle many types of different waste there is a lack of provision to deal with kitchen waste such as household food waste including vegetable scraps, raw and cooked meat or fish, bones, dairy products and other organic kitchen waste;

(d) notes that studies show that recycling which is easy and near to home has the best success rates;

(e) notes that over twenty councils across the UK are subsidising a new compost producing product called the ‘Green Cone’, furthermore notes that the ‘Green Cone’:-

(i) is a solar-heated garden unit that takes all cooked and uncooked food waste, including meat, fish, bones, dairy products, vegetables and fruit;

(ii) can comfortably dispose of all kitchen waste from a household of four and only needs to be emptied every one to two years;

(iii) is designed to be complementary to a compost bin, i.e. garden waste goes into the compost bin and kitchen waste goes into the ‘Green Cone’; and

(iv) is relatively easy to set up and maintain;

(f) believes that this product could help many households in Sheffield reduce the waste they produce by up to 20% and in turn reduce the carbon footprint of the Council’s waste collection process;

(g) notes that currently the ‘Green Cone’ costs £80 which would be too expensive for many people to consider, but believes this Council should consider subsidising the product for Sheffield residents bearing in mind the potential benefits; and

(h) therefore directs that the Chief Executive commissions a report that comes back to full Council which sets out how the Council will undertake an initial trial of the ‘Green Cone’ product with a view to the possibility of offering a subsidy in future similar to how a subsidy is currently offered for a conventional compost bin, depending on the success of the trial.

10. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR JAN WILSON

That this Council:

(a) notes the link between the global illegal gun trade and gun crime in the UK as well as elsewhere;

(b) notes with concern that every year throughout the world roughly half a million men, women and children are killed by armed violence;

(d) believes that an international Arms Trade Treaty would help stop weapons falling into the hands of indiscriminate killers and human rights abusers;

(e) pledges its support for the Control Arms Campaign which is being led by Amnesty International, the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) and Oxfam;

(f) calls on the British Government to work with the international community to adopt an international Arms Trade Treaty which would create legally binding arms controls and ensure that all governments control arms to the same basic international standards; and

(g) directs that copies of this Motion be sent to the Foreign Secretary and the Sheffield Members of Parliament.

11. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR SYLVIA DUNKLEY

That this Council:

(a) condemns the recent increases to ‘Travelmaster’ tickets in South Yorkshire which will see ticket prices rising by up to 14%;

(b) believes this move is a further blow to public transport users in Sheffield and will make using public transport less attractive to potential new users;

(c) believes that Sheffield’s poor public transport is due to past and present Government’s collective failings and the present Government's lack of an effective bus strategy outside London;

(d) directs the Cabinet Member for Transport to write to every Member of the Council and local pressure groups within the next week, to inform them how Government Ministers have responded to his lobbying;

(e) notes that the present administration have failed to ‘get tough’ with bus operators as promised;

(f) supports public transport improvements but recognises that they will have little impact in attracting extra passengers or reducing congestion on our roads, if:-

(i) fares continue to increase at way above the rate of inflation;

(ii) services continue to be cut without consideration for customers;

(iii) the quality of public transport vehicles remains poor; and

(iv) services continue to be unreliable; and

(g) reaffirms its support for the re-regulation of bus services and accordingly directs that the Council takes steps to ensure bus operators sign up to an agreed level of service provision, ticket price, vehicle quality and reliability as part of an agreement when bus priority measures are considered.

12. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR ANNE SMITH

That this Council:

(a) in view of the massive problems faced by the planet and the increased importance of recycling and having regard to the Government’s recent announcement setting higher re-cycling targets for Sheffield:

(i) notes the incredible amount of waste paper collected on a daily basis from Council meeting rooms and offices, which is visible for all to see in the massive bins in the basement;

(ii) notes that most of this paper is eventually sent for re-cycling but is concerned that it is being produced in such large quantities in the first place;

(iii) cannot expect the people and businesses of this City to take re-cycling seriously when the Council itself is setting such a poor example;

(iv) specifically takes immediate steps to cease the excessive production of reports, surveys, pamphlets and all manner of printed communications unless absolutely unavoidable;

(v) recognises that many of these reports and publications should and could be distributed by email alone, and that this is the only viable and realistic way forward; and

(vi) calls upon all partnerships and quangos on which the Council is represented to do the same, especially to cease the excessive production of glossy, plastic covered, bound literature; and

(b) therefore resolves that, in view of the ever increasing evidence of global warming and environmental change, sets a public example by announcing an early target date for implementation of these small, but essential changes.

13. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR JILLIAN CREASY

That this Council:

(a) notes that Prime Minister Tony Blair has pre-empted the findings of the Energy Review by declaring that nuclear power is back on the agenda “with a vengeance”;

(b) recognises that nuclear energy programmes:

(i) divert resources from decentralised and renewable energy generation and efficiency schemes that could create jobs and improve living standards across the City;

(ii) are far too costly and slow to meet the urgent need to prevent climate change; and

(iii) produce radioactive wastes that remain a danger for thousands of years and increase the capacity for nuclear weapons proliferation;

(c) further recognises that nuclear weapons are a crime against humanity, in certain circumstances are illegal in international law, are a threat to security, and a scandalous diversion of taxpayers’ money that could be invested in the City’s services to build a decent and safe society;

(d) therefore resolves to:

(i) rejoin the Nuclear Free Local Authorities in order to contribute to local government’s campaign for a safe, sustainable and nuclear free future;

(ii) call on our local Members of Parliament to sign Early Day Motion E2204 which

explains why nuclear build will not solve our energy problems; and

(iii) call on our local Members of Parliament to oppose upgrading Trident; and

(e) requests the Chief Executive to send copies of this Motion to the Prime Minister and the local Members of Parliament.

14. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR IBRAR HUSSAIN

That this Council:

(a) notes that for many Muslims living in Britain eating a Halal diet is of utmost importance, as a key element of the Islamic faith;

(b) recognises the difficulty that Muslim consumers face in identifying Halal products;

(c) notes that the Vegetarian Symbol makes it much easier for vegetarian consumers to identify products which are permitted within their diet;

(d) therefore calls on the Food Standards Agency to promote a Halal Symbol to enable Muslim consumers to easily identify Halal products; and

(e) directs that copies of this Motion be sent to the Chair of the Food Standards Agency and the Sheffield Members of Parliament.

15. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR MARTIN LAWTON

That this Council:

(a) expresses concern about the recent decision taken by the Department for Work and Pensions not to renew the Post Office’s contract to manage the Post Office card account (POCA), when it expires in 2010;

(b) notes that the POCA was set up so that benefits, pensions and tax credits could be paid directly into the Post Office, making it much easier for people without a bank account to receive their cash securely, without the fear of becoming overdrawn or paying extra charges;

(c) notes that at present 4 million pensioners and benefits claimants use the POCA and expresses concern that the withdrawal of this account may make it more difficult for these people to access their pensions and benefits;

(d) calls on the Department for Work and Pensions to make clear its plans following the withdrawal of the POCA in 2010;

(e) calls on the Department for Work and Pensions to confirm that, following the withdrawal of the POCA, people receiving benefits, pensions or tax credits will retain the option of accessing their money via a simple account, usable at the post office, which will not make extra charges or allow them to become overdrawn;

(f) calls on the Department for Work and Pensions to confirm that, following the withdrawal of the POCA, people receiving benefits, pensions or tax credits will continue to have the option of withdrawing cash over the counter at post offices;

(g) further calls on the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that help and advice is available for those people currently using the POCA when this account is withdrawn; and

(h) directs that copies of this Motion be sent to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Sheffield Members of Parliament.

16. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR JEAN CROMAR

That this Council:

(a) congratulates Sheffield United Football Club on its promotion to the Premier League;

(b) also recognizes Sheffield United Football Club’s involvement with the local community, particularly by:

(i) partnership working with Sharrow Community Forum and the work done in attracting funding from Europe for the Enterprise Centre, resulting in the Community Room being provided in John Street;

(ii) supporting Football Unites Racism Divides for the last 7 years by providing unique facilities for their Community Day and supporting other anti racist activities;

(iii) sponsoring the Annual Sharrow Festival;

(iv) working with St Mary’s Church and Community Centre and providing facilities for worship when redevelopment work was taking place; and

(v) visiting users of St Wilfrid’s Day Centre on a regular basis; and

17. NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR MIKE WATERS

That this Council:

(a) notes that under existing legislation, in normal circumstances, in order to remain a Councillor and thus qualify for the payment of the annual basic allowance, Councillors need attend only one approved duty meeting every six months and further notes that:

(i) this rule is archaic, unrealistic and does not reflect Councillors’ commitment to their civic duties;

(ii) the annual allowance paid to all Councillors has been increased significantly in recent years; and

(iii) such a rule would not be acceptable to the people of Sheffield and should therefore be amended; and

(b) therefore resolves that this Council approaches the Local Government Association with a view to their instigating a review of existing attendance requirements in order to remain a Councillor and receive the annual allowance.

18. OBSERVATIONS

To receive observations on the minutes of the meetings of the various Council bodies for the period 15th April to 19th May, 2006.

Dated this 30th day of May, 2006

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