ITEM 5.2 Corporate Plan

RESOLUTION TO COUNCIL

AMENDMENT 1 (Green)

That so much of the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 22nd October, 2008, as relates to the Corporate Plan 2008-2011 be amended by the deletion of all the words after “RESOLVED:” and the insertion of the following words therefor:-

That this Council:-

(a) will not approve the Corporate Plan 2008-2011 until it:

(i) commits to support for local sustainable manufacturing, development of green technologies, production of local food and timber, and environmentally positive local businesses through Creative Sheffield and other relevant mechanisms;

(ii) resolves to review the Sevenstone regeneration project with regard to a smaller scale and more sustainable development project reusing current buildings and encouraging independant local retailers;

(iii) commits to providing sufficient resources to enable local community, voluntary, and faith groups to "play an active part in strengthening community voice and influence, and providing services that are tailored to local needs" given the limited resources of these organisations;

(iv) commits to support the retention of Post Office services within or near the 15 Post Office branches earmarked for closure across the city;

(v) acknowledges the damaging effect that large supermarket chains can have on district and local centres and supports measures that will promote local independent retailers;

(vi) includes targets on insulation and other energy efficiency measures for existing as well as new homes, in both the social and private sectors, to evaluate the success of the Decent Homes and Warm Front initiatives and map out continuing needs;

(vii) includes an action plan to deliver more social rented housing given the delivery target for providing affordable homes falls far short of need;

(viii) commits to setting carbon reduction targets in line with keeping the global temperature rise below 2 deg Centigrade;

(ix) recognises that the only sustainable way to tackle congestion is to set out a plan for the reduction of unnecessary travel and invest in public transport along with cycle and walking routes;

(x) acknowledges the risk presented by a 25 year PFI Highways contract at a time when private companies have difficulty raising capital and commits the tendering and contract to strong scrutiny by Councillors throughout the process;

(xi) rejects the focus on testing of children as a way of measuring attainment and concentrates instead on creative and innovative solutions for the holistic development of children towards becoming valued members of their communities;

(xii) prioritises resources towards supporting individual teachers in developing a more engaging curriculum and using the best practise that is already widely available rather than investing in task forces that will not resolve the primary barriers to good teaching;

(xiii) clarifies how community assemblies can reflect the broad and diverse nature of the people they will represent through a single community plan and set of "citizen's targets", given the large geographical area covered by each;

(xiv) acknowledges the risks of contracting out of Council Services and commits that any proposals to contract out services will be done in full and proper consultation with Council staff;

(xv) commits to setting out a plan to reduce dependance on oil for the Council and for Sheffield; and

 (b) therefore requests the Chief Executive to revise the Plan accordingly and to bring it back to full Council in two months".

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ITEM 5.3 Public Transport and Car Parking Charges

RESOLUTION TO COUNCIL

AMENDMENT 1 (Lib Dem)

That so much of the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 22nd October, 2008, as relates to Public Transport and Car Parking Charges be amended by the deletion of all the words after “RESOLVED:” and the insertion of the following words therefor:-

That this Council: -

(a) notes the Notice of Motion moved by Councillor Tim Rippon, seconded by Councillor Mazher Iqbal, at the Council Meeting on 30th July 2008:-

“That this Council: -

(a) is concerned that the current challenging economic climate may be having a negative effect on local businesses in Sheffield city centre;

(b) believes that the City Council should support local businesses in any way possible;

(c) with that aim in mind, suggests that the Council:

(i) investigates the possibility of providing free public transport to all on Saturdays and Sundays; and

(ii) suspends any increase in car parking charges for a period of at least 12 months;

(d) notes that this policy would:

(i) meet the City’s aims to support people to be more environmentally friendly, by encouraging people to use public transport;

(ii) minimise the financial costs for hard-pressed motorists who do choose to bring their cars into the City centre; and

(iii) offer support to businesses in the City during the current challenging economic climate, by encouraging more people to come into the city on weekends;

(e) believes that this policy could be funded for the current year from the Council’s underspend as outlined in the 2007/08 Financial Out-turn Report; and

(f) directs the Chief Executive to investigate the feasibility of this policy and the cost of such a policy and report back to the Council within 2 months with a plan for taking this idea forward.”

(b) is concerned that this Labour Group policy would commit over £20,000,000 of investment each year with no mention of where the money would come from and can only conclude that they would have to increase Council Tax bills to raise the required investment;

(c) believes that, whilst we would all like to see free public transport  and free parking on the weekend, it is ludicrous to expect local council taxpayers to pick up the bill at an estimated cost of at least £90 per household at a time when local people are feeling the effects of the credit crunch;

(d) is concerned that the Labour Group are seriously out of touch with the people of Sheffield if they believe that they can afford the huge increase in Council Tax they want to see and reaffirms thie present administrations commitment to keeping Council Tax as low as possible in these challenging financial times; and

(e) rejects this Labour Group policy, which would cost local taxpayers over £20,000,000 unless Government provided us with the funding, but looks forward to see its inclusion in the Labour Group alternative budget.

AMENDMENT 2 (Labour)

That so much of the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 22nd October, 2008, as relates to Public Transport and Car Parking Charges be amended by the deletion of all the words after “RESOLVED:” and the insertion of the following words therefor:-

“That this Council: -

(a) thanks staff for the work undertaken to provide the information in this report;

(b) concludes that it is clearly not possible to meet the aspiration of free weekend public transport and freezing car parking charges;

(c) however, notes that this Council has considerable concerns about the city centre economy, which may be being masked by the annual Christmas upturn;

(d) accepts the widely held view that the retail economy is likely to be extremely challenged in the new year;

(e) very much welcomes the provision of additional local bus and tram services over the Christmas and New Year period;

(f) wishes to explore any measures which the Council could put in place to assist over this difficult period; and

(g) requests that the Leader of the Council convenes a small group to develop funded proposals aimed specifically to support the retail economy in December and January, and that any measures be implemented under delegated powers in view of the urgency of the situation.

AMENDMENT 3 (Green)

That so much of the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 22nd October, 2008, as relates to Public Transport and Car Parking Charges be amended by:-

(i) the rewording of the resolution as follows:-

“RESOLVED: That (a) the recommendations contained in the report now submitted in relation to free public transport at weekends and car parking charges be noted” and

(ii) the insertion of the following words as a new paragraph (b):-

ITEM 7. Post Office Closures

Motion (Lib Dem)

AMENDMENT 1 (LAB/GREEN)

That the Motion now submitted, be amended by the deletion of all the words after ‘That this Council:-’ and the substitution of the following words therefor:-

a) notes that Post Office Limited (POL) have now announced that 15 of the 16 local Post Offices earmarked for closure as part of the network closure programme are to be shut;

b) further notes that Pat McFadden MP, Minister for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs, has announced that local authorities must come to their own arrangements with POL in reopening post offices, and that Sheffield City Council have been given the go ahead to enter negotiations with POL;

c) believes that urban and rural Post Offices are at the heart of long term sustainable local communities as they play a vital role in contributing to social cohesion, financial inclusion, promoting sustainable local economic activity and helping to cut greenhouse gas emissions through reduced travel;

d) sends its congratulations to Essex County Council, which:-

i) has reopened for business Station Way Post Office in Buckhurst Hill; and

ii) has plans to reopen closed Post Office branches throughout the County using the authority’s pioneering 'Essex Model', using investment from the authority’s funds of up to £1.5 million over the next three years, alongside a business plan to reduce grant reliance over time;

e) believes that the Essex Model demonstrates local innovation at its best;

f) resolves that Sheffield City Council should:
 
i) put plans in place to support a network of local post office outlets, based on the Essex Model, to include keeping open a number of local Sheffield post offices which are currently earmarked for closure;
 
ii) allocate up to £2.4m over the next three years to support this ambitious plan, alongside a business plan to reduce grant reliance over time in order to develop a sustainable position;
 
iii) note that this could be funded from the £4.4m surplus in the General Fund, as reported in ‘The City Council’s Financial Outturn Position For 2007/08’ report, which was approved by Cabinet on 11th June 2008, or in the event that this is not possible, notes that this should be funded from general reserves;

iv) establish an all-party working group with the remit to progress with council officers the Essex Model;
 
v) work closely with other Local Authorities to share implementation ideas; and
 
vi) as a result of this work, bring forward further detailed proposals to achieve these objectives;
 
g) considers that earmarking £2.4m - which is the same amount as the Council recently received from the Primary Care Trust’s continuing care repayment - to save post offices, is fitting considering that vulnerable and older people are disproportionately affected by local post office closures;

h) notes that at the time of writing the amount of money involved in keeping open local post offices is not known, however considers that it is likely that the £2.4m allocated by this Council would be sufficient to facilitate a comprehensive rescue package;
 
i) however resolves that, if detailed work indicates that £2.4m is likely to be insufficient to fund the rescue package, officers be instructed to bring to this Council a proposal to finance any deficit;
 
j) understands that POL is willing to discuss keeping 9 post offices open, including Crookes Valley Road, Hatfield House Lane, Oakbrook Road, Park Grange, Parkhead, Shalesmoor, Southey, The Moor and High Wincobank, which is very much welcomed;

k) notes that, while this Council is very pleased for the local communities which are served by these 9 post offices, this Council still has considerable concerns for the vulnerable communities who are currently served by the 6 remaining post offices, which are still earmarked for closure;

l) therefore urges the Council to continue to negotiate hard with POL for those communities who under current arrangements will be deprived of their local post office service; and

m) calls on all Councillors to support this ambitious plan to maintain local services for Sheffield’s citizens.

AMENDMENT 2 (GREEN)

That the Motion now submitted be amended by the insertion of the following words as additional paragraphs (h) to (t):-

(h) recognises amid the global financial crisis:-

i) the vital role local Post Office's play in providing a trusted bank service;

ii) the need to act quickly to restore the long term viability of a Post Office network in order to bring about local economic stability and protect the most vulnerable.

iii) that the Post Office Card Account should remain with the Post Office.

i) notes that Post Office Limited stated at the 23rdOctober National Post Office Essex Conference that they measure the success of their selection of Post Offices that will be closed as correct on evidence that 80% of their business is transferred to nearby Post Offices.

j) is subsequently concerned that:-

i) no evidence has been collected by Post Office Ltd on the profile of the 20% of people who are excluded or the effect these closures have on the viability of surrounding local businesses;

ii) the 20% of people who no longer use the Post Office are likely to be the most vulnerable;

iii) the social costs will be incurred by members of the local community and the Local Authority,

iv) Post Office Ltd are using a very narrow commercial criteria to measure business success which excludes its wider social, economic and environmental role;

k) notes the Essex “Counter-measures Report” that calculates for every £1 spent on supporting post offices the local community benefits by £1.95 in terms of direct and indirect economic benefit, environmental benefit, and benefits to older people;

l) therefore believes that any postal network should operate a criteria that goes beyond a narrow business case model;

m) recognises it will need to find the financial resources to oversee a Sheffield wide local Post Office network;

n) resolves that officers will work to earmark the financial resources that will be needed to implement the Essex Model in the city and report its funding plans back to Full Council as soon as possible;

o) resolves to put in place plans to support, with council officers, a city wide network of local post office outlets, based on the Essex Model;

p) resolves that the City Council should campaign with others (including the Core Cities) to ensure that the subsidy currently given to Post Office Ltd should be redirected to Unitary Authorities to support the post office networks;

q) as a result of this work, bring forward further detailed proposals to achieve these objectives;

r) will set up a City-Wide Post Office Trust with members of the wider community to ensure that the Post Office Network meets its social, environmental and economic aims;

s) will directly approach the Government and ask it to over-rule Post Office Ltd's decision to exclude the 6 Sheffield post offices named for closure from any further negotiations, on the grounds that:-

i) at this stage Sheffield City Council's detailed wishes for, and ability to resource, a sustained post office network in Sheffield have not been fully assessed, and

ii) because several branches cited within the 6 named have proved to have very strong community support during the recent campaign;

t) to require that Post Office Limited issue a detailed response to the many questions put at public meetings and in subsequent submissions to POL.”

ITEM 9: Free Swimming

Motion (Lib Dem)

AMENDMENT 1 (Lib Dem)

That the Motion now submitted be amended by the insertion of the following words as new paragraphs (i) to (n) :-

(i) notes that some 40% of people over 65 cannot swim and that around 40% of Sheffield’s children cannot swim 25 metres by the age of 11 as required by the National Curriculum;

(j) further notes that weak and non swimmers are disproportionately from low income backgrounds;

(k) believes being able to swim is an essential life skill and that all children should have the chance to learn; 

(l) regrets therefore that the Government’s scheme does not include the offer of swimming lessons;

(m) is happy therefore to announce that the Council will bring forward a scheme that:

(i) would see a crash course of 8 swimming lessons being provided at a fee of £10 for any adult, a significant saving on the current offer in many Sheffield swimming pools of around £37; and

(ii) would see additional swimming lessons offered for primary age children targeted at non and weak swimmers; and

AMENDMENT 2 (Labour)

That the Motion now submitted, be amended by the deletion of all the words after ‘That this Council:-’ and the substitution of the following words therefor:-

a) notes that the major opposition party wishes to put on record its unreserved condemnation of the present administration’s decision to turn down grants from the Government to provide free swimming for Sheffield’s older citizens and children and young people;

b) further notes that:
 
(i) the Government offered Sheffield an annual grant of £152,000 for two years (a total of £304,000), to provide free swimming for over 60s; and
 
(ii) it is estimated that, had Sheffield made an expression of interest to provide free swimming for under 16s, the Council would have been offered an annual grant of around £221,000 for two years (a total of £442,000) for this purpose;
 
(iii) had Sheffield chosen to take up these grants and participate in the free swimming initiative Sheffield could have also expected to receive a capital grant to be spent on pool modernisation of around £100,000;
 
c) is therefore astonished that over three quarters of a million pounds of investment in activities for the people of Sheffield has been turned down by the present administration;
 
d) deplores the way in which this decision was taken behind closed doors   and in complete contradiction of the present administration's avowed  position of 'openness and transparency';
 
e) notes that 300 out of 354 local authorities in England (including Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley) have confirmed that they will be offering free swimming to over 60s from April 2009;
 
f) further notes that 296 out of 354 local authorities in England (including Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley) have expressed their interest in providing free swimming for under 16s, also to be invested from April 2009;
 
g) believes that Sheffield’s pensioners and young people should be treated fairly, and, like other people across South Yorkshire - and indeed across the country - should be able to access free swimming from April 2009; and
 
h) therefore calls upon the present administration to reverse their decision immediately and ensure free swimming is provided in Sheffield for over 60s and under 16s from April 2009.

AMENDMENT 3 (Green)

That the Motion now submitted, be amended by the deletion of all the words after ‘That this Council:-’ and the substitution of the following words therefor:-

(a) believes that the provision of swimming is an important local service which should be accessible to all including the young, the elderly and those on low incomes;

(b) notes that Sheffield City Council was the first Local Authority to opt into the Sustainable Communities Act; and

(c) will explore using the powers within this Act to work with a panel of local people of all ages and backgrounds to develop a proposal setting out what terms they would like attached to any Government grant intended to increase access to swimming in Sheffield.

ITEM 11: Help for small businesses

Motion (Lib Dem)

AMENDMENT 1 (Lib Dem)

That the Motion now submitted be amended by the insertion of the following words as an additional paragraph (d):-

“also requests officers to investigate the feasibility and cost to the Council of small businesses being encouraged to consider applying for hardship relief and using the Councils existing communications with small businesses to encourage them to consider applying for Small Business Rate Relief and rateable value review.”

ITEM12: Barrier at Sheffield Station

Motion (Labour)

AMENDMENT 1 (Green)

That the Motion now submitted be amended by the insertion of the following words as new paragraphs (d) and (e) and the renumbering of existing paragraphs (d) to (h) as paragraphs (f) to (j):-

 “(d) believes that this dispute is another sympton of the loss of public control caused by the privatisation of the railways; and

ITEM 13. Small Business Rate Relief and Planning

Motion (Green)

AMENDMENT 1 (Lib Dem)

That the Motion now submitted, be amended by the deletion of all the words after ‘That this Council:-’ and the substitution of the following words therefor:-

“(a) believes that we should be doing all we can to help small businesses who are particularly vulnerable during the current financial climate;

(b) notes that the Council currently aims to settle all invoices within 30 days, believes that this process should be speeded up for small businesses in order to improve their cash flow and help them survive during the credit crunch;

(c) therefore directs that Council Officers urgently bring forward proposals to reduce the current invoice payment time for small business and looks forward to Cabinet receiving a report which outlines how this can be achieved as soon as possible; and

(d) also requests officers to investigate the feasibility and cost to the Council of small businesses being encouraged to consider applying for hardship relief and using the Councils existing communications with small businesses to encourage them to consider applying for Small Business Rate Relief and rateable value review.”

ITEM 14 Civil Liberties

ITEM 15 Moor market traders

Motion (Labour)

AMENDMENT 1 (Lib Dem)

That the Motion now submitted, be amended by the deletion of all the words after ‘That this Council:-’ and the substitution of the following words therefor:-

(a) notes the breathtaking hypocrisy displayed by the mover of the original motion as he was the Cabinet member who failed in his duty to retain an outside market on the Moor;

(b) notes that the offer of trial on Fargate was offered at a time when the previous administration wanted to move the traders to Cathedral against their wishes, as they had not secured an outdoor moor market;

(c) notes that, in stark contrast to the previous administration, the present administration have worked with the developer and have managed to secure an outside Moor market, which is in line with what the traders and people of Sheffield asked for in the first place;

(d) further notes that the traders have been offered a location at the top of the Moor for the duration of the Moor reconstruction thus giving them permanence on the Moor unlike the previous administration which only offered them a place on the Moor until one year before the reconstruction began;

(e) believes that this solution is in the best interests of both the traders and the people of Sheffield;

(f) looks forward to working positively with the Moor Market traders during and after the Moor reconstruction; and

(g) notes that the Liberal Democrat Administration has delivered on another promise, to keep an outdoor Moor market, and is dismayed at the total lack of progress under the previous administration on this issue.

ITEM 16 Sheffield Fayre

Motion (Labour)

AMENDMENT 1 (Lib Dem)

moved by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, seconded by Councillor Roger Davison

That the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of all the words in paragraphs (c) and (d) and the substitution of the following new paragraph (c):-

“resolves that any decisions regarding future funding for this event will be decided within the normal budget process as was the case under the last administration.”

ITEM 17. Wind Power and Sheephouse Heights

Motion  (Green)

AMENDMENT 1 (Labour)

That the Motion now submitted be amended by the substitution of the following paragraphs (c) to (h) for the existing ones:-

(c) believes that the issue of windfarms perfectly exemplifies the Liberal Democrats’ ‘say one thing, do another’ attitude to policy development;

(d) deplores the fact that the political decision to abandon the feasibility study into wind power at Westwood Country Park was taken by the present administration behind closed doors;

(e) believes that developing an appropriate strategy to promote and support the development of renewable energy generation across the city is vital, which is why the present major opposition group while in control of this Council:-

(i) commissioned a ‘Scoping and Feasibility Study on Renewable Energy in Sheffield’ during 2006; and

(ii) approved a ‘Renewable Energy Delivery Strategy’ for Sheffield in 2007;

(f) is concerned that, despite the Liberal Democrats warm words about renewable energy, their lack of political will to identify suitable sites within the city that have potential for the installation of renewable energy technologies will result in the Council taking no action to increase renewable energy generation;

(g) believes that a ‘do-nothing’ approach to renewable energy is not an option because:-

(i) it is highly unlikely that the city will meet its renewable energy targets without encouraging the development of renewable energy projects;

(ii) the Government rightly expects a proactive approach from local authorities in the delivery of renewable energy projects;

(iii) immediate action is needed to reduce carbon emissions on a large-scale, before the progression and effects of climate change are unmanageable;

(iv) denies the opportunity for the development of enviro businesses; and

(v) doing nothing would also mean the city missed an opportunity to increase security of energy supply for its businesses and householders; and

(h) therefore calls upon the present administration to replace rhetoric with action and bring forward proposals for the delivery of renewable energy at appropriate sites in the city as a matter of urgency.

AMENDMENT 2 (Lib Dem)

That the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of all the words after ‘That this Council:-’ and the substitution of the following words therefor:-

“supports the expansion of renewable energy projects, including wind farms in appropriate locations, and is confident that Sheffield will be able to meet the renewable energy generation target of 160mw by 2021.”