Minutes of a Meeting of the Council of the City of held in the Council Chamber within the Town Hall, Sheffield, on Wednesday, 2nd May, 2007, pursuant to notice duly given and Summonses duly served.

PRESENT

THE LORD MAYOR (Councillor Jackie Drayton) THE DEPUTY LORD MAYOR (Councillor Arthur Dunworth)

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

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

3 Ward 12 Ward 21 Richmond Ward Helen Mirfin-Boukouris Roger Davison Liz Naylor Ian Saunders Sylvia Dunkley Martin Lawton Chris Rosling-Josephs Michael Reynolds John Campbell

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

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

6 Ward 15 Valley Ward 24 Ward Steve Jones Garry Weatherall David Baker Ibrar Hussain Terry Fox Vickie Priestley Rosemary Telfer

7 Central Ward 16 Ward 25 & Upper Don Ward Bernard Little Bob McCann Martin Davis Jean Cromar Peter Moore Martin Brelsford Jillian Creasy Ian Auckland

8 Ward 17 Ward 26 Ward Sylvia Anginotti Janet Bragg Diane Leek Brian Holmes Robert MacDonald Veronica Hardstaff John Hesketh Alf Meade

9 Ward 18 Manor Castle Ward 27 West Ecclesfield Ward Mazher Iqbal Jan Wilson Trevor Bagshaw Mary Lea Pat Midgley Kathleen Chadwick Harry Harpham Jan Fiore Alan Hooper

28 Woodhouse Ward Ray Satur Marjorie Barker Mick Rooney COUNCIL

1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Tony Damms and Alan Whitehouse.

2. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS 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 4th April, 2007, be approved as a correct record.

3. PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS 3.1 Petitions (a) Petition concerning Speed Restrictions on Churchdale Road The Council received a petition containing 54 signatures drawing attention to the number of children who played in Churchdale Road and the possibility of an accident occurring due to speeding traffic and requesting the implementation of a slow speed limit. The Council referred the petition to the City Centre, South and East Planning and Highways Area Board.

(b) Petition concerning Proposed Catchment Area Changes to Bradfield Secondary School The Council received a petition containing 687 signatures from parents and residents of , supporting Option 1 of the consultation document on the proposed catchment area changes relating to Bradfield Secondary School. Representations were made by Christine Crothers, outlining the strength of feeling amongst parents in Wharncliffe Side in opposition to Options 2 and 3 of the consultation in relation to catchment area changes which might serve to threaten the education of children in Wharncliffe Side, particularly if school places were not available to local children. Wharncliffe Side School was considered to have a good reputation and had been praised in relation to its management of the transition of pupils from primary to secondary education and concern was also expressed that numbers attending Wharncliffe Side School would also fall if options to alter the catchment area were followed. It was felt that the consultation had been driven by a small number of people dissatisfied with existing school catchment areas and was raised at consultation meetings in relation to the proposal to replace Myers Grove and Secondary Schools with a new school from September, 2011, on the Myers Grove School site. In response, the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services (Councillor Harry Harpham) stated that there was a clear strength of feeling in relation to proposed changes to catchment areas. He clarified that the expected take-up of places from within the catchment area of Bradfield Secondary School was 87%, which represented an average over three years. The 91% figure referred to by the petitioners was a snapshot, one year figure. Councillor Harpham confirmed that the consultation was driven by concerns expressed during the consultation upon the Wisewood and Myers Grove Schools and stated that a special meeting of the Council's Cabinet would be held to COUNCIL consider responses to consultation relating to catchment areas. The Council referred the petition for consideration by the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services (Councillor Harry Harpham).

(c) Petition concerning Catchment Area Consultation relating to Bradfield School The Council received a petition, containing 204 signatures, from parents of children at Bradfield Infant and Junior School supporting Option 1 within consultation relating to catchment area arrangements. The Council referred the petition to the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services (Councillor Harry Harpham).

(d) Petition relating to Catchment Area Arrangements The Council received a petition, containing 175 signatures, from residents of Park Village, relating to catchment area consultation and supporting Option 2 as set out in the Public Consultation Document relating to proposed amendments to school catchment area arrangements in the North West of the City. The Council referred the petition for consideration by the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services (Councillor Harry Harpham).

(e) Petition relating to a Planning Application to Close Copley’s Café The Council received a petition containing 1,252 signatures in relation to a planning application to close Copleys Café and replace it with an enlargement of the Arundel Gate multi-storey car park. The Council referred the petition for consideration by the City Centre South and East Planning and Highways Area Board.

Public Questions (a) Public Question relating to Graves Park Dianna Stimely asked a question in relation to correspondence concerning Graves Park and whether it could be circulated to each Councillor individually. In response, the Cabinet Member for Streetscene and Greenspaces (Councillor Bryan Lodge) stated that correspondence addressed to all Members of the Council was put on file in the Members’ Library and Members were urged to read correspondence, which could also be addressed to individual Councillors. The letters relating to proposals from St. Luke’s concerning Graves Park and letters relating to the proposal were welcomed.

(b) Public Question relating to Middlewood Hospital Site Shaz Thompson asked why, in relation to the Middlewood Hospital site, the quantity of homes for which planning permission had been granted had been increased from 500 to in excess of 750 homes and whether a proportionate increase would be made in the level of Section 106 funding received from the developer. In response, the Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration, Culture and Planning (Councillor Robert MacDonald) stated that this was a matter for the relevant Planning and Highways Area Board and, in relation to Section 106 planning gain, it would need to be clarified whether the City Council could legally request additional contribution from any developer. He stated that he COUNCIL

respond to the questioner regarding the matters raised.

(c) Public Question relating to School Catchment Areas Johanna Knight, Mark Lenton, Robert Couldwell, Kathryn Smyth, Gail Boot and Helen Knight asked a number of questions relating to the Council's consultation on the catchment area for Bradfield School, including whether parents from one area of the City should have been able to influence the decision to undertake consultation to the detriment of those in rural areas, the timing of consultation, that the overwhelming public support was for Option 1 as outlined in the consultation and that there be no change to the catchment areas; and transport. In response, the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services (Councillor Harry Harpham) stated that the traffic and travel implications of the proposals relating to Wisewood/Myers Grove would need to be further considered in the light of a traffic impact assessment and he referred to the response from members of the public in relation to transport and road safety and congestion at . Although reference had been made to a letter from Angela Smith, M.P., Councillor Harpham stated that he had not had sight of the letter and therefore would not wish to comment further but he assured the questioners that the proposals would not lead to the closure of Wharncliffe Side School. He also stated that all parents had a right to contribute to the consultation and make views known on the options set out within the consultation document. There had been a 40 day consultation period and meetings had been held at feeder schools and the issues had also been raised at meetings of the City Council. The process was prior to any decision of the Council's Cabinet.

4. INFLUENZA PANDEMIC - LIKELY EFFECTS AND IMPLICATIONS A presentation was made to Members of the Council by Dr. Rosy McNaught, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control, on the likely effects of an influenza pandemic and by the Assistant Chief Executive, Legal and Governance, in relation to the implications for Sheffield. Dr. Rosy McNaught outlined what influenza was and how the condition spread. Pandemic strains of influenza were represented by a virus, which was markedly different from recently circulating strains. Dr. McNaught then outlined the criteria for the pandemic spread of influenza, namely that it was a novel virus (H5N1), capable of infecting humans and of causing human illness and that there would be a large pool of people susceptible to the disease and ready and sustainable transmission from person to person. Circulating influenza strains and pandemics during the 20th Century included Spanish Flu in 1918, which resulted in 20 million to 40 million deaths; Asian Flu in 1957 resulting in one million deaths and in 1968 Hong Kong Flu, resulting in one million deaths. From past pandemics, a number of lessons had been learned including that a pandemic might occur unpredictably and not always in the Winter and that there might be great variation in mortality, severity of illness and pattern of illness or age most severely affected. There might also be a rapid surge in the number of cases over a brief period of time and cases might occur in waves, with subsequent waves being more or less severe than the first. Dr. McNaught outlined what an influenza pandemic might mean for the COUNCIL

United Kingdom. High levels of illness might cause intense pressure on both health and social services and disrupt many aspects of daily life. Many deaths might occur from a pandemic and it was impossible to predict when a pandemic might begin. Similarly, it was difficult to predict the impact of a pandemic with any accuracy and the scale of illness, death rates and the people most likely to have severe illness would depend on the availability and effectiveness of anti-viral drugs and vaccines. Dr. McNaught explained that an impact assessment would be based on current virological and clinical knowledge, expert analysis, extrapolations from previous pandemics and mathematical modelling which made predictions as to the number of influenza cases, GP consultations and deaths. A pandemic was likely to place great pressure on health and social services by increasing the number of people requiring treatment and those needing care at home, whilst the workforce was depleted, because of illness and other disruptions. There were also likely to be impacts upon businesses associated with absenteeism of up to 50% of the workforce with particular impacts upon small businesses. Schools and other closed communities were likely to witness a rapid spread of influenza and other services such as the emergency services, transport and food production were also likely to be adversely affected. A number of factors might reduce the impact of any pandemic including business continuity planning, early detection of cases both overseas and in the United Kingdom, provision of public information and acting in accordance with guidance from the Department of Health and Health Protection Agency. Public Health interventions such as hand washing, respiratory hygiene and avoiding non-essential travel would also reduce the spread of infection. Dr. McNaught explained the potential for the use of anti-viral drugs to prevent the influenza virus from reproducing and that a stockpile of such drugs had been built in the United Kingdom. Vaccines presently used for seasonal flu were thought to provide little or no protection from an influenza pandemic, which would be a different strain of the virus. Finally, Dr. McNaught identified issues for health and social care in the event of an influenza pandemic which included the ability to cope with increased demand and to continue normal services, caring for patients at home and prioritising services, infection control and patient education. The Assistant Chief Executive, Legal and Governance, then gave a presentation relating to the Corporate Pandemic Influenza Response Plan, the aim of which was to enable the City Council to respond to pandemic influenza and maintain normal service for as long as possible. In the development of the Plan such factors as service delivery and control and public information together with human resources had been taken into account. The Council could also take part in exercises such as Winter Willow from which the Corporate Planning Group had identified a number of issues to progress such as the interface of social care with health services. Monitoring was undertaken in accordance with the World Health Organisation Alert Scale, which set out the level of risk of a pandemic. In a pre-pandemic stage additional awareness and training would be promoted and plans and procedures rehearsed, extra supplies purchased and detailed planning undertaken for changes to normal working. In the event of any pandemic, the Council would establish meetings of COUNCIL a Command Team and report to the Chief Executive and the Executive Management Team on a pre-determined basis and effective communication, help lines and regular monitoring in Directorate and Service areas. In a post- pandemic stage, preparation would need to be made for a potential second wave of disease and account taken of lessons learned in the first stage including additional training where required and restoration of normal operating. The Local Authority would also take a lead in the recovery of the community and there was a particular role for Elected Members in relation to community consultation, assisting with media relations and links to community organisations. The Assistant Chief Executive, Legal and Governance, outlined in more detail command and control structures and stated that the Council would seek to respond and plan for an influenza pandemic within limited resources, accepting that there would be additional burdens, particularly on social care and health provision, high levels of illness and absenteeism and that such a pandemic could not be prevented. A question and answer session then followed, with Dr. McNaught and the Assistant Chief Executive, Legal and Governance, answering Members’ questions, as follows. Responding to a question relating to how those with an allergy to egg related products could be vaccinated against flu, because vaccines were based on an egg ingredient, Members were informed that research was being undertaken into finding a medium, other than egg tissue, on which to grow the influenza vaccine. The annual flu vaccine, taken by vulnerable groups such as older people was matched to circulating strains of the virus and it was strongly recommended that, although these were likely to be ineffective against pandemics, vulnerable people continue to have the vaccine annually. It was confirmed that voluntary organisations were included as part of the system planning process and acknowledged that there would be increased demand on such services if a pandemic were to occur. A Member referred to the role of Elected Members in Community Recovery and the value of Members and Tenants' Associations for example in the pre-pandemic stages and preparation and, in response, Members were informed that a briefing was held for Elected Members earlier in the year and that Members had a key role to play in recovery following a pandemic but also had a role in the pre-planning stages and in communicating with the public. Normal seasonal flu was likely to occur between December and March, whilst a pandemic could occur at any time of the year. It was expected that major decisions relating to travel or health services would be made by Central Government, although discussions had been held as to which decisions should be of a local nature, for example school closures, and Local Authorities were requesting some autonomy in relation to such decisions. A Flu Schools Group had been established to consider such issues as who decided when a school should close and would require both collective and local decision making. There were some assumptions in the Plan in relation to the pattern of infection of the general population and infection in Sheffield and the effects on priority services. The potential mortality rate in Sheffield would depend upon the rate of infection during any pandemic. A potential problem, which had COUNCIL

been identified, was body storage if there were many deaths in excess of the normal mortality rate for the City. It was confirmed that the City had similar levels of preparation if a terrorist attack were to occur. In relation to how the City Council and Health Community was able to plan with private organisations and those to which it had contracted out services, Members were informed that GPs had been requested to become involved in business continuity planning and in Sheffield approximately 40% of GPs had shared their plans. A similar expectation would be made of community pharmacists and private care homes, which might need support in relation to staffing levels at the time of a pandemic. It was also necessary to ensure that contracts drawn up by the City Council included provision for joint working and planning with the City Council and Health Community. The City Council also had a list of employees who had recently retired from Council Service and would be able to call upon people on that list, with their agreement, to increase staffing capacity if required. Arrangements had also been made with Local Authorities around Sheffield with regard to staffing although it was acknowledged that in the event of a pandemic other Local Authorities were likely to be in a similar situation to Sheffield. The business community had also been involved in business contingency planning, awareness raising and scenario testing. In response to questions concerning public transport, the local response would depend upon Government advice but a balance would need to be struck between keeping people on the move and limiting movement for journeys, which were considered unnecessary. The Lord Mayor, Councillor Jackie Drayton, thanked Dr. McNaught and the Assistant Chief Executive, Legal and Governance, for their presentations and referred to the work of the Emergency Planning Team in Sheffield and praised their work in the preparation and delivery in relation to emergency situations.

5. REPRESENTATION, DELEGATED AUTHORITY AND ASSOCIATED MATTERS 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.:-

Culture, Economy and - Councillor David Barker to replace Sustainability Scrutiny and Policy Councillor Martin Lawton Development Board

Strategic Resources and - Councillor Julie Dore to replace Performance Scrutiny and Policy Councillor Marjorie Barker Development Board

Health and Community Care - Councillor Martin Lawton to replace Scrutiny and Policy Development Councillor Jan Fiore Board

(b) affirm that (i) the authority currently delegated to the Planning and COUNCIL

Highways Area Boards to exercise the functions of the Council as Local Highways Authority shall include the design, consultation and implementation of schemes approved by the Council, highway/road safety/traffic management, residents' parking, installation of traffic signals and pedestrian crossing facilities and the approval of Traffic Regulation Orders and other orders relating to parking and speed restriction under the provisions of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and (ii) the powers and duties in Section 1 of the current delegations to the Head of Development Services and the Head of Planning, be also delegated to the Development Control Business Manager and Area Team Managers in accordance with the existing arrangements as set out in Section 3 of those delegations; (c) delegate to the Licensing Board, in compliance with Section 154(2)(b) of the Gambling Act 2005, the authority to establish fees under Section 212 of the Act; and (d) grant, as recommended by the Licensing Board at its meeting held on 17th April, 2007, delegated powers to the Assistant Chief Executive, Legal and Governance to extend the authorisations of all Licensing Officers and above, to (i) make use of the power in Section 52 of the Road Safety Act 2006 to suspend taxi drivers licences in the interests of public safety, and to confirm that the Licensing Board will have the power to suspend or revoke drivers licences in accordance with the Act and (ii) lift suspensions made under Section 52 of the Act when public safety is no longer compromised.

6. QUESTIONS RELATING TO URGENT BUSINESS The Lord Mayor, Councillor Jackie Drayton, referred to five questions received as urgent items of business and informed Members of the Council that following advice from the Assistant Chief Executive, Legal and Governance, she would request the Chief Executive, as Returning Officer for the City to respond to the matters raised by the end of the day in writing.

7. OBSERVATIONS No observations were made on the minutes of meetings of the various Council bodies for the period 17th March to 13th April, 2007.

8. RETIRING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL The Lord Mayor, Councillor Jackie Drayton, referred to the retirement of Councillors Jan Fiore, Councillor for Manor Castle Ward and Michael Waters, Councillor for Ward, and on behalf of the Council extended best wishes to both Members for the future.