Green's get committment to fairer Sheffield

8th November2009

The Green Party has successfully pushed for the Council to reduce the gap
between the lowest and highest paid, both within the Council itself and across
the city, in an amendment to a motion about health inequalities in Sheffield

New research [see Notes below] has found that a range of health and social
problems have their roots in the gap between rich and poor. Countries with a
small gap between rich and poor have been found to have better life expectancy, fewer social problems, and more opportunity, at all levels of society. The Green amendment also reflects concerns raised by and exhibition now showing in Central Library called "Poverty and Inequality in Sheffield and the UK", organised by Church Action on Poverty.

Coun Jillian Creasy said, "What's most surprising is that narrowing the gap
between rich and poor has been shown not just to benefit those worst off, but everyone else too, even the well off. A fairer, more equal Sheffield means
everybody would feel like they lived amongst equals, with more trust, more
safety, more of a sense of community.

"It's great the Council have committed themselves to reducing the gap between the richest and poorest in the city and in the Council. We are looking forward to actions to back up these words, for example the forthcoming report on a Living Wage, which will recommend increases in the pay for the lowest paid in council, hopefully by holding or reducing the pay of those at the top of the scale."

ENDS

Notes: See "The Spirit Level" by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett. There
is a synopsis and a review at
http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781846140396,00.html

GREEN AMENDMENT:
That the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of the following
two new paragraphs:-
( ) believes that a common cause of many of these disparities is the
inequality in income between the highest and lowest paid;
( ) will work both within the Council and across the City to reduce the gap
between highest and lowest paid.

Motion Given By Councillor Peter Price

That this Council:

(a) notes the recent report from the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health
Observatory which highlights health inequalities within Sheffield;

(b) is pleased that Sheffielders are becoming generally healthier and that
the health of the City is becoming close to the national average;

(c) however, is disappointed to learn that Sheffield remains a divided
City in terms of inequality;

(d) is concerned to find that there are health inequalities within
Sheffield, split by deprivation, gender and ethnicity;

(e) is disappointed that men from the least deprived areas can expect to
live up to eight years longer than those in the most deprived areas;

(f) is also disappointed that the percentage of children from black and
minority ethnic groups eligible for free school meals, which is an indicator of
deprivation, is higher than the national average;

(g) is also concerned that in Sheffield, the rate of teenage pregnancy,
the amount of children living in poverty, the number of statutory homelessness
and the rate of people claiming incapacity benefits for mental illness are all
worse than their respective national averages;

(h) notes that despite numerous interventions from the Labour Government
and the previous Administration, the deprivation in certain parts of Sheffield
still remains unacceptably high;

(i) is further disappointed that the rate of children who are physically
active is worse than the national average;

(j) believes that the rate of children who are physically active in the
City could be improved if the present Administration had chosen not to reject
the Government’s offer of free swimming;

(k) also notes the statistical data available from NHS Sheffield’s Health
and Wellbeing Atlas, which also highlights the City’s health inequalities;

(l) is disappointed to discover that, compared to children living in the
south west of the City, children in Sheffield’s north east are just under four
times likely to have decayed, missing, or filled first teeth;

(m) is also concerned that Sheffield children’s tooth decay, at age five,
is worse than the national average;

(n) is further disappointed to find that, compared to children living in
the south west of the City, children in Sheffield’s north east are nearly twice
as likely to be obese at age four and are significantly more than twice as
likely to be obese by the time they reach age ten;

(o) further notes the statistical research undertaken by the Campaign to
End Child Poverty, which further emphasises Sheffield’s inequalities;

(p) notes with disappointment that, compared to the 880 children in out of
work families in Sheffield Hallam Parliamentary Constituency, the number of
children in out of work families in Sheffield Brightside Parliamentary
Constituency is 7,010;

(q) notes with concern that, compared to the 1,470 children in families
claiming working tax credit in Sheffield Hallam Parliamentary Constituency, the
number of children in families claiming working tax credit in Sheffield
Brightside Parliamentary Constituency is 6,300;

(r) further notes that, compared to the 2,350 children in low-income
families in Sheffield Hallam Parliamentary Constituency, the number of children
in low-income families in Sheffield Brightside Parliamentary Constituency is
13,310;

(s) understands that while noting the instances of deprivation, poverty
and other disadvantages in Sheffield Hallam, these figures demonstrate that
there is a much higher degree of deprivation in other areas of the City;

(t) also notes the recent findings from a study carried out by the
Universities and College Union and is disappointed to learn of the extent of
the educational inequalities in the City;

(u) is very disappointed that research shows that in Sheffield Brightside
Parliamentary Constituency, almost a quarter of people have no qualifications
and just 15% have a degree; whereas in Sheffield Hallam Parliamentary
Constituency two thirds of people have a degree, and only 3% have no
qualifications at all;

(v) is pleased that due to this Government and the previous
Administration’s record investment into the area, educational achievement in
the north east area of the City has improved significantly, especially since
the opening of Longley Park College in 2004;

(w) is happy to note that since the opening of Longley Park College, the
north east of Sheffield has soared from the bottom of the university entry
table, up to the top five, in terms of improvement;

(x) is also pleased that more teenagers in the area are now continuing
their education up to A-Levels and beyond;

(y) notes that education is an important factor in raising social
mobility, reducing poverty and increasing opportunity for everyone in society;

(z) believes a good education should be made available for all, and not
just be a preserve of the rich;

(aa) is committed to doing all it can to raise standards in health and
education across the City, because clearly in Sheffield every person matters;
and
(bb) accepts that in order to do this, the huge disparities that exist in
the City must be acknowledged and addressed.

The Greens put a motion to full council last week in support of the "Twenty’
s Plenty for Sheffield" campaign, which proposes a city-wide 20mph speed limit in residential urban areas in Sheffield. This was amended but received cross party support.

A new report by by Sheffield University says that road traffic accidents are
responsible for a fifth of all deaths in Sheffield people aged between 15
and 24 and are the most common cause of death of a child aged 5 to 14. Around 300 pedestrians are injured on Sheffield’s roads every year.

The Greens also point to research from UK and abroad that has shown
city-wide speed limits of 20mph have significantly reduced speeds in just the first year of operation, and after several years reduced urban accident rates by up to two-thirds, with numbers killed and seriously injured reduced by even more.

Coun Jillian Creasy added , "In these cities the new speed limits have
encouraged walking and cycling, especially for the elderly and younger children, but only increased the journey time of a 15 minute car journey by just 1 minute. They have also reduced vehicle emissions by 12% due to less acceleration and deceleration. And 72% of drivers surveyed as part of the British Social Attitudes Survey support the move."

She continued, "We are pleased that the motion received cross party support and that the principle of slower speed limits on residential roads has been officially recognised. However, a city wide 20mph limit is more effective than bringing it in area by area through Community Assemblies as the Administration wants. It would set a code of behaviour across the whole city so that it becomes "normal" to drive at 20mph in residential areas. Everyone would know the rule and there would be no need for signs or humps".

ENDS

SHEFFIELD GREEN PARTY MOTION

(a) notes the "Twenty’s Plenty for Sheffield" campaign that proposes a
city-wide 20mph speed limit in residential urban areas, such as has been
introduced in Hull and Portsmouth;

(b) recognises the importance of reduced speed in reducing the risk
for pedestrians and other road users, with around 300 pedestrians injured on
Sheffield’s roads every year;

(c) notes research from UK and abroad that has shown city-wide urban
speed limits around 20mph have:

(i) significantly reduced speeds in just the first year of
operation;

(ii) after several years in operation, reduced urban accident rates
by up to two-thirds, with numbers killed and seriously injured reduced by
even more;

(iii) encouraged walking and cycling, especially for the elderly and
younger children;

(iv) benefited communities, with residents a quarter more likely to
stop and talk on footpaths;

(v) increased the journey time of a 15 minute journey by just 1
minute;

(vi) reduced vehicle emissions by 12% due to less acceleration and
deceleration; and

(vii) been supported by 72% of drivers surveyed as part of the British
Social Attitudes Survey;

(d) welcomes the Government consultation "A Safer Way: Consultation on
Making Britain's Roads the Safest in the World" that will inform road safety
strategy beyond 2010 and hopes that it will propose 20mph speed limits in
urban residential areas countrywide;

(e) believes that the expense of intensive traffic calming measures
required in 20mph zones is delaying the implementation of 20mph speed limits
that are a priority in over 100 sites across the City;

(f) believes that the implementation of a city-wide limit of 20mph
on residential roads, combined with a public information campaign and
innovate inexpensive traffic calming, would have an immediate beneficial
impact on accidents and fatalities in the City; and

(g) therefore directs officers to report to the Cabinet on the
feasibility of implementing a city-wide 20mph limit on all residential
roads, excluding major routes as appropriate.

MOTION AS VOTED FOR BY COUNCIL (Lib Dem amendment)
(a), (b), and (c) as above

(d) notes that Council officers are already looking into the feasibility of
implementing 20mph speed limits on residential roads as a result of a
request from the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Transport and Streetscene;

(e) notes that it is the intention for local councillors and local
communities, through Community Assemblies, to decide what is best for their
area with regard to 20mph speed limits on residential roads; and

(f) notes that this issue is due to be discussed at the next meeting of the
‘Sheffield on the Move’ Forum in January 2010 and looks forward to plans in
the New Year on how 20mph speed limits on residential roads could be
implemented in consultation with local people.

.