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Green Party Budget Amendment 2010

This council:

1. Believes that the main challenges facing Sheffield, as the rest of the world, are the gross inequalities between rich and poor and the twin threats of resource depletion and climate change;

2. Has a vision for Sheffield to be as fair and self-sufficient as possible, which will make it more resilient to the economic and environmental crises ahead;

3. Will do its utmost to save and to create jobs, valuing all workers and setting an example to other employers in the city;

4. Will direct officers to restructure the Customer First programme in such a way that outsourcing is not required and service improvements are delivered on an in-house bais;

5. Will bring forward policies to create renewable energy and preserve scarce resources, including energy, always ensuring that these are shared as fairly as possible;

6. Will therefore offer part time working across the board to all council employees, working in close consultation with front-line staff and back-filling gaps in essential and priority areas, in the expectation that this will prevent redundancies, keep posts open and provide continuity of knowledge and skills;

7. Will rename Creative Sheffield “Freshfields” and reshape it as a centre of excellence for a low-carbon, more localised economy, able to coordinate the training and job-creation opportunities associated with a massive investment in energy saving and energy generation schemes and more productive use of our green estate;

8. Will extend the Affordable Warmth scheme with grants totalling £2 million for owners of “hard to treat” homes, for instance draft-proofing gennels and running pilot projects to insulate non-cavity walls;

9. Will embark on a £5.5 million Invest to Save scheme to improve energy efficiency and install renewable energy on council buildings, with the money being recouped over 10 years via resale back to grid;

10. Will use £3.5m of reserves to establish a Kirklees-style Recharge scheme, which is a rolling fund that enables householders to install renewable energy, using a charge on their property, reclaimable when they sell it;

11. Will expand the proposed Parks and Countryside project looking into developing profitable enterprises in our parks and woodlands by directing officers to map the potential for food growing and sale, especially on council-owned farmland and derelict spaces;

12. Will bring rural strategy work in north of city under umbrella of above review;

13. Will support these initiatives by

  1. retaining the two Community Development Officers in Parks and Countryside 
  2. retaining the Countryside Planning Officer for a further year
  3. funding an Administrative Support Officer in the allotments office
  4. Not increasing charges for Parks and Green spaces concessions at a time when we wish to encourage greater community and commercial use of these spaces

14. Will set up a free bulky waste collection service, creating jobs by enhancing existing reduce, repair and re-use projects as well as providing a valuable service for those without access to private transport who cannot get to the council recycling centres and for those who cannot or who prefer not to buy new goods;

15. Recognises that the Government’s dogmatic pursuit of privatisation is mortgaging our future and will therefore abort the Highways PFI project, releasing  £5.5m of reserves, but will continue to invest in improved roads for Sheffield via the increased council contribution to the maintenance fund;

16. Will rationalise capital spending on new highways projects to reduce congestion, accidents and pollution by favouring public transport, walking and cycling and by accepting the need for a city-wide approach on road safety, prioritising schemes according to accident statistics and information;

17. Will therefore re-allocate LTP as follows:

a. put an extra £520k towards rolling out 20mph zones city wide (treating areas with the worst road safety record first)

b. make £200k available for a city centre bike park

c. put £260k into continuing action for cyclists

d. put an extra £120k into the Danger Reduction pot

e. restore and increase the investment into pedestrian schemes with £450k

f. put an extra £40k for Sustainable and Safe Modes of travel to school

g. reduce Community Assembly allocations to £100k each

h. stop the Driving me Crazy scheme

18. Direct transport officers to look at re-opening railway stations in the Abbeydale corridor and set aside £200k to start the required capital investment;

19. Provide an additional free city centre bus service, serving the City Centre, the Universities and Royal Hallamshire Hospital for one year, with work in year to mainstream future funding;

20. Reduce council funding for political spin by:

a. cutting unnecessary council communications

b. reduce the strategic events fund

c. reducing the number of political advisors for political parties

d. bring the important work of consulting with local parents under more appropriate channels of Community Assemblies, schools and Children’s Centres so that it is community based;

21. Protect the city from vermin by funding the rat control service for a year with work in year to mainstream future funding;

22. Ensure that the remaining unspent allocation for Community Justice Panels is used to make sure that they are working as well as possible before rolling them out more widely.

ENDS

Topics: Agriculture, Bernard Little, Budget, City Wide, Climate Change, Council, Councillors, Economy, Employment, Energy, Food & Drink, Green New Deal, Housing, Jillian Creasy, Planning, Privatisation, Recycling, Rob Murphy, Transport, Waste