Red lines: Sheffield councillors clash over road scheme during business plan debate

The exchange took place at a meeting of Sheffield City Council’s economic development and skills policy committee while the committee were looking at the £4.5m Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) which offers support to small businesses.

Ecclesall LibDem ward Coun Barbara Masters asked if there was a channel between different council departments where decisions have an impact on each other.

She said: “I ask this because I have been working with the business advisors in my ward, trying to promote the Economic Recovery Fund and encouraging small businesses to apply.

“The initial reply was there is no point because if the 12-hour parking restrictions for Ecclesall Road/Abbeydale Road are approved, then businesses will become unviable.”

She said that it is clear there is no liaison between the strategy team and highways on potential conflicts and the risk of one undermining the other.

‘Pure opinion’

Green group committee spokesman Coun Paul Turpin made a point of order, saying: “I believe that some opinions are being presented as fact here and we established very clearly that no decision has been made on the road plans and to say that businesses are going to go bust if the road plans are implemented is pure opinion.

“And also, noting that the recent rise in threats towards our members, that members really ought to be very guarded about the language they use and making it clear that no decisions have been made and the public has been consulted and will be further consulted.”

Coun Masters responded: “When we tried to promote this, this is the response that we got. I have actually asked for highways to meet with the businesses to explain the situation because I know there has been a lot of misinformation out there but if businesses will not engage with what you are proposing because they fear something that will happen, then that means there is something wrong with the system we use to engage with them.”

She added: “I did say if this goes ahead, this is their fear. We have got to address the perceptions rightly or wrongly and it is because the perceptions have not been addressed that we have these issues arising now.”

Coun Turpin said: “I did hear reports Coun Masters was informing businesses at a recent public meeting that there would be 12-hour bus lanes which was factually incorrect. This was information I was given, in the same way you’re saying that information that you have was given to you.

“I think it is a good idea if the business team works with the transport team on changes like this but it is also important members correct misinformation at every opportunity they have.”

‘I’m incensed’

Coun Masters answered: “There has only been one meeting. No mention from me on 12-hour bus lanes. I couldn’t even speak at the meeting because I had a throat infection. I could get one sentence out and that was it.

“How you got hold of that, I never said that. I’m incensed.”

Coun Ben Miskell, who was chairing, brought the exchanges to an end, saying it was important the meeting did not descend into contributions about what may or may not have happened.

Members approved the use of £4.55 million of government funding to provide business support to Sheffield businesses through four key projects over a three-year period.

Launchpad, which is in its sixth year of operation, has a budget of £850,000 for start-up and early stage business support including a workshop programme, specialist advisor support and a small grants programme for start-ups.Productivity and digital innovation grants worth £2.1 million in total will allow small and medium businesses to access grants to support productivity gains and digital adoption.Another £1.3 million will be used to provide sustainability audits and grants to improve smaller businesses’ energy efficiency and reduce carbon consumption.

Business support

The £300,000 RISE funding aims to provide graduate jobs and will include a partnership programme with both city universities.

Businesses have already been receiving a range of support and advice from council specialists to help them to recover from the effects of the pandemic using the post-pandemic Economic Recovery Fund. This funding will use the expertise gained by council teams and the feedback they received to help deliver the programme, a report to the committee said.

Coun Turpin asked about the difference between how much the council is getting and now and if it was lower than EU funding would have been. He also asked if there was any indication of what will happen after the SPF funding runs out after three years.

Diana Buckley, council director for economy, skills and culture, said there were indications that the council would have been eligible for transitional funding in the EU, which would have been higher.

She said: “We’ve got no indication what would come after SPF at this time.”

Coun Tom Hunt pointed to a line in the report that said the funding will keep the council in its present position, rather than moving forwards. He added: “As a committee we should retain our focus on the transformational changes needed to get us to a high-wage, high-productivity. high-growth, low-carbon economy for Sheffield and South Yorkshire.”

He asked for the committee to look at how the council can help businesses to scale up and encourage them to stay in the city when they do so.

Ms Buckley said that staff are already working on how they can develop that strategy and will be discussing that with the committee.

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