Content

13.1

The Executive Director City Futures submitted
a report (a) noting that, in November 2023, Strategy
& Resources Committee approved proposals for a new Partner City
Policy, including assessment criteria for the purposes of assessing
new approaches and reviewing the effectiveness of existing
international relationships; and (b) providing a summary of the
assessments recently undertaken in respect of both existing
relationships and approaches received and makes recommendations in
respect of decisions required of the Committee.  The report also provides a summary of activities
and events, linked to our international relations that have taken
place over the last 12 months

 

 

13.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That
Strategy and Resources Policy Committee:-

 

 

 

(i) For the reasons set out in
the report, agrees that the City Council:
 
a)   
Relinquishes the relationship with
Anshan;
b)   
Does not reinitiate the Trade and Collaboration
Agreements with the cities of Daqing and Nanchang;
c)   
Retains the relationship with Chengdu;
d)   
Retains links with Bapaume;
e)   
Acknowledges the links with Estelí whilst
acknowledging that this relationship is community-driven, rather
than Council-led;
f)     
Retains links with Bochum; Kawasaki; Khmelnytskyi
and Pittsburgh;
g)   
Takes no further action at this time in respect of
the relationship with Donetsk;
h)   
Acknowledges the historical and community links in
the case of Kotli and the historical links with Kitwe, noting that
the civic relationship in respect of each city is effectively
dormant;
i)     
Enters into a Friendship Agreement with Nablus;
and
j)     
Carries out further work in respect of identifying
the potential opportunities with locations in South
Korea.
 
(ii) That the Committee
acknowledges the important role of the Lord Mayor in respect of
fostering new international relationships and helping to maintain
existing links with Partner Cities.

 

 

13.3

Reasons for
Decision

 

 

13.3.1

Development of the Partner City
Policy included a commitment to undertake a follow-on review of all
existing international relationships. 
Prior to this exercise, it is unclear whether any such review had
ever been implemented previously.

 

 

13.3.2

The outcome of the review is
that the City Council is able to focus on developing relationships
with a much more manageable number of international locations which
have a genuine desire to collaborate and where specific benefits
can be identified.

 

 

13.3.3

This report presents the
Council’s first annual International Update.  The intention is that a transparent overview of
Sheffield’s activities within the international arena will be
provided each Municipal Year.

 

 

13.4

Alternatives
Considered and Rejected

 

 

13.4.1

The alternative option is to
retain the status quo.  The development
of proposals for a Partner City Policy, approved by Strategy and
Resources Policy Committee in November 2023, was an acknowledgement
that retaining the status quo was not appropriate.  The review of existing international relationships
is a direct result of that decision.