Sheffield City Council met on 3 September 2025, and made several decisions, including adopting the Safer Sheffield Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy 2025-28, updating the Council's constitution, and appointing two non-voting co-opted members to the Audit and Standards Committee. Councillors also discussed a range of issues raised by members of the public, including concerns about the local plan, the dispute between Unite and Veolia, and the council's commitment to local democracy.

Safer Sheffield Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy

The council unanimously adopted the Safer Sheffield Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy 2025-28. The strategy, detailed in the report of the Executive Director, Neighbourhood Services, aims to address crime and disorder in Sheffield through the Safer Sheffield Partnership.

Ada Li, a member of the public, asked about the progress of the CCTV replacement program, referencing cybersecurity threats posed by Chinese-made CCTV, specifically Hikvision. Councillor Kurtis Crossthorn, Chair of the Communities, Parks and Leisure Policy Committee, responded:

All supply chains for CCTV and associated equipment must now meet the requirements of the Council's ethical procurement policy and all ICT contracts issued and security issues have to meet the International Security Standard and have to meet government National Security Centre Cyber Essential Standard.

He added that the council continues to replace all Hikvision cameras with alternative suppliers that meet these standards.

Council Constitution Changes

The council approved changes to its constitution, as detailed in the report of the General Counsel (and Monitoring Officer). These changes include:

• Updating job titles in the Arrangements for the Delegation of Functions to Officers.
• Removing misleading wording from the Access to Information Procedure Rules.
• Noting the appointment of an additional Deputy Monitoring Officer in the Monitoring Officer Protocol.
• Updating the Management Structure to reflect recent changes in responsibilities.

The changes to the Access to Information Procedure Rules involved removing wording that suggested a meeting could be convened with less than five days' notice. The report Constitution Changes - Report to Council - 3 Sept 2025 clarified that there is no power to enable meetings to be convened at shorter notice, as they must comply with the requirements of Schedule 12 to the Local Government Act 1972.

Appointment of Independent Co-Opted Members of the Audit and Standards Committee

The council approved the appointment of Ozlem Arikan and Harshan Kaliyamoorthi as independent, non-voting co-opted members of the Audit and Standards Committee for a four-year term. The appointments were recommended in the report of the General Counsel (and Monitoring Officer).

The Audit and Standards Committee plays a crucial role in the council's corporate governance structure, overseeing and assessing the council's risk management, control, and corporate governance arrangements. The Person Spec and Role Profile for Co-opted Member of AS Cttee states that co-opted members advise the council on the adequacy and effectiveness of its arrangements, ensuring they align with industry standards.

Public Questions

The council addressed a number of questions raised by members of the public.

Local Plan

Several questions concerned the Sheffield Local Plan, which is currently undergoing examination by the Planning Inspectorate¹.

Elizabeth Walton-Mcbain asked about site S03035 (Land between Wheel Lane and Middleton Lane), arguing that the scoring of Green Belt purposes A and B was unfairly lowered. Councillor Tom Hunt, Leader of the Council and Chair of the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee, responded that the Inspectors had asked the council to revisit the scoring for smaller areas of Green Belt land and that the site would be fully looked at during the examination phase.

Evangeline Walton-Mcbain asked why a document describing site S03035 as having Major Historic Landscape Significance had been removed from the evidence base. Councillor Hunt confirmed that the document had not been removed and offered to send an electronic copy.

Jo Tunstall claimed that Sheffield's brownfield supply is not exhausted and asked if time had been the inhibiting factor in the complete and transparent assessment of brownfield sites. Councillor Hunt responded that the evidence on brownfield supply is presented through documents such as the Sheffield Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) and encouraged the submission of any known sites.

Cheryl Hall referenced paragraph 35 of the Government Inspectors' report and asked if the council accepted the Inspectors' observation about the scoring on purposes (a) and (b). Councillor Hunt stated that the council's planning officers agree that Green Belt purposes (a) and (b) are most relevant and that this has been reflected in the site selection methodology.

Rob Richie asked how the council manages any potential conflict of interest where the same party may be involved in advising on development opportunities and also carrying out development work on these sites. Councillor Hunt responded that it's the role of the council to ensure that comprehensive criteria are used to determine which sites should be allocated for development in the Local Plan and that those assessments are scrutinised by independent Planning Inspectors.

Gill Travis asked why no letters were sent, no open public meetings or drop-in sessions held, or any staffed displays held during the 6-week consultation period to support residents in understanding these complex documents, referencing the council's own Equality Impact Assessment. Councillor Hunt responded that the public consultation has been carried out in accordance with the Council's Statement of Community Involvement, but that he took the feedback very seriously and would take it into account for future consultations.

Andrew Robinson asked about the scoring of the five key purposes of the Green Belt, especially purposes 1 and 2, and the removal of the 553-page Archaeological Scoping Survey carried out in 2015. Councillor Hunt responded that the Inspectors had asked the Council to revisit the scoring for smaller areas of Green Belt land, that the Archaeological Scoping Study had not been removed from the evidence base, and that he would provide a written response to the second part of the question.

Mark Ash asked why the allocation of Employment Land is 70% in S35, making the proposed sites unsustainable. Councillor Hunt responded that 24% of the total proposed employment land in the Sheffield Plan would be in S35 if the 3 proposed employment sites go ahead, that the Plan includes a large amount of employment land within the existing built-up areas, and that developers will be required to produce a Transport Plan at the planning application stage.

Veolia Dispute

Several questions related to the dispute between Unite and Veolia.

Simon Jenkins asked why the council had given the contract to an organisation which does not recognise the union which its employees have joined. Councillor Joe Otten responded that Veolia has an agreement with GMB and that for them to recognise another union would be in breach of that agreement.

Joel Mayfield, Joseph Diviney, and Mohammed Faysal all asked questions about the dispute between Veolia and Unite the Union at the Lumley Street depot. Councillor Otten responded that this is a dispute between Unite and GMB, that GMB have the right to say no, and that he would not lightly ask an employer to dishonour an agreement they have with a recognised majority union of the workforce.

International Issues

Julie Pearn asked why Councillor Hunt was seemingly unable to say that the difficulties of daily life for Palestinians are the result of the Israeli occupation. Councillor Hunt responded that Israel's actions in Gaza and in the occupied West Bank are utterly intolerable and that the difficulties of daily life for Palestinians are clearly the result of these actions.

Sue Owen asked if Councillor Hunt would make a statement urging South Yorkshire Pension Authority² (SYPA) to divest from complicit companies. Councillor Hunt responded that he would consider making such a statement.

Annie O'Gara asked what the council says to criticisms that it is dragging Sheffield into the economy of genocide . Councillor Hunt responded that he did not believe that the suggestion that Sheffield has implicated itself in complicity in genocide is either fair or justified.

Other Business

The council also discussed and made decisions on the following items:

• A motion regarding Tackling Crime in Our Communities .
• A motion regarding Local Power to Local People .
• Allocation of seats on council committees in 2025-26.
• Order of notices of motion at ordinary meetings of the council in 2025/26.
• Date of the annual meeting of the council in 2026.
• Annual Standards Report.
• Memberships of council bodies, representatives to serve on other bodies and related issues.