Sheffield City Council (SCC) Scrutiny Committee to review cycling in Sheffield

Sheffield City Council (SCC) Scrutiny Committee to review cycling in Sheffield;

CycleSheffield member to collaborate as an adviser.

 

The council are to review the state of cycling in Sheffield as part of the work of a Scrutiny Committee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_and_Scrutiny).

These have been compared as local equivalents to Parliamentary Select Committees.

The detail of what we know so far is below and the work is to start as soon as possible – to finish March 2014.

We may well be seeking evidence from a range of ‘stakeholders’ in cycling, eg bike sales and repair businesses, bike clubs, bike groups, bike training companies, individuals with an interest and so on as well as organisations and departments like Sustrans, SCC’s Parks and Countryside, SCC’s Highways and Transport, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, SYP, schools, BUGS etc

I will act as a co-opted adviser to the committee and will need your help and advice.

Any views, thoughts, reactions, helpful advice as to who should be consulted, how we should collaborate, any of the detail below and so on

please fire them back to this list or to me direct

I am also putting this on our webpage so leave your comments there if you want.

I will post in response to what you say and as and when developments take place, or advice is needed, on email/CycleSheffield websites.

Mick

Chair

Sheffield City Council (SCC) Scrutiny Committee to review cycling in Sheffield;

CycleSheffield member to collaborate as an adviser.

 CycleSheffield, the local cycling campaign, suggested to SCC to hold a local inquiry analogous to the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group Inquiry that produced the report Get Britain Cycling. (1)

This suggestion has been considered and SCC are proposing to review cycling in Sheffield within the work of the Scrutiny Committees.  The Scrutiny Committees, “Provide an effective Overview and Scrutiny function, which operates independently of the Executive, provides constructive challenge, and enhances the Council’s and its partners’ overall policy and performance.  The overview and Scrutiny Committee function determines its own work programme and holds the Executive effectively to account.” (2)

The review would be under the auspices of the Scrutiny Committee for Environment and Economic Well-Being chaired by Cllr Cate McDonald.  This proposal has the support Cllr Leigh Bramall (Cabinet Member for Business, Skills and Development – includes planning & transport) and has the support of the Lib Dems.  The Green Party, with only 2 Cllrs, have a member on the other Scrutiny Committee but are aware of this initiative and will be able to give evidence.  Scrutiny Committees have the power to request evidence from stakeholders outside and inside SCC.

The committee takes on two major tasks in the year and this would be one of them.

It is intended that this review will take 6 months, starting as soon as possible.

It is intended to start as soon as possible.

The committee meets bi-monthly but a separate task group steered by the committee would work on this and report to the committee.

The committee would request and take written and oral evidence from stakeholders with an interest in cycling in Sheffield as well as seek advice from interested parties outside Sheffield.

The committee would consider and evaluate the evidence and produce a report.

Initial thoughts are the committee’s final report would aim to:

  • identify effective current effective practice in Sheffield wrt cycling;

  • make recommendations for the effective development of cycling in Sheffield;

  • make recommendations for an effective process of consultation about, and monitoring of, developments wrt cycling with cyclists.

Meantime current developments and developments wrt cycling, e.g. introduction of cycle audits, appointment of an officer with responsibility for cycling, will proceed.  This scrutiny is not a delaying tactic and present developments in cycling should not be blighted.

Mick Nott, current Chair of CycleSheffield will be co-opted to collaborate as an adviser, alongside SCC staff, to the committee.

It is proposed that the advisor would consult with cycling groups and other stakeholders and advise the committee with:

  • the scope the depth and breadth of the scrutiny (and giving it a name!);

  • framing the scrutiny’s terms of reference;

  • preparing briefings for committee members and identifying a range of stakeholders to give evidence;

  • advising committee members before and during the taking of evidence;

  • helping with the collation of evidence and advising during the writing of the report.

The final report would be agreed by the committee.

The recommendations in the final report would be considered by the cabinet of SCC’s  Council.

 

1.  http://allpartycycling.org/inquiry/

 2. If you want more details on these committees see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_and_Scrutiny and for Sheffield go to https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/constitution-and-governance/code-of-corporate-governance.html and download & read the details of the Code of Corporate Governance.

For more details and/or advice please contact

Mick Nott

Chair, CycleSheffield

mick.nott@googlemail.com

www.cyclesheffield.org.uk

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