Agenda and minutes

Venue: Civic Office

Contact: David Taylor  01302 736712

Link: Click here to view the audio visual recording of the meeting

Items
No. Item

1.

Prayers

Minutes:

Prior to the commencement of formal business, Elected Members, Officers and members of the public, were led in prayer by the Reverend David Stevens.

 

2.

Election of Chair of Council

Minutes:

It was MOVED by Councillor Ken Keegan and SECONDED by Councillor Charlie Hogarth that Councillor George Derx be elected as Chair of Council of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough for the 2017/18 Municipal Year.

 

On being put to the meeting, the Motion was declared CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED that Councillor George Derx be and is hereby elected, Chair of Council of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough, for the 2017/18 Municipal Year.

 

3.

Election of Vice-Chair of Council

Minutes:

It was MOVED by Councillor Neil Gethin and SECONDED by Councillor Dave Shaw that Councillor Majid Khan be elected as Vice-Chair of Council of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough for the 2017/18 Municipal Year.

 

On being put to the meeting, the Motion was declared CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED that Councillor Majid Khan be and is hereby elected, Vice?Chair of Council of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough, for the 2017/18 Municipal Year.

 

The Chair of Council then announced a 15 minute recess for exchanging robes and determined that the meeting would reconvene at 11.35 am.

 

4.

Presentation of badges to the retiring Chair of Council and Consort

Minutes:

On behalf of the Council, Jo Miller, Chief Executive, presented badges to the retiring Chair of Council and his Consort.

5.

Vote of thanks to the retiring Chair of Council and Consort

At the conclusion of item 5 above, the meeting will stand adjourned and reconvene at 1.00pm in the Council Chamber in the Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster.

Minutes:

It was MOVED by the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones and SECONDED by Councillor Andrea Robinson, that the Council place on record its thanks and appreciation to Councillor David Nevett for the manner in which he had fulfilled the Office of Chair of Council, during the past year.

 

Councillor Nevett responded, thanking Members for their kind words and support throughout the year, stating it had been a great honour for him to undertake this role.

 

Councillor Nevett recalled some of the memorable highlights during his time as Civic Mayor for 2016/17, and provided an insight into the experiences he had been privy to throughout the year.  He stated that it had been an extremely busy and enjoyable time, and whilst initially he had struggled with the mantle of ‘The Worshipful Mayor’, he had taken on the role with positivity, growing into it through the year and had worked hard to make a difference in Doncaster.  Councillor Nevett commented that it had been a pleasure to meet with all the Civic Mayors from neighbouring Local Authorities, all of whom had been friendly.

 

There had been many military events throughout the year, which the Council had shown its support for with a special mention given to the bestowing of Freeman of Doncaster upon Ben Parkinson and additionally, the recent event held in Sir Nigel Gresley Square by the Rifles Regiment, which had been a fantastic event to see all the Troops on Parade.  There had been many events held at the Mansion House, which had been a wonderful way of showcasing Doncaster’s ‘Jewel in the Crown’ and Councillor Nevett reported that it had been lovely to see so many people coming through the doors and meeting them in the Mayor’s Parlour.  Whilst Councillor Nevett stated that it was hard to pinpoint a particular highlight during the year as there had been so many enjoyable and interesting events, one that did stand out in particular, was the Santa Sleigh event hosted by the Lions.  He commented that the joy and happiness on the people who came out to watch was evident, and with this respect he paid tribute to the work of the Lions who volunteered every year to raise money for local charitable causes.

 

The two charities that he had endeavoured to support during his year had been the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Aurora, two extremely worthy local charities and a very pleasing amount had been raised for both of these.

 

During the year, Councillor Nevett reported that he had attended as many events as his timetable allowed, juggling his work, family and Council commitments to enable this.  He expressed his thanks to his employers for their flexibility and understanding, his fellow Ward Councillor, Andrea Robinson for taking on some of his Ward commitments, officers of the Civic Office who had supported him throughout the year, and he also conveyed his appreciation to Councillor George Derx, the Vice Chair of Council, and his wife Pauline, for attending those events he could not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Chair of Council's Inaugural Speech

Minutes:

The Chair of Council, Councillor George Derx, delivered his inaugural speech.

 

“This is an extremely proud moment for Pauline and me.

 

To be chosen as the Civic Mayor of Doncaster is a great honour and I would like to thank Councillor Ken Keegan and Councillor Charlie Hogarth for their nomination and kind words, and all my colleagues in this room today for your support.

 

As Deputy Civic Mayor, I attended a number of events last year and it has been an absolute pleasure to meet so many interesting and inspirational people from all walks of life and listen to their stories and experiences.  It has really given real insight into the role and reinforced how important the role is, how sometimes what may appear to be a minor engagement can make such a difference in someone’s life.

 

I am sure that the next twelve months will be exciting, interesting and exhausting in equal measure and it is a year I intend to savour and enjoy.

 

I would like to thank all my family and friends, some of whom are here today, for the support that they have given me, and will continue to give me in the future.  Without them, I would not be standing here today.

 

I would also like to thank my predecessor, Councillor David Nevett, for the work he has done.  It’s a very difficult task to balance the demands of full-time work, his role as an elected Councillor and that of Civic Mayor and I know that he and his family have made sacrifices to do that. David, you and Kathleen have done a wonderful job and I hope you get a chance to take a well-earned break.

 

Finally I would like to announce that I have chosen to support two local charities during my year in office.  They are Firefly and the Partially Sighted Society and I hope that you will all support me to raise much needed funds for these two very worthy causes.

 

Thank you again for bestowing this honour upon me.”

7.

Minutes of the Council Meeting held on 2nd March, 2017 pdf icon PDF 135 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Council Meeting held on Thursday, 2nd March, 2017, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

8.

To receive any announcements from the Chair of Council, the Mayor,
Members of the Cabinet or the Head of Paid Service

Minutes:

No announcements were made at the meeting.

9.

Declarations of Interest, if any

Minutes:

No declarations of interest were made at the meeting.

10.

Results of the Combined Local and Mayoral Elections held on 4th May, 2017 pdf icon PDF 205 KB

Minutes:

The Council considered a report which advised Members of the outcome of the combined Local and Mayoral Elections held on Thursday, 4th May, 2017.

 

Members noted that this was the first time that there had been a combined ‘all-out’ Council Borough Election along with a Mayoral Election and had resulted in a total turnout rate of 29.35% across Doncaster’s Electorate of 221,789.  Over 60,000 postal votes had been issued with over 36,000 returned.  It was reported that the Mayoral Election had been decided without the requirement to count the second preference votes, as Mayor Jones received over 50% of the first preference vote.  This was the first time in 15 years of Mayoral Elections in Doncaster that this had been the case.

 

RESOLVED that the results of the Combined Local and Mayoral Elections, held on Thursday, 4th May, 2017, be noted.

11.

Notification by the Elected Mayor of the Composition of the Executive and the Elected Mayor's Scheme of Delegations pdf icon PDF 174 KB

Minutes:

The Council received an oral update from The Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, with regard to the composition and constitution of the Executive for the 2017/18 Municipal Year.

 

The Mayor informed Council that further to former Councillor Pat Knight’s decision not to stand for re-election and Councillor Tony Corden’s decision to step down from Cabinet, she wished to place on record her personal thanks to both Pat and Tony for their important contribution to the Borough over the last four years.

 

The Mayor added that she was very pleased to announce that Councillor Nigel Ball and Councillor Rachael Blake had agreed to join the Cabinet, which would be comprised as follows:-

 

Councillor Glyn Jones (Deputy Mayor)
Cabinet Member for Housing and Equalities

 

Councillor Nigel Ball
Cabinet Member for Public Health, Leisure and Culture

 

Councillor Joe Blackham
Cabinet Member for Highways, Street Scene and Trading Services

 

Councillor Rachael Blake
Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care

 

Councillor Nuala Fennelly
Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools

 

Councillor Chris McGuinness
Cabinet Member for Communities, Voluntary Sector and the Environment

 

Councillor Bill Mordue
Cabinet Member for Business, Skills and Economic Development

 

Councillor Jane Nightingale
Cabinet Member for Customer and Corporate Services

 

RESOLVED that the Mayor’s oral report to Council on the composition of the Executive be noted.

12.

Council appointed Committees and Sub-Committees Terms of Reference for 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 188 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council considered a report that sought agreement for a number of revisions to the Terms of Reference for a number of Council appointed Committees.

 

The Terms of Reference were approved at the Annual Council Meeting each year, and these ensured that the highest standards of governance were maintained and allowed for the proper discharge of functions.

 

Council noted that changes had been proposed to the Terms of Reference of two Committees which had been attached at Appendix A to the report, with proposed deletions shown as crossed through, and additions in bold italics.

 

Changes had been made to the Terms of Reference of the Audit Committee and although these were largely typographical in nature, a more substantial change was proposed to 2(v). This change was with regard to the delegation of the Audit Committee and it was proposed to extend their delegation in order to oversee production of the Annual Governance Statement. This would enable the Council to meet the new timescales prescribed in terms of meeting the deadline for the approval of the Governance Statement and the Annual Statement of Accounts by 31st July each year.

 

With regard to the changes proposed to the Licensing Committee, this was largely for clarity and provided a small amendment with the addition of the words ‘and then to Full Council’ with regard to the route for the approval of the Gambling Policy which had to be approved by the Executive and then ultimately the final decision rested with Full Council.

 

RESOLVED that:-

 

(1)       the proposed revisions as set out in Appendix A to the report be approved;

 

(2)       the existing Terms of Reference for all other Committees and Sub-Committees, as set out within Part 3 of the Constitution, remain unchanged; and

 

(3)           the Constitution be updated to reflect any revisions to the Terms of Reference agreed at the meeting.

13.

Local Government and Housing Act 1989 - Review of the allocation of seats on Committees and Sub-Committees pdf icon PDF 317 KB

(Notice - Approval of alternative arrangements for appointments to some Committees and Sub-Committees on a non-proportionate basis, is to be considered).

Minutes:

The Council considered a report which proposed the allocation of seats on Committees and Sub-Committees of the Council, having regard to political balance in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, following the Borough Council Elections held on 4th May, 2017.

 

The Council was also advised of adjustments necessary to reflect a best proportionate fit in accordance with the principles of proportionality, as set out within paragraph 25 of the report.

 

It was reported that following the dispatch of the agenda papers, a list of Political Group nominations for the appointment of Members to serve on Committees, Sub-Committees and Scrutiny Panels, had been tabled at the meeting, which outlined nominations received from Group Leaders.

 

The Council was also requested to make appointments and co?options to other Committees of the Council, not subject to the requirement for proportional balance.

 

Members noted that the proposed allocation of seats set out in the report, was based on:-

 

(i)        Proportionality being applied to the Committees/Sub-Committees shown in the table below based on the membership indicated:-

 

Committee/Sub-Committee

Size

 

 

Planning Committee

  11

Elections and Democratic Structures Committee

  11

Chief Officers’ Appointments Committee

  11

Awards, Grants and Transport (Appeals) Committee

    7

Audit Committee

    5

Chief Officers’ Appeals Committee

    5

Employee Relations Disputes Resolution Committee

    5

Chief Officers’ Investigatory Sub-Committee

    5

Total

  60

(ii)       Proportionality would not apply to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee or the four Overview and Scrutiny Standing Panels, in order to maximise cross-party representation;

 

(iii)      the Licensing Committee, set up under the Licensing Act 2003, need not be politically proportionate.  However, in seeking nominations from Group Leaders onto these 14 seats, these had been sought in proportion to the overall composition on the Council.  The appointment of Licensing Sub-Committees to conduct hearings under Section 10 of the Licensing Act 2003, was a statutory function reserved by the Act to the statutory Licensing Committee.  Accordingly, it was a matter for the Licensing Committee to appoint these Sub?Committees and to schedule any required meetings; and

 

(iv)      Proportionality would not apply to the Health and Wellbeing Board in accordance with legislative requirements.

 

RESOLVED that

 

(1)       seats on Committees and Sub-Committees be allocated as set out in the table at paragraph 25 of the report, subject to the Labour Group losing one seat on each of the following Committees:-

 

·        Chief Officers Appeals Committee; and

 

·        Chief Officers Investigatory Sub-Committee

 

(2)       as a consequence of the loss of the 2 seats at (1) above, the two seats be allocated to the two Independent Members, Councillors Nigel Cannings and John Cooke, as follows:-

 

(a)     Councillor Nigel Cannings

 

·      Chief Officers Investigatory Sub-Committee

 

(b)     Councillor John Cooke

 

·      Chief Officers Appeals Committee

 

(3)       the membership of Committees and Sub-Committees for 2017/18 including substitute provision in respect of the Chief Officers’ Appointments Committee, the Chief Officers’ Appeals Committee and the Employee Relations Disputes Resolution Committee, be as set out in the schedule attached to these minutes at Appendix A in accordance with the wishes of Political Groups;  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

14.

Appointments of Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Committees and Sub-Committees pdf icon PDF 186 KB

Minutes:

The Council considered a revised list of Political Group nominations for the appointment of Members to serve as Chairs and Vice-Chairs on Committees, Sub-Committees and Scrutiny Panels, which had been tabled at the meeting following the despatch of the agenda papers.

 

RESOLVED that the Chair and Vice-Chair of Committees and Sub-Committees for the 2017/18 Municipal Year, be as follows:-

 


Committee

Chair

Vice-Chair

 

 

 

Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee

Councillor Kevin Rodgers

Councillor John Healy

 

 

 

Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Panel

Councillor Neil Gethin

Councillor John Mounsey

 

 

 

Community and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Panel

Councillor Jane Kidd

Councillor Jane Cox

 

 

 

Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Panel

Councillor Andrea Robinson

Councillor Cynthia Ransome

 

 

 

Regeneration and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Panel

Councillor Paul Wray

Councillor David Nevett

 

 

 

Planning Committee

Councillor John McHale

Councillor Iris Beech

 

 

 

Elections and Democratic Structures Committee

Councillor Phil Cole

Councillor Nick Allen

 

 

 

Chief Officers’ Appointments Committee

Councillor Glyn Jones

Councillor Nuala Fennelly

 

 

 

Awards, Grants and Transport (Appeals) Committee

Councillor Linda Curran

Councillor Andrea Robinson

 

 

 

Audit Committee

Councillor Austen White

Councillor R. Allan Jones

 

 

 

Chief Officers’ Appeals Committee

Councillor Paul Wray

Councillor Jane Nightingale

 

 

Employee Relations Disputes Resolution Committee

Councillor John McHale

Councillor Phil Cole

 

 

 

 

Chief Officers’ Investigatory Sub-Committee

 

Councillor Bill Mordue

 

Councillor Rachel Hodson

 

 

 

Licensing Committee

Councillor Ken Keegan

Councillor Linda Curran

 

 

 

Health and Wellbeing Board

Councillor Nigel Ball

Portfolio Holder responsible for Public Health

To be appointed at the first

Meeting  of the Health &

Wellbeing Board

 

15.

Diary of Meetings 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 183 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members considered the Diary of Meetings for 2017/18 which detailed the dates of all meetings, training and events scheduled for the Municipal Year. The draft diary had been considered at the 2nd March, 2017 meeting of Full Council, upon which comments had been sought and any variations to the version considered had now been made.  This included the rearrangement of certain meetings and training sessions in the week commencing 5th June, due to the decision by the Prime Minister to call a snap General Election.  Additionally, the Audit Committee previously scheduled for 16th November, 2017 had been rescheduled to take place on 26th October, 2017 in order to shorten the elapsed time between meetings, and an Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee scheduled for Wednesday 12th July, was rescheduled to Thursday 13th July to allow Members to attend Member Training scheduled for that day.

 

In addition to changes made since the 2nd March, 2017 Council Meeting, two further changes were proposed at the meeting, which were agreed for amendment within the final version of the 2017/18 diary.  The first change would see the rearrangement of the March Council Meeting from Thursday, 1st March, 2018 to Monday, 5th March, 2018, in order to facilitate the attendance of the Mayor at the meeting when she presents her Annual Budget for approval.  The second change related to Planning Site Visits, with the meeting scheduled to take place on Friday, 15th September, 2017 rearranged to take place on Monday, 18th September, 2017.

 

RESOLVED that

 

(1)       the Diary of Meetings for the 2017/18 Municipal Year, attached at Appendix A to the report, be approved; and

 

(2)       Council note the schedule of Cabinet Meetings determined by the Mayor of Doncaster.

16.

Council Appointments to Outside Bodies 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 206 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members considered a report which determined the appointment of representatives to the schedule of Outside Bodies for Council appointments for the 2017/18 Municipal Year.  The list of Outside Bodies was attached at Appendix A to the report and detailed all appointments.

 

RESOLVED that

 

(1)       the appointments to Outside Bodies in accordance with the nomination lists as set out in the Appendix A to the report, be approved, subject to the addition of Councillor Steve Cox to the Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield Consultative Committee and the Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield – Noise Monitoring and Environmental Sub-Committee; and

 

(2)       with regard to any vacancies that remain on the schedule of appointments to Outside Bodies, the relevant Group Leader contact the Monitoring Officer to confirm details of any appointment(s) and these would subsequently be reported to the next scheduled Council meeting.

17.

Member Development Programme 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 314 KB

Minutes:

The Council considered a report, presented by Councillor Tony Corden, Chair of the Member Development Working Group, which provided a summary of the 2016/17 Member training programme and the proposed programme of Member training and development for 2017/18.

 

The report outlined a number of training modules that were mandatory over a Member's four year period of office, some of which were essential knowledge, and others relating to more specific roles.  The Development programme included the following:-

 

·         New Member Induction

·         Equalities, Data Protection and Health and Safety

·         Mandatory training for Members of certain Committees and for those undertaking specific roles – i.e. Planning and Licensing Committee Members and Committee Chairs and Vices

·         Member seminars and briefings

·         Developing skills

 

The direction for Member training over the four year period was clear and provided an effective programme which would be reviewed regularly by the Member Development Working Group in order to ensure that progress was made and any issues were addressed upon its consideration by Council on an annual basis.

 

RESOLVED that

 

(1)       the programme of Member Development Activities and Seminars scheduled for 2017/18, as attached at Appendix A to the report, including the list of training deemed to be mandatory, be endorsed; and

 

(2)       Council approve the approach to a four year Member Development Programme outlined within Paragraphs 8 to 10 of the report.

18.

Members Allowance Scheme 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 265 KB

Minutes:

Members of the Council considered a report that sought approval for the Member Allowance Scheme for 2017/18 and as to whether or not to accept the proposal of a 1% increase on Members allowances, in line with the National Joint Council (NJC) pay award for Local Government employees (as recommended by the Independent Panel).

 

Members noted there had been an omission from the report with regard to the allowance received by the Chairs of the four standing Overview and Scrutiny Panels. The amount payable to each Chair would be £3090.90, which would be effective from 1st April, 2017.

 

RESOLVED that

 

(1)       Council accept the 1% increase on Members allowances effective from 1st April, 2017, the current rates of allowance and the rates including the proposed 1% increase from 1st April, 2017 as detailed at Appendix A of the report;

 

(2)       Council note that this decision is a collective decision of Council and any Councillors who wished to forego their allowance would have to do so by notifying the Director of Finance and Corporate Services in writing;

 

(3)       the Member Allowance Scheme is required to be considered annually in order to take account of any proposed annual inflationary increase; and

 

(4)       a comprehensive review of the Member Allowance Scheme be undertaken during 2017 by an Independent Panel.

19.

Independent Person Appointed Under Section 28 of the Localism Act 2011 pdf icon PDF 209 KB

Minutes:

The Monitoring Officer presented a report to Council that sought approval for the reappointment of Mr Philip Beavers for a further 4 years as the Council’s Independent Person appointed under Section 28 of the Localism Act 2011, to assist the Monitoring Officer in dealing with allegations of Member misconduct.

 

Additionally, Members noted that the report sought approval for the payment of an annual allowance of £1000 for undertaking this role in order to recompense time taken and expenses incurred in performing this duty.

 

Finally, the report informed Members that there was the proposal to share Council IP arrangements with other South Yorkshire Local Authorities in case of conflicts of interest or absences. Ratification was sought for this, following a recommendation by the Audit Committee following its consideration of this issue at its meeting on 6th April, 2017.

 

RESOLVED that

 

(1)       Mr Philip Beavers be reappointed as the Independent Person to assist the Monitoring Officer in dealing with complaints of alleged Member misconduct for a further 4 year period to 31st May, 2021;

 

(2)       the payment of an annual allowance of £1000 to the Independent Person be approved for undertaking the role; and

 

(3)       the proposed arranged outlined in Paragraph 7 of the report be ratified, in order to enable Doncaster MBC to participate in the sharing of Independent Persons across the four South Yorkshire Authorities in the case of either Conflict of Interest, absence or inability to act.

20.

Governance Arrangements: Oversight and Transparency of the Work of External Partnerships and Council Committees pdf icon PDF 661 KB

Minutes:

The Monitoring Officer, Scott Fawcus, presented a report to Council that explained the steps that would be taken in strengthening governance arrangements across the Council, particularly with relation to the transparency and review of partnerships’ and committees’ working.  It was reported that there was a current lack of review and reporting of partnerships’ activities, which meant that firstly, the Council could not be sure that ongoing value was being received from partnership working and secondly, that the Council could not guarantee that it was fully aware of the risks relating to partnership working.  The report therefore, proposed that feedback should be provided for all partnerships.  Feedback would either be in the form of minutes, where they existed, or alternatively an annual or half-yearly briefing report which would cover the activities of the partnerships and any future plans.  Member’s attention was also drawn to the report’s reference to the training and support available for persons appointed to represent the Council in partnerships, including provisions for avoiding conflicts of interest.

 

Council was informed that with regard to Committees, there was currently an anomaly with regard to the facility for Members’ to ask questions without notice, of Chairs of Council Committees at Council meetings.  Currently, the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny could be asked questions without notice, whereas the Chairs of the Audit Committee, the Elections and Democratic Structures Committee, and the Health and Wellbeing Board could not. It was therefore proposed to extend question time to include the Chairs of these Committees in order to provide a consistent approach and increase democratic accountability.  However, Members noted that it was not proposed to allow questions of the Chairs of either the Planning or Licensing Committees given the quasi-judicial role these Committees undertake.

 

RESOLVED that

 

(1)       the reporting and reviewing of Partnership’s activity, as set out in paragraphs 14 to16 and Appendices 1 to 3 of the report, be approved;

 

(2)       the proposal to review the Council’s participation in a number of partnerships and to present details of reviews, and any proposals in due course to the relevant body responsible for overseeing each respective partnership, as shown in Appendices 1 to 3, be noted;

 

(3)       the refreshing and re-running of training events for appointed persons to ensure they are clear about their roles and responsibilities, and the attendance at training being made mandatory for appointed persons, be approved;

 

(4)       the importance of avoiding and managing any potential conflicts of interest relating to partnership working be noted; and

 

(5)       proposals to allow Member’s questions without notice at Council Meetings to the Chairs of the Audit Committee, Elections and Democratic Structures Committee and Health and Wellbeing Board, be approved and the Council Procedure Rules within the Council’s Constitution be amended accordingly to reflect this.