Agenda item

None received for this meeting.

 

A.     Questions on Notice

 

No questions on Notice from Elected Members, had been received for this meeting.

 

B.     Questions Without Notice

 

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15.2, the Chair accepted the following questions from Elected Members during Question Time:-

 

A.     Questions to Ros Jones, Mayor of Doncaster

 

Q. Councillor Kevin Rodgers asked the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones:-

 

“Thank you Mayor Jones for the update you gave us on Devolution earlier on in the Council agenda.  Why do you think the Sheffield Chamber have so totally misrepresented what Doncaster and Barnsley Councils have stated regarding the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Yorkshire proposals and have not correctly put forward what the proposal is?”

 

A.  “Thank you, for your question Councillor Rodgers.

 

I am second guessing and it’s wrong to second guess because you are assuming what’s in someone’s head.  However, I want to reiterate; we shared everything that was going forward in respect of Devolution, with all Councillors, with our MPs, with our Chamber of Commerce.  When I read what the Chief Executive of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce said, it was quite obvious he had not read the documentation, to actually come out and say one overall LEP and Combined Authority is wrong.  No, what the proposal put forward by West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and which needs to be worked up, is that we maintain our Devolution deal along with other deals, and its one overarching Mayor.  So perhaps, he hadn’t got time before he was asked to comment, I don’t know, but if you are going to comment on something, make sure that you have read the actual thing that is being proposed.  I find it deplorable that people do not read documentation. 

 

I will praise our own Chamber of Commerce, who have thanked us for our openness and transparency.  They will be talking to their Members and will share their comments with us.  Our Chamber think that it is a very brave move and whether the Yorkshire deal can come forward or not, they would feel quite excited about it.  That’s their initial response this is the proper way that Chambers work; by joined up thinking and talking together and ensuring that they get the full message out there and then working together.  Doncaster Chamber supported the Devolution deal for the Sheffield City Region, but they can also see the plusses for going forward Yorkshire wide. 

 

We are looking at what can be delivered. Our Chamber always reads what we send them and are supportive when it’s the right thing for the businesses of Doncaster.  This is a proposal that has got to be worked up, and we are looking at one deal so that we know what’s been proposed.

 

It’s wrong for any other Council not to actually have an open mind and see what comes forward, because I am here to drive Doncaster forward.  I’m here to drive our economy forward.  And we do that in conjunction with many others.

 

So, you are asking me to guess.  I can only assume that he didn’t read the documentation that was actually put out there, which I assume that every one of our other Councillors have because people are supportive in general for us pursuing the concept.”

 

Q. Councillor Nick Allen asked the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones:-

 

“When Senior Officers are appointed on an Interim basis, or through an agency, and obviously we have spoken about this earlier today, do you feel if their interim basis lasts for more than a 100 days, they should still be approved by the Chief Officer’s Appointments Committee?”

 

A. The Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones gave the following response:-

 

“The only Chief Officer Appointment that I’m actually involved in is the Chief Executive.  And therefore, I would always look to get the best we can.  And when we are looking to move this Borough forward, I leave the management of the staff down to the Chief Executive.”

 

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15.7, Councillor Nick Allen asked the following supplementary question:-

 

Q. “In doing that, do you have any oversight of whether we get good value for public money?”

 

A. The Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, gave the following response:-

 

“I think that good value for public money has already been identified by the answer that you got from Councillor Glyn Jones.  If you look at the amount, that’s within the footprint of actually appointing people in those levels of office.”

 

B.     Questions to the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Equalities

 

There were no questions put to the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Equalities.

 

C.     Questions to Councillor Joe Blackham, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport

 

Q.  Councillor R. Allan Jones asked Councillor Joe Blackham:-

 

“It’s my understanding that Planning have refused the application for a Care Home on Goodison Boulevard.  Can you bring me up to date on that situation?”

 

A.     Councillor Joe Blackham gave the following response:-

 

“If I sat on the Planning Committee I would be able to provide you with that information. It is a quasi-judicial Committee and judges each application on its own merits. I will provide you with a written reply.”

 

In response, Councillor R. Allan Jones stated the following:-

 

Q. “I apologise; I thought that it’s your Portfolio area, that’s all.

 

A.  Councillor Joe Blackham gave the following response:-

 

“Planning as you know only too well, has no oversight in terms of its decision making.  It is a quasi-judicial system.  The Planning Committee make the decision that they felt appropriate at the time.  If there is any detailed information that you want in relation to that decision, I will have it forwarded to you. ”

 

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15.7, Councillor R. Allan Jones asked the following supplementary question:-

 

Q. “I apologise.  This is one of the problems I have got; Planning doesn’t have an oversight of this Council and it is quite clear that I have talked to both the Mayor and the Chief Executive about some aspects of Planning.  The question I am asking is Cabinet made that decision to close the Care Homes and it was called-in.  I am just trying to get to the point that we should all be aware that we shouldn’t be breaking the rules.”

 

A.  Councillor Blackham gave the following response:-

 

“Cabinet made a recommendation.  Planning Committee does not have to adhere to Executive recommendations.  It’s a quasi-judicial system.  They will do what they feel fit; judging every planning application on its merits at the time that they are considering it.  Nobody has oversight of that process in the purest sense; it is purely Planning Committee.  I will find out some information and forward it on to you.”

 

Q. Councillor Nick Allen asked Councillor Joe Blackham:-

 

“Does the Asset Management Board feed into the Planning Committee at all?”

 

A.  Councillor Joe Blackham gave the following response:-

 

“No.”

 

D.     Questions to Councillor Tony Corden, Cabinet Member for Customer, Corporate and Trading Services

 

In the absence of Councillor Tony Corden, Cabinet Member for Customer, Corporate and Trading Services, the Chair of Council informed Members that any questions for Councillor Corden should be submitted in writing to the Executive Office after the meeting and a response would be provided accordingly.

 

E.     Questions to Councillor Nuala Fennelly, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Nuala Fennelly, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools.

 

F.     Questions to Councillor Pat Knight, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing

 

Q.  Councillor Paul Wray asked Councillor Pat Knight:-

 

“It was stated earlier by Mr. Wright that the cancer detection equipment that was on-going savings for and fund raising for, would now not be placed in Doncaster.  Is it true that in actual fact it is only being postponed because of financial difficulties by the Trust?  I think this is important because that fund raising is still on-going and if it was thought that it would never happen, that would affect that fund raising.  Thank you.”

 

A.  Councillor Pat Knight gave the following response:-

 

“Yes, it just so happens that I contacted DBH this morning and I will just read out what they sent me, because they assumed that this was to come up somewhere.  DRI has one CT scanner and one SPECT scanner for both elective and emergency scans.  We have undertaken some work and are now able to utilise the scanners much more effectively.  Use of CT continues to grow on an average of 6% per year and so in the future we will require a further scanner.  We do have the option of a mobile scanner, which we do use on site on average of 4 times a month.  This can be increased to 5 times a week if the demand increases. 

 

The radiotherapy expansion from Sheffield Teaching Hospital has been put on hold, not cancelled, whilst the need for radiotherapy levels is reviewed.  The Cancer Detection Trust used to raise money for a CT scanner to aid diagnosis pathways for cancer, whilst at the same time, the Trust is developing a business case for a CT scanner adjacent to the Emergency department.  There are currently no delays at all for Doncaster residents.  So it has been put on hold, it’s not been cancelled at all.”

 

Q.  Councillor Andy Pickering asked Councillor Pat Knight:-

 

“Councillor Knight, I believe that you are a member of the Board of Governors on the NHS Foundation Trust.  I wonder if you can provide us with some information surrounding the Fred and Ann Green Legacy Trust; who are the Members that currently sit on the Fred and Ann Green Sub-Committee.  I would be grateful if you could tell us if the minutes are a public document and if so, could you point us in the right direction for the minutes and let us know what the frequency of the meetings are?”

 

A.  Councillor Pat Knight gave the following response:-

 

“Obviously, I have not got that information here with me here today, but I will look into the issue you have raised and provide you with a written response.”

 

G.     Questions to Councillor Chris McGuinness, Cabinet Member for Communities, the Voluntary Sector and Environment

 

Q.  Councillor Cynthia Ransome asked Councillor Chris McGuinness:-

 

“When I asked a question at the last meeting which is recorded in the minutes, you said that you would get back to me about Fly Tipping because you had done an awful lot about it.  In the meantime and I think that everybody has got this as well, there is the Street Scene and Highways Transformation 2016-18 Plan; is this the Plan that you were talking about.  My next question is, I would also like to see what plans have been put in place in respect of roadside litter?”

 

A.  Councillor Chris McGuinness gave the following response:-

 

“On Fly Tipping because it is the end of the calendar year, we are gathering some figures together now, so there is a plan, but I can tell you that last year, there were 130 actions taken against Fly Tippers.  Normally it’s between 20-40 per year, so they are going up, but I will ensure that you are provided with an update on this.”

 

Q.  Councillor John Cooke asked Councillor Chris McGuinness:-

 

“Going back to what Councillor R. Allan Jones was referring to in relation to this Care Home, I welcome the decision of the Planning Committee to reject it on the grounds that it is green open space and it is in breach of our UDP.  But what I am more than interested in is why we were not told of the decision being blocked.  Nobody who objected to it was informed and this happens quite a lot with regard to these decisions.  Also, is it the case that because it was encouraged by the Cabinet, that we are going to have to bend the rules now to get it through Planning, which I think, is quite wrong?”

 

A.  Councillor Chris McGuinness gave the following response:-

 

“I am not sure why you are asking me because I don’t do Planning, but it does give me a chance to say that Planning is not a Full Council function; it never has been and all planning applications have to be treated on their own merit.  So we may think, or you may think that was a great idea or it was a bad idea and you will not always agree with Planning Committee and that is one of the joys of being on it and they will tell you.”

 

To provide clarification in relation to the issue under discussion, the Assistant Director of Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer, Scott Fawcus, stated that he understood that the application had not yet been considered by the Planning Committee and therefore, no decision had been made or communicated to Elected Members.

 

Councillor R. Allan Jones made the following comment:-

 

“For the Council’s information, I actually spoke to the Officer in charge of that particular application.  We went through all the points and that’s what I was told; it would be refused because it would be on green open space and that was against the Policy.”

 

In response, the Assistant Director of Legal and Democratic Services stated that decisions relating to Planning Applications were not within the remit/Terms of Reference of Full Council and recommendations and opinions provided by Officers of what they may or may not believe was not a matter for debate in the Chamber.  Scott Fawcus confirmed that a report would be submitted to the Planning Committee in due course and for consideration by Elected Members of that Committee in accordance with normal practice.

 

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15.7, Councillor John Cooke asked the following supplementary question:-

 

Q. “Can you forward my question on to Planning then please?”

 

Q.  Councillor Nick Allen asked Councillor Chris McGuinness:-

 

“I have had a number of reports from residents in my Ward about Council vehicles parking on the grass drives or just driving across them and causing all sorts of problems, with sludge on the grass, and just making a bit of a mess.  I was wondering how many complaints the Council has received over the last year or so about this and if there is any advice they might give to Officers about dealing with it, so we are not causing such a mess?”

 

A.  Councillor Chris McGuinness gave the following response:-

 

“I am not sure that this is my Portfolio either, but I will pass it on.  As far as I am aware, I have not had or heard of any complaints; I have had no reports and I don’t know if Councillor Blackham has.”

 

With the agreement of the Chair of Council, Councillor David Nevett, The Chair of the Planning Committee, Councillor Iris Beech, addressed the Chamber:-

 

“As Chair of the Planning Committee, I would just like to assure the Members in the Chamber that we are our own people.  We often turn over decisions that are put before us and the recommendations put before us because we do hear both sides of the story and if anyone, a Councillor or any party wishes to speak on a Motion, all they have to do is say so to the Committee Officers, and they will be able to come and speak for up to 5 minutes and all the Ward Councillors for that area can do so.  As I say, we very often do over turn the recommendations, so be assured, if this comes before the Committee, we will look at it with an open mind as we always do”

 

H.     Questions to Councillor Bill Mordue, Cabinet Member for Business, Skills, Tourism and Culture

 

Q.  Councillor James Hart asked Councillor Bill Mordue:-

 

“While the majority of Doncaster can settle down and watch Netflix or whatever streaming services they choose to in the comfort of their own homes, many of our rural villages are still struggling to access broadband.  I have recently been contacted by some of our residents at Loversall, a village in my Ward, who were told in early 2016 that they would have superfast broadband in the next 6 months and they are still waiting and haven’t had any contact yet. I wonder if you could speak to the stakeholders and the broadband suppliers just to see when our residents might be able to get something and maybe look at the other black hole areas of Doncaster?”

 

A.  Councillor Bill Mordue gave the following response:-

 

“Thank you for your question Councillor Hart.  This may come under my Portfolio; I will do what I can to get you a response.”

 

Q.  Councillor Jonathan Wood asked Councillor Bill Mordue:-

 

“Bill, this does come under your Portfolio.  It actually comes under a thing called Superfast South Yorkshire, which is another of these combined agencies that get created across the region to try and deliver benefits to people, but at the end of the day, end up failing a great number.  In this case, it fails all those that live in rural wards.  We see broadband speeds generally across the Borough, about 5-6 megabits per second.  The average in rural wards is just 1.  The Government policy is to say that anything less than 2 is considered a vulnerable broadband region and most of our Borough is that.  Now, in terms of the fact that this is Superfast South Yorkshire, I have tried to figure out who holds our seat on this and we do have a seat, but nobody can confirm in this Authority who that is.  So my first question is, do you know who sits on Superfast Broadband and represents us?”

 

A.  Councillor Bill Mordue gave the following response:-

 

“The answer to that is no I don’t.”

 

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15.7, Councillor Jonathan Wood asked the following supplementary question:-

 

Q. “In relation to this, we have 2 seats.  We have one seat that is held by Julie Grant who sits on a Deployment Board and we have another one, and I have a feeling I know who that is, but they have never attended a meeting and would like to ask you to investigate why we are not doing that. 

 

With regard to the second question, Superfast South Yorkshire have the right to allow people to apply for a £300 grant from the Department of Culture Media and Affairs, who have a scheme.  If you apply for that you can take care of superfast broadband by doing it by what’s called ‘Local Area Wi-Max’.  It’s like Wi-Fi and you can do it.  But of course, because we have an exclusive arrangement with BT Open Reach in Doncaster, all of those applications tend to be denied.  Actually, 3 were allowed, but in other places like Sheffield and in Hull and other Yorkshire regions, we see up to two and a half thousand applications succeeding.  My supplementary question is simply, who sits on it.  Can you assure me that they will go to that organisation and try and fix this to the extent that we are allowed to get grants, because where people can actually do it on their own, they are not allowed to because they are frustrated by the systems that they face?”

 

A.  Councillor Bill Mordue gave the following response:-

 

“Thank you Councillor Wood.  The reason I said no was because I knew that you already had the answer to the question that you were asking.  We have discussed this before and you have obviously done a lot of work on this and are in possession of facts and information that I must admit, I wasn’t aware of at the time.  I have had no involvement in Superfast South Yorkshire Broadband and will take this forward and get the answers to you, if you don’t already know.”

 

I.       Questions to Councillor Jane Nightingale, Cabinet Member for Housing

 

Q.  Councillor Majid Khan asked Councillor Jane Nightingale:-

 

“Jane, would you like to comment on the M25 Housing interview with Radio Sheffield this morning regarding Tent City, including their allegation of the cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds?”

 

A.  Councillor Jane Nightingale gave the following response:-

 

“The radio interview by M25 Housing this morning asked about how much Tent City has allegedly cost the Council.  Mrs. Foster states that it has cost over a £100,000 and that isn’t actually correct.  I haven’t got the exact figures, but it is nowhere near that amount. St Leger Homes and our own Communities Team formed our own triage service that went out; it was our own staff in their working time, who went out to engage with the homeless people.  They are saying that the cost was over £100,000 for the Council which is actually incorrect.

 

At the moment, we are still working with these people who are both homeless and vulnerable. We obviously need to keep engaging with them, so we are working with them along with various partners.  M25 are one of those that are included, as are Aspire, and there are volunteers within the community.  This situation is not going to go away. 

 

Nationally, homelessness is rising by 16%.  Tent City itself is a national organisation; it has been in various Boroughs within South Yorkshire and it will keep going until obviously everything is sorted out.  I do feel that some instances of the interview that Joyce Foster referred to against the Council aren’t quite right. Two years ago these services were subject to a tender process which Riverside won over M25.  We have not cut any funding to M25.  They did make an approach during the Tent City situation with offers, but obviously they wanted money whereas we could provide that service ourselves with our partners as a Team in Doncaster.”

 

A.  Councillor Chris McGuinness provided the following information:-

 

“I think that some things do need to be said.  I was really disappointed.  If anyone hasn’t seen that statement from M25, it is 3 pages long and you really should look at it.  There are some things in there that gives me chance to say this; it describes Tent City as a poor outcome.  There were Council staff and staff across St Leger Homes who worked extraordinary hours, all times of the day and night to deal with that.  I find the response astonishing.  And during the interview this morning, it was claimed that at the moment in Doncaster, on any given particular day, there are between 70 and 90 homeless people in Doncaster. 

 

If you go on the BBC’s website today, they have released the figures.  Officially 9 rough sleepers is how it was described on the BBC in 2015 and 13 last year.  On Tent City, there were 86 people on and off, because it went up and down.  Some were from the Midlands, some were from the North West as it moved on, and some were from the North East.  Of the 86 people, 11 were definitely not homeless, people came and went.  72 people were assessed, 14 didn’t take up any offer of assessment.  46 accepted accommodation.  Some people simply left and went off again. 

 

It was not straightforward as people believe.  And for some people to say that 90 people were homeless on any given day in Doncaster; it’s certainly higher than the combined figure for Leeds and Sheffield. It is probably higher than the combined figures for Leeds, Sheffield and York.  It’s an astonishing figure.  And I just think that there was a question about legal action being taken.  My role was on the edge of it, because we didn’t see it as being an enforcement issue, we saw it as a homelessness issue.  It was the organisers who set an end date for it.  And it was the organisers who worked towards the end date.  The only legal action that was established was to make sure that there was a clear cut off date on that day.”

 

Q.  Councillor Nick Allen asked Councillor Jane Nightingale:-

 

“Great minds think alike.  I was going to ask about the M25 interview too, but I would like to know if we can have a breakdown of the true costs to the Council and St Leger Homes of Tent City? I refer you to the question and answer at the last Council meeting about Tent City.  It seems that we have moved on a great deal from there at that stage, so well done.”

 

A.  Councillor Jane Nightingale gave the following response:-

 

“I have got a breakdown of costs and everything that M25 wanted and the £69,000 that Joyce quoted this morning and a breakdown of what that was for.  She was going to employ new staff and create new accommodation, but she wanted the Council to pay for it.  I have not got an issue with that Councillor Allen, I can provide you with how many people we engaged with, how many people we homed, how many people are in temporary accommodation.  We have that information and you can have that.  If anybody wants this information, just drop me an email and let me know; I will provide that information fully to you.”

 

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15.7, Councillor Nick Allen asked the following supplementary question:-

 

Q.“I think somewhere else it was mentioned that 11 of the 86 were not actually properly homeless.  What do you feel about people who aren’t actually homeless, who are nevertheless trying to exploit that vulnerability.  Do you feel it was for political reasons maybe or something like that?!

 

A.Councillor Jane Nightingale gave the following response:-

 

“All I was made aware of was that some people who were staying in Tent City were not homeless.  They had got tenancies in other areas of the Borough, for example in Rossington and obviously were staying there because they did not like that tenancy, they wanted to move.  So they thought that if they came to Tent City and stayed there, and said that they were homeless, they would be picked up. We have a statutory homelessness policy which we have to work through and with that an assessment is done and people have to meet a certain criteria, they didn’t meet that and had to go back.”

 

Q. Councillor Nigel Ball asked Councillor Jane Nightingale:-

 

“I think the question was disturbing and irresponsible.  Irrespective of why people were there, there is a myriad of complex issues why they have become homeless.  People become homeless if they have lost their jobs, personal breakdown, anything. I’m sure the Portfolio Holder will agree with me that it is wrong to label these people.                      

 

Some are suffering from mental health issues and I think the comments coming forward don’t recognise that. The Portfolio Holder will accept the complex needs these people have and it is nothing to do with exploiting the situation, it is where they are in their lives at the current time.”

 

A.  Councillor Jane Nightingale gave the following response:-

 

“I fully agree that they have chaotic needs and this is for various reasons.  Obviously, we need to speak to them and help as much as we can whether this is to help them find a home or for medical assistance; we are there for them. St Leger Homes and the Community Teams headed by Pat Hagan and Karen Johnson worked tirelessly, worked long hours and gained their trust. They engaged with the people so they felt safe and let us help them. It was a big project and we have been out there late at night and in the early hours of the morning, doing different things.”

 

Q. Councillor Phil Cole asked Councillor Jane Nightingale:-

 

“Councillor Nightingale, there are clearly huge differences between homeless needs, whether it be to overcrowding, rough sleeping or political protest.  On housing problems in the Borough, Members have discreetly touched on them, but is it worth holding a Seminar for Elected Members to look at this further?  There is a huge difference for example between mental health issues and drug problems which both result in people ending up on the street and it is a question of how we address this problem.”

 

A.  Councillor Jane Nightingale gave the following response:-

 

“It will be no problem to set that up through Member Support. I will work with Councillor Knight, as part of her role with Health and Wellbeing, and any other Members who can help in order to get the appropriate people involved.

 

However, if we do set it up, I hope that Elected Members will please attend.”

 

Councillor Jane Cox stated that:-

 

“Having worked with homeless people and the people being talked about in the Chamber today, for many years we’re in danger of making assumptions about people you don’t know. I could walk you around Doncaster and introduce you to a number of homeless who already have tenancies, but it is their choice, I work with people year after year who choose to live like this and there is nothing that can be done about it. People sit here and speak of things they know nothing about and if they actually went out there and spoke to people, they may have a better understanding.”

 

A.  Councillor Jane Nightingale gave the following response:-

 

“Councillor Cox is absolutely right, we need to speak to them and that’s what I have been doing, late at night, early hours of the morning, we have been out there, doing different things, engage with them, but you’ve got to gain their trust and confidence.”

 

Councillor Jane Cox stated that:-

 

“I agree with Councillor Nightingale, and it wasn’t aimed at her, more at others who think they know what’s going on.”

 

Q.  Councillor Paul Wray asked Councillor Jane Nightingale:-

 

“There was a question from a Member about whether we could have a conference on this; we have just had one.  Members were invited to a Seminar which was organised by the partners that are working against homelessness and it was at the Hub on 1st December, 2016.  People were invited to that.  

 

As Chair of the Regeneration and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Panel, we have looked in depth at the problems regarding homelessness and I can reassure this Chamber that things are on track to actually try and reduce homelessness; it’s working in partnership and as I have mentioned before, it’s looking at the problems these individuals have to try and resolve them, but it is also coming up with a strategy to keep them in their properties.  A lot of these individuals are given a property, but they can’t maintain these tenancies and they end up back on the streets again.  So, a lot of work is being done to combat that and I can give you confidence that we are going in the right direction. 

 

However, due to the austerity measures that we are in the middle of, this is why we are getting the increase in homelessness and people sleeping on the streets.  There are other things happening in the system, for instance, emergency accommodation and half way houses, and things like that; it is not in their interest to quickly move these people on as we would want them to do.  I would ask the Portfolio Holder to confirm what I have just said that we do have an active programme to tackle homelessness in this Town?”

 

A.  Councillor Jane Nightingale gave the following response:-

 

“Yes, obviously.  I have a document relating to the issue of homelessness and I will ensure that all Members receive a copy.  In addition, I will obviously speak to Officers and see what we can do in relation to the issues raised by Members this afternoon.”

 

J.      Questions to Councillor John Mounsey, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee

 

There were no questions put to Councillor John Mounsey, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee.