Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations made at the meeting.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Council Meeting held on Thursday, 26th January, 2017, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Chair of Council, Councillor David Nevett, made the following announcement:-

“As you may be aware, this will be the last Council Meeting that a number of Councillors will be attending as they have chosen not to stand again to represent their Ward at the Borough Council Elections in May.

On behalf of the Council, I would like to place on record, our best wishes and acknowledge their contribution to the Borough and the manner in which they fulfilled their duties as Ward Members, during their Terms of Office.”

Following this announcement, Councillor David Nevett allowed Members to make personal statements in relation to retiring Councillors, with heartfelt thanks and tributes paid to Councillors Elsie Butler, Ted Kitchen, Pat Knight and Sue Knowles, along with Geraldine Morton, Head of Revenues and Benefits, who was retiring from the Authority at the end of March, 2017.

“I would also like to announce that last Friday, it was my great pleasure and privilege to welcome Fred Adamson and his family to the Mansion House. Fred, who is 97 years old and a D-Day Veteran, has been awarded the Légion d’honneur by the French Government which is given to those who fought and risked their lives to secure France’s liberation during the Second World War.

It was a great honour to meet Fred who kept us entertained with his stories from the war. On behalf of the Council, I would like to send our congratulations to Fred on receiving this honour.”

The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Equalities, made the following announcement:-

“I would like to announce that we are launching the ‘Your Life, Your Way’ Campaign shortly from Adult Social Care, which promotes people to be more independent and to enable them to live their lives to the full. There are lots of different things that the Council can help with, but help from the community is also a key element to this.  It was to be launched on the 6th March, 2017, and with a lot of publicity to raise awareness of this. I am looking forward to the good take up.”

Councillor Pat Knight, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, made the following announcement:-

“Thank you, I ask for discretion in allowing me on my last Full Council, to speak longer than the allotted time.

I will start with the Well North Project at Denaby. This was launched in September of 2015 and is supported by the national Well North Programme. The founder, Aidan Halligan, set up this scheme to help disadvantaged communities in the North of England. Doncaster put in a bid for the project and won. Denaby was chosen for the project due to its level of deprivation and potential to benefit from the work. Following the closure of the library in the previous year, the community hub had been lost. Consultation was undertaken which involved joint working with partners and communities in order to find out from local residents, what  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72.

None received for this meeting.

There were no questions from the public.

Prior to Members’ consideration of the report, the Monitoring Officer, Scott Fawcus, reminded Members there was a legal requirement to include in the minutes details of how each Elected Member had voted on decisions relating to the budget and level of Council Tax.  Therefore, items 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 would all be subject to a recorded vote and voting preferences would be documented in the minutes.

The Monitoring Officer also reminded Members that and Equality Implications were fundamental in making a decision and it was of utmost importance that Members had fully considered the impact on certain groups and individuals, and had given due regard to any implications of this decision under the Equality Act.

The Monitoring Officer also made reference to the Public Sector Equality Duty within todays’s Revenue Budget report and the Housing Revenue Account Budget (HRA).  Equality issues were fundamental to the exercise of the function of a public authority and that it was inevitable that the implementation of some of the budget proposals, would have an impact on services, service users and individuals and groups, particularly those persons with protected characteristics within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010.

Members were informed that the Revenue Budget included at Appendix M, a list of items which would require the production of detailed Due Regard Assessments before such time as these savings could be implemented. Further reports taking account of individual Due Regard Statements, would be produced and further decision making required by the Executive before those savings could be implemented.

In relation to the HRA budget, Members were requested to consider the contents of that Due Regard Statement and their obligations under the Equality Act 2010, to have due regard to the need to:-

·         Eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimization;

·         Advance equality of opportunity; and

·         Foster good relations between those with protected characteristics and those without such characteristics. 

The Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, presented the report to Council, which sought approval of the Budget proposals for 2017/18.

The Mayor stated that as everyone in the Chamber was aware, the Council was facing difficult financial times.  Local Authority funding continued to face brutal annual cuts from Central Government which favoured wealthy areas over less affluent Towns and Cities, like Doncaster.  However, this would not let the perpetual cuts drag Doncaster down and the Mayor assured the Chamber that this would not limit the Council’s ambitions for the Borough and its people.  The budget proposals therefore continued to deliver the Mayor’s priority of ensuring the Council was able to:-

·         provide efficient and effective public services, whilst

·         investing in the future of the Borough and its residents.

More specifically, the Council was succeeding in its aims to:-

·         Increase jobs, apprenticeships and grow our economy – including more well paid, high skilled jobs;

·         Deliver homes that met the needs of everyone;

·         Raise education standards and increase opportunities;

·         Deliver vital services for children and vulnerable residents, and

·         Support Doncaster’s communities and keep them clean, green and safe.

Members were informed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 74.

The Council considered a report which was presented by the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, which set out the Capital Programme for 2017/18 to 2020/21.  The Mayor stated that she was pleased to be able to present the Capital Programme and growing the economy, improving education, and creating new jobs was a vital part of the future of Doncaster.  These goals would form the cornerstone of the Capital budget, which would see £332 million of Capital investment over the next four years.  Members noted that in 2017/18, around £119 million would be spent on stimulating further growth and prosperity, and the Council would deliver projects that would help to bring highly skilled, well paid jobs to the Borough.  The Mayor pointed out that the growth stimulated, would be inclusive growth, providing opportunities that local people could benefit from.

It was reported that the new National College for High Speed Rail would be opening in September 2017; a national institution that would provide cutting edge engineering training at Lakeside.  This would bring university level skills training to Doncaster and would support the already thriving railway industry in the area.

The Mayor informed the Chamber that £6.6 million would be invested in Phase 2 of the Great Yorkshire Way Airport Link Road 2017/18, on which development would start this year.  Phase 1 had already brought record passenger numbers to the airport and had helped to deliver hundreds of new jobs at the iPort, with more still to come despite being open for less than a year.  In addition, Great Yorkshire Way was enabling new homes at Rossington and had helped to alleviate the notorious ‘Cantley Crawl’, with congestion along Bawtry Road significantly reduced.

It was reported that the new Urban Centre Masterplan would help to transform the centre of Doncaster and the Council would be investing more than £30 million with the support of the Sheffield City Region.  This would enable Doncaster to have a strong centre that would support retail and professional services, entrepreneurial businesses and new Town Centre housing. Therefore, the delivery of the Masterplan would ensure that Doncaster’s centre functioned more as a ‘City Centre’ which would look to ensure greater sustainability.  The Masterplan would look to deliver jobs that were accessible to people across the Borough, as well as providing vibrant retail and leisure facilities for both residents and visitors alike.  Members noted that development was already starting on the Railway Station forecourt area, which would provide a welcoming gateway to the Town.

Additionally, the Mayor informed Members that further investment would be made into Doncaster’s market in 2017/18, in order to build on the long-term success of this valuable asset.

The Mayor reported that the Capital Programme was also being used in innovative ways.  This was demonstrated with the Herten Triangle Leisure scheme, which was a Council led development that would create up to 200 new jobs, as well as delivering £300,000 of income that would then be spent on public services.  Additionally, the successful Smartlight Project  ...  view the full minutes text for item 75.

The Council considered a report which was presented by Councillor Jane Nightingale, Cabinet Member for Housing, which set out the Housing Revenue Account Budget proposals for 2017/18 along with the medium term financial forecast for the next three years.  The account had a budget in order to break even and was targeted to have a working balance of £4 million over the next four years.  Councillor Nightingale informed the Chamber that the key points to note within the report included the following:-

·         Housing rents were to decrease by 1% in 2017/18 and in the two years following.  This decrease was a statutory change which was included within the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016. 2017/18 was the second of a four year period in which the 1% reduction would be applied.  Whilst the reduction had significantly reduced the resources available within the HRA, Councillor Nightingale assured Members that the Council was confident that this would not reduce their ability to deliver excellent, value for money services to all its tenants.  It did mean that the Council would be limited in the number of new build Council houses that it was able to delivery, but the Council was working with other partners to look at alternative options for housing delivery;

·         The average rent in Doncaster would remain the lowest of all South Yorkshire Councils at £70.20 per week;

·         All other fees and charges were frozen.  Members noted that this was possible as the Council had invested in all areas across the Housing Service and the charges being frozen were self-funding and were not subsidised by other tenants who did not receive the services.  It was reported that these charges would be kept under review in future years, in order to ensure that they remained at the correct levels; and

·         The HRA continued to fund £32 million of investment within the Council Stock during 2017/18, with the main areas of investment being the new build programme, the regeneration of the Bristol Grove area in Wheatley and the continued investment in new energy efficient boilers and heating systems, and new roofs including fascias, gutters and soffits.

Following presentation of the Housing Revenue Account Budget proposals, Members were afforded the opportunity to comment on the report.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 21.4, a recorded vote was taken on the recommendations contained within the report, which was declared as follows:-

For – 48

The Chair of Council, Councillor David Nevett, the Vice-Chair of Council Councillor George Derx, the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones and Councillors Nick Allen, Nigel Ball,

Iris Beech, Joe Blackham, Rachael Blake, Elsie Butler, Bev Chapman,

Phil Cole, Jane Cox, Steve Cox, Jessie Credland, Susan Durant, Nuala Fennelly, Neil Gethin, Pat Haith, John Healy, Rachel Hodson,

Charlie Hogarth, Sandra Holland, Mark Houlbrook, R. Allan Jones,

Ken Keegan, Majid Khan, Jane Kidd, Ted Kitchen, Pat Knight,

Chris McGuinness, Sue McGuinness, John McHale, Bill Mordue,

John Mounsey, Jane Nightingale, Andy Pickering, Andrea  ...  view the full minutes text for item 76.

The Council considered a report, which was presented by the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, which detailed the strategy for management of the Council finances and provided a framework for the operation of the treasury management function within the Council.  The Treasury Management Strategy would ensure that sufficient money was available to meet service delivery in line with the approved budgets.  The key points that the Strategy focused on were described in detail within the report, but related to the following points:-

·         Borrowing – whilst borrowing would increase, Members noted that the Council would still remain under-borrowed against its borrowing requirement in order to avoid the higher cost of carrying debt;

·         Investments – securing the return of investment funds remained paramount, and the investment strategy would continue to manage the balances available and support cash flow requirements; and

·         A low risk policy had been produced in order to protect the Council from loss.

Members noted that the strategy provided a good balance between the Council’s existing maturity profile and the production of new savings to support front line budgets and service provision.  Remaining under borrowed would also protect the Council from risk of loss from failed investments.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 21.4, a recorded vote was taken on the recommendations contained within the report, which was declared as follows:-

For – 48

The Chair of Council, Councillor David Nevett, the Vice-Chair of Council Councillor George Derx, the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones and Councillors Nick Allen, Nigel Ball,

Iris Beech, Joe Blackham, Rachael Blake, Elsie Butler, Bev Chapman,

Phil Cole, Jane Cox, Steve Cox, Jessie Credland, Susan Durant, Nuala Fennelly, Neil Gethin, Pat Haith, John Healy, Rachel Hodson,

Charlie Hogarth, Sandra Holland, Mark Houlbrook, R. Allan Jones,

Ken Keegan, Majid Khan, Jane Kidd, Ted Kitchen, Pat Knight,

Chris McGuinness, Sue McGuinness, John McHale, Bill Mordue,

John Mounsey, Jane Nightingale, Andy Pickering, Andrea Robinson,

Kevin Rodgers, Craig Sahman, Alan Smith, Clive Stone, Austen White,

Sue Wilkinson, Jonathan Wood and Paul Wray.

Against – 0

Abstain – 0

On being put to the meeting, the Treasury Management Strategy was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED that

(1)       the Treasury Management Strategy 2017/18 to 2020/21 and the Prudential Indicators included therein, be approved; and

(2)       the Minimum Revenue Provision Policy, as set out in paragraphs 17 to 19 and in Appendix B to the report, be approved.

Members considered the Statutory Resolution report which set out how Council Tax was calculated and made recommendations regarding Doncaster’s Council Tax requirement for 2017/18.

It was reported that the increase in the level of Council Tax proposed for Doncaster Council was made up of 2 main elements; these being the core Council Tax and the Adult Social Care Precept.  The proposals presented to the Chamber included an increase in the core Council Tax of 1.99% and an increase in the Adult Social Care precept of 2% which meant that the citizens of Doncaster could see their Council Tax for Council services increase by 3.99%.

The overall increase will mean an additional £47.49 for Band D Council Tax per annum which equated to £0.91 per week, and £31.65 for Band A per annum, which equated to £0.61 per week.

The Mayor stated that she was pleased to inform Members that whilst there was still a rise in Council Tax, in comparison to other Metropolitan Districts and Unitary Authorities, Doncaster was still expected to have one of the lowest levels of Council Tax in the Country and with around 60% of Doncaster’s properties sitting in Band A, endeavoured to keep rises to a minimum.

Council was also requested to pass the appropriate Statutory Resolutions, as set out and recommended in Appendix B to the report, which incorporated the Council Taxes of the Joint Authorities, with the Police and Fire increases standing at 3.27% and 1.97% respectively which, taken together with Doncaster's 3.99% increase, represent a 3.81% increase from the 2016/17 Council Tax for Doncaster residents.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 21.4, a recorded vote was taken on the recommendations contained within the report, which was declared as follows:-

For – 43

The Chair of Council, Councillor David Nevett, the Vice-Chair of Council Councillor George Derx, the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones and Councillors Nigel Ball, Iris Beech, Rachael Blake, Joe Blackham, Elsie Butler, Bev Chapman, Phil Cole, John Cooke, Jessie Credland, Susan Durant, Nuala Fennelly, Neil Gethin, Sean Gibbons, Pat Haith, John Healy, Rachel Hodson, Charlie Hogarth, Sandra Holland, Mark Houlbrook,  Kenneth Keegan, Majid Khan, Jane Kidd, Ted Kitchen, Pat Knight, Sue Knowles, Chris McGuinness, Sue McGuinness, John McHale, Bill Mordue, John Mounsey, Jane Nightingale, Andy Pickering, Andrea Robinson, Kevin Rodgers, Craig Sahman, Clive Stone, Austen White, Sue Wilkinson and Paul Wray.

Against – 0

Abstain – 6

Councillors Nick Allen, Jane Cox, Steve Cox, R. Allan Jones, Alan Smith and Jonathan Wood.

On being put to the meeting, the recommendation contained within the report was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED that Council approve a Band D Council Tax for 2017/18 of £1,237.81 for Doncaster Council Services and passed the appropriate Statutory Resolutions, as set out and recommended at Appendix B, which incorporate the Council Taxes of the Joint Authorities and which, taken together with Doncaster’s 3.99% increase, represent a 3.81% increase from the 2016/17 Council Tax for Doncaster residents.

The Council received a report presented by Ros Jones, Mayor of Doncaster, on the Corporate Plan for 2017/18.  Members noted that the current Corporate Plan ran out at the end of 2016/17, and the Mayor was pleased to set out the Council’s priorities for 2017/18 within the updated Corporate Plan.

The Mayor outlined that the Corporate Plan was presented alongside her budget proposals, and had four priority themes to focus upon which would look to improve the quality of life for residents of Doncaster. These priority themes were detailed below:-

·         Doncaster Working

·         Caring

·         Living

·         Learning

These four priority themes were under-pinned by a cross cutting theme, this being ‘Connected Council’, which covered the things that must be undertaken to deliver better outcomes, including enabling residents to access modern, on-line customer services.

The Mayor reported that she was grateful to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee for considering the Plan, and for their feedback and support, which resulted in several changes being made to the Plan which she felt was a better document as a result.

Members were informed that there was a growing £5 billion economy and record levels of residents in employment had recently been witnessed with many more new jobs in the pipeline.  Services were being redesigned and more of them were being delivered in partnership.  Significant budget savings had been achieved and the Council was looking forward with confidence although, it was very important not to be complacent.  However, despite the positivity, Members noted that quality of life still varied significantly across the Borough and greater emphasis needed to be placed on tackling inequalities and ensuring that local people benefited from the opportunities being created, and therefore, it was essential that services were joined up and effective.

The Mayor stated that it was therefore important that the Plan shifted its focus from monitoring indicators to driving the delivery of plans and programmes.  These plans were already shaping how the Council worked with the examples of the One Doncaster Action Plan, Early Help Strategy and the Place Plan given.  In conclusion, the Mayor asked for Council to give its support to the updated Corporate Plan in order to guide the Council’s work over the next year, to shape Doncaster’s future and improve the lives of local people.

Following consideration of the report, Members of Council were invited to make any comments on the Corporate Plan.  Whilst Members were largely in support of the Corporate Plan and happy to endorse it, a couple of concerns were raised which the Mayor endeavoured to answer.

Councillor Jonathan Wood, raised concerns regarding Superfast South Yorkshire, at which he expressed dismay in terms of its delivery as he felt it was failing in Doncaster with residents in outlying villages still not receiving adequate broadband services.  The Mayor assured Councillor Wood she would find out more information on this issue and provide him with a written response.  A concern was also voiced in respect of the airport, but Members were assured that this continued  ...  view the full minutes text for item 79.

The Council considered a report presented by Councillor Nuala Fennelly, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools, that detailed the outcome of the review undertaken by the Independent Education and Skills Commission.  Councillor Fennelly informed Members that the review resulted in an excellent piece of work that was very clear about the challenges faced by the Council.  The report identified seven characteristics of an effective education and skills system, and made thirty recommendations that would look to improve, enhance and strengthen provision in the Borough.  Members noted that the Commission pointed out that a lot of good work and practice was already ongoing in the Borough and in many cases, all that was needed was better connectivity.

The Council was informed that extensive consultation had been undertaken on the ‘One Doncaster’ report and the response had been overwhelmingly positive, with useful feedback resulting in the reconfiguring of certain details of the report in order to enable it to move forward for delivery, with the Team Doncaster Strategic Partnership response and statement of implementation presented at the Business Doncaster Ambassador Event on 1st February, 2017.

Councillor Fennelly explained that one of the key points of the report to create a Board specifically concerned with Skills and Education, was now being acted upon, with members from different partners appointed as Joint Chairs. They would now work towards establishing the Board and create a detailed Implementation Plan.

Councillor Fennelly concluded by stating that Education and Skills touched on everything that was done in the Borough; it was linked to the economy, health and also to stronger and safer communities.  Most importantly, it was about the greatest resource, the Borough’s young people, and the sort of world that they would grow up in, the opportunities presented for them, and the role that the Council would play in growing Doncaster as a place to live, learn, work and do business.  The report provided a great opportunity to do things differently and make an enormous difference that would impact both now and in generations to come.

Following the consideration of the report, Members were invited to make any comments on the documents before them.  Endorsement of the report was widely supported with the ‘holistic approach’ to education welcomed.

RESOLVED that the response be endorsed by the Council in order to develop plans, including the formal establishment of an Education and Skills Partnership Board, to commission and oversee the implementation of the One Doncaster recommendations.

Further to a Motion unanimously passed by Council in September 2016 objecting to the new Government proposal for the High Speed 2 Route in South Yorkshire, the Mayor introduced this report.  It was reported that the Government had launched a consultation on Property and Route Refinement and the final response to this consultation had to be submitted by 9th March, 2017.  The Mayor outlined that the proposed Council response would be in line with the position agreed by Members at Council and the paper before them was for endorsement and comment prior to its submission.

The report presented to Members outlined the key issues that would be addressed as part of the consultation response.  The new proposals would have a major impact on local residents and communities, particularly in Mexborough and Barnburgh.  Additionally, the Sheffield Midland Spur Option would:-

·         Provide fewer and smaller trains, giving fewer seats for Sheffield City Region passengers and reducing service frequency;

·         Offer inferior connectivity to other major cities; and

·         Increase journey times.

The Mayor stated that in her view, the facts made the proposals entirely unacceptable.  Furthermore, since the Council had passed its Motion in September, further information had come to light that only served to reinforce the view that it was unacceptable.  Members noted that far from saving the £1 billion predicted with the Sheffield Midland Spur, the new proposal would actually cost more than the Meadowhall route; both to develop and operate.  Moreover, the Mayor reported that the Meadowhall option would hopefully look to deliver 1000 extra jobs and more than £350 million in GVA to the region compared with the Sheffield Midland option.

In terms of the residents of the Shimmer Estate who would be affected by the route, the Mayor stated that the consultation packages proposed to ensure that they were no worse off as a result were not enough and the Council was calling on HS2 to address this issue.

The Mayor concluded her presentation of the report by stating that the proposals were not acceptable in any way to either Doncaster or the wider region, and asked Members in the Chamber to endorse the Council’s approach.

Also in attendance at the meeting, were Neil Firth, Head of Service for Major Projects and Investment, and David Pownall, Senior Project Manager, HS2, who provided Members with an informative presentation which went into great depth and explained in detail, the proposal and its impact, along with the Council’s analysis of the HS2 Proposals.  Following the presentation, Members were afforded the opportunity to speak on this item and a number of issues were raised.

A number of Members raised concerns in respect of the impact on residents in the Borough, largely in Mexborough on the Shimmer Estate, and also in other areas including Barnburgh, Clayton, Sprotbrough and Hickleton.  Strong concerns were voiced that the compensation proposed simply did not go far enough to balance the cost, disturbance and upset to people’s lives.  Several Members requested that further weight be added to this  ...  view the full minutes text for item 81.

            RESOLVED that in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 17(l), the meeting stand adjourned at 4.10p.m, to be reconvened on this day at 4.20 p.m.

            RESOLVED that the meeting reconvened at 4.20 p.m.

The Council considered a report which proposed a provisional Diary of Meetings for the 2017/18 Municipal Year, in order to allow Elected Members to be consulted and comment on the meeting cycle prior to its formal adoption at the Annual Meeting of Council in May, 2017.

The proposed Diary of Meetings for the 2017/18 Municipal Year, was attached at Appendix A to the report.

            RESOLVED that

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

(2)          the final version of the Diary of Meetings be presented to the Annual Meeting of Council in May, 2017 for approval.

The Chair of Council, Councillor David Nevett, presented a report to the Chamber, which sought Members support in conferring the Freedom of the Borough on Ben Parkinson, MBE.

The Chair reported that Ben needed little introduction and was a well-known individual both locally and nationally, with no challenge being too great for him despite his disability.  As a young boy, Ben’s dream had been to join the British Paratroopers, a dream that he achieved; he fought the Battle of Rommalia Bridge on his 19th Birthday, served 7 months in Kosovo at age 20, and volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan in 2003.  On 12th September, 3 weeks before the end of his tour, Ben was in a Land Rover when a huge anti-tank mine detonated under the vehicle. Ben was not given a chance of survival and was immediately flown home to be with his family.  He remained in a coma for several months whilst his family and friends maintained a vigil at his bedside.  Despite his disabilities, Ben had worked tirelessly and gone from strength to strength, dedicated to becoming as fit as possible, improving his physical fitness, speech and memory, and learning to walk on prosthetic limbs and hoped one day, to return to his regiment; a feat never before attempted by anyone who had suffered such a severe head injury.

Over the years since his injuries, Ben had been a Patron of ‘The Pilgrim Bandits’, a charity that had raised millions of pounds to help and inspire wounded soldiers to live their lives to the full, and Ben had been involved first-hand, in many fund raising efforts and had undertaken many extreme challenges in order to raise money for injured servicemen and women.  Ben had been an example of inspiration to old and young alike, and had a passion for overcoming adversity.

The Chair stated that the Freedom of the Borough was the very least the Council could do to recognise the achievements of this heroic young serviceman from Doncaster, who was a brave young man with a wicked sense of humour, a winning smile and an indomitable spirit.

Following the Chair of Council’s presentation, Members of the Chamber were afforded the opportunity to comment on the report.  Councillors paid tribute to Ben and whole heartedly supported the request to confer the Freedom of the Borough.  Members conveyed their thanks and appreciation to Ben for all that he had done for our country and acknowledged he was an inspiration to everyone.

RESOLVED that Council agree to bestow the Freedom of the Borough on Ben Parkinson, MBE, and recognised and endorsed his selflessness, determination and fighting spirit, and his passion to meet and overcome every adversity and challenge faced before him along with his ability to inspire young and old both locally and nationally.

(i)         Questions on Notice to the Executive:-

None received for this meeting.

A.   Questions on Notice

No questions on notice 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 Clive Stone asked the following question:-

“The pack we got through was informative to say the least; there was a lot of figures produced that took a lot of going through to find the answers we wanted to find out.  What I would like to ask is, going back to the Budget figures, there are a lot of figures where we are saving money, but what I would like to see is, what were the original figures which we were saving money from in as much as it does not state how much.  For instance, Consultancy and Agency costs; we are going to save money there, but it does not say how much the original budget was.  It gives a figure, but not where we are coming from.  I would like a bit more information to see how much we are saving and what the budget was originally.  I am pleased to see we are saving £100,000 in Consultancy and Agency fees?”

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

“I don’t think you are actually asking a question; I think you are asking for some information.  I will ask Officers to provide you with more information; that is not a problem.”

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

There were no questions put to 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 Alan Smith asked the following question:-

“Joe, I have been informed by your fellow Cabinet Members that you are the person responsible for Transport.  Going back to the Capital Plan, can you please tell me when the Local Transport Policy will be produced?”

A.   Councillor Joe Blackham gave the following response:-

“You are actually talking about the Local Transport Plan.  It is something that’s’ produced on a Sheffield City Region basis and an amount of money is allocated back to Doncaster.  It is not something that we have a great deal of control of on how that money is spent.  For example, money is allocated for cycling provision.  It is a specified sum of money that we have very little input into how this is spent.”

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

Q. “So basically, we do not have any input into any kind of decision or control of what the plan comprises of?”

                   A. Councillor Joe Blackham gave the following response:-

“It’s the Combined Authority that takes the decisions.  The allocation is then sent through to Doncaster and by and large, it is pre-allocated and ring fenced for specific uses.”  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86.

The Council considered a report which informed Members of Key Decisions taken under Special Urgency Provisions, which had been taken by the Executive between the period 1st March, 2016 and 2nd March, 2017, which had not been included on the Forward Plan.  The ability to take decisions under Special Urgency, was provided for within legislation and reflected in the Access to Information Procedure Rules set out in the Council’s Constitution. 

The report informed Council that one decision had been taken by the Mayor of Doncaster under Special Urgency provisions during the period:-

·           Appointment of Willmott Dixon Construction Limited to deliver the construction of the National College for High Speed Rail in Doncaster.

The decision was decision taken by Mayor Ros Jones on Monday, 11th April, 2016,in consultation with Councillor John Mounsey, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee. A copy of the decision record and accompanying report was circulated to all Members on Monday, 11th April, 2016.

RESOLVED that the action taken in accordance with Special Urgency provisions of the Access to Information Procedure Rules, be noted.

A.        Sheffield City Region Combined Authority held on 30th January, 2017.

B.        South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority held on 16th January, 2017.

C.        South Yorkshire Pensions Authority held on 12th January, 2017.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the following Joint Authorities be noted:-

A.   Sheffield City Region Combined Authority held on 30th January, 2017;

B.   South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority held on 16th January, 2017; and

C.   South Yorkshire Pensions Authority held on 12th January, 2017.

At the conclusion of formal business, the Chair of Council, Councillor David Nevett, expressed his thanks and appreciation to all Elected Members for their work and contributions over the year which had allowed them to make informed choices in the course of their deliberations. The Chair wished Members all the best for the future and thanked them for giving him the opportunity to undertake the role of Chair of Council, and stated that it was an experience he would remember for the rest of his life.