Agenda and minutes

Prior to the commencement of formal business, Elected Members, Officers and members of the public, observed a minute’s silence as a mark of respect and remembrance in relation to the recent deaths of Councillor Tony Corden who passed away on the 21st November, 2017, Rodney Bickerstaffe, an Honorary Freeman of the Borough, who passed away on the 3rd October, 2017 and former Councillor Vernon John Wain, who passed away on the 10th November, 2017.

Councillor David Hughes declared an interest in relation to Agenda Item No.10 (F), by virtue of being a member of the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Council Meeting held on Thursday, 21st September, 2017, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member, be approved, as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Extraordinary Council Meeting held on Thursday, 9th November, 2017, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member, be approved, as a correct record and signed by the Chair, subject to the inclusion of the following paragraph after the first paragraph on page A.3 of Minute No. 46, to read as follows:-

Councillor R. Allan Jones asked the Deputy Mayor whether there was any legal impediment to the coming together of Combined Authorities in the future and as such work as a single statutory body?  The Assistant Director of Legal and Democratic Services gave an undertaking to provide Councillor Jones with a response.

The Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, made the following announcement:-

“I would like to make an announcement regarding regional Devolution.

In November, Doncaster Council agreed to hold a Community Poll to ask our residents their views on regional Devolution, specifically whether they would prefer Doncaster to be part of a wider Yorkshire Devolution agreement or the current Sheffield City Region proposals.

The consultation exercise ended yesterday and today I can announce the outcome of the Poll.

Last year when the Sheffield City Region undertook its consultation on Devolution, just 67 residents in Doncaster responded and only 561 across the whole of South Yorkshire.

In contrast, I am pleased to be able to inform Council that 45,470 residents in Doncaster have voted in our Community Poll. The results are as follows:

•      Wider Yorkshire – 38,551

•      Sheffield City Region – 6,685

•      Invalid ballot papers – 234

This result represents an overwhelming majority in favour of wider Yorkshire Devolution, which received 85% of all valid votes cast.

The overall turnout was 20.1%, meaning that more people in Doncaster voted in our Devolution consultation, than in any of the three South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner elections which have taken place.

The Community Poll therefore represents a very significant consultation exercise, engaging tens of thousands of residents who would not otherwise have been involved in the Devolution debate.  In addition, it has significantly raised awareness of regional Devolution amongst our wider population, with more than 225,000 people receiving information direct to their door.

The outcome of the poll also reflects the views expressed by our local business community.  Colleagues will be aware that in a recent survey undertaken by Doncaster Chamber of Commerce, 70% of local businesses said they would prefer Doncaster to be part of a wider Yorkshire Devolution.

This position is also supported by the Doncaster Chamber of Commerce, our MPs and colleagues in this Chamber.

Doncaster’s position on Devolution is therefore settled.

It is the will of the people, our business community and our elected politicians that Doncaster should be part of a wider Yorkshire Devolution agreement. We will therefore respect this position and would encourage others to do the same.

We have always said that Devolution is a vitally important issue, which will impact our residents, our businesses and our Borough for the next 30 years.

From the outset, both Doncaster and Barnsley have been clear that we are willing to consider interim solutions for the Sheffield City Region. However, we are also now clear about the ultimate destination, which is for Doncaster to be part of a wider Yorkshire Devolution agreement based on the widest possible geography.

We will therefore engage constructively with Government and colleagues from across Yorkshire on this basis and seek to deliver a solution which meets these requirements, and respects the will of the people of Doncaster.  Thank you.”

The Chief Executive, Jo Miller, made the following announcement:-

“This is Simon Wiles last full Council meeting.  He has been a heroic Director  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

There were no questions from the public received for this meeting.

The Council considered a report which set out the Mayor’s Budget Plan for 2018/19 to 2020/21, including the draft budget proposals to close the budget gap, in preparation for approval at Council on the 5th March, 2018.

In presenting her revenue budget proposals, Mayor Ros Jones stated that it was another prudent three year financial plan aligned to the Doncaster Growing Together Strategy approved by Council, which focused on protecting and improving front line services, and investing in Doncaster’s future.

The Mayor emphasised that in the current climate, this had been ‘no easy task’.  As everyone in the Chamber was aware, the Mayor highlighted that the Council continued to face a difficult financial challenge as further cuts had left this Council with another significant budget gap.

The Mayor explained that over the next three years, the Councilneeded to meet a further budget gap of £43million.  This was on top of the £224million of ongoing savings the Council had already had to find in its annual revenue budget since the Government austerity measures began.

The Mayor stated that it would take the total annual budget gap the Council had to bridge to £267million, since Government austerity measures took hold in 2010/11.

In light of the economic challenges the Council continued to face, the Mayor stated that it did not get any easier to prepare a budget which invested in the future, protected the most vulnerable and maintained the services that mattered most to the Borough’s residents.

However, the Mayor pointed out that this was the Council’s key priority and she believed that the Council had achieved this as set out in her draft budget proposals.

The budget proposals therefore continued to deliver the Mayor’s priority and the priority of the Labour Administration to:-

·      Increase jobs, apprenticeships, inward investment and grow the Borough’s economy, including more well paid, high skilled jobs that local people could access;

·      Deliver more new homes that meet the needs of everyone;

·      Developing the Borough’s Town Centres and the arts, culture and leisure offer;

·      Increasing physical activity, including through cycling, to improve the Borough’s population health and well-being;

·      Raise education standards and bring the education system and business community together, to give young people more opportunities to flourish;

·      Deliver vital services for children and vulnerable residents, joining up health and social care, focusing on prevention and support, and transforming services in Adult Services; and

·      Supporting and working with communities, to help keep them clean, green and safe.

The Mayor highlighted the great progress that had been made in Doncaster in recent years.  In the post-recession period since 2009, the latest figures showed that Doncaster had experienced the highest rate of economic growth in South Yorkshire; at almost 21%, it was the third highest rate of growth in the whole of Yorkshire.  Since 1997, the Authority’s economy had more than doubled in size, rising from the 9th largest in Yorkshire to the 7th largest by GVA (Gross Value Added), overtaking York and Hull in the process.

The Mayor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53.

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 of Council sought questions from Elected Members during Question Time:-

A.   Questions to Ros Jones, Mayor of Doncaster

Q. Councillor Andy Pickering asked the following question:-

       “I have just read the news that Barnsley has also voted a similar way to Doncaster over the Devolution issue.  I have just had it pointed out to me that the Secretary of State has apparently offered a deal, which has been reported in the Sheffield Star.  It said that for this deal to proceed, the way forward is for us to join the Sheffield City Region and then the way out of it would be to have the Elected Mayor give their permission. Can I ask Mayor Jones to look into this because that seems to be a very worrying aspect that the democracy that we have just seen in action, could be totally undermined by one person?”

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

       “I welcome that the Secretary of State is looking to come forward with some form of compromise, but let us be clear, we have got our true mandate from our residents and that is the position that we will be ultimately pursuing.”

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

Q.   Councillor Cynthia Ransome asked the following question:-

“My question relates to Equalities.  Eighteen months ago, yourself and another Cabinet Member were approached regarding a level crossing at Melton Road, Sprotbrough.  It was for the elderly and also for people that have got impaired sight. Eighteen months ago, the problem was money as you well know.  The money was raised by 106 money and the Parish Council.  Eighteen months later, we are still waiting for this crossing.  The goal posts keep moving.  We keep getting various excuses for various things.  This is in sharp contrast to a fast food outlet that was granted planning permission in November and which is up and running, a car park, a drive through and they are trading.  So I see a certain amount of slowness that has been happening with this?”

A.   The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones, gave the following response:-

“Thank you for your question Councillor Ransome.  I presume you are talking about a pedestrian crossing, not a level crossing, as there are some significant differences between the two.  I have just consulted my colleague and he has said that it is going to happen.  I don’t know when, but it is going to happen.”

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

Q. “The goalposts keep moving.  They tell me one month, then they tell me another month, then they tell me another month.  I need to know when?”

A.  The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones gave the following response:-

“Yes,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 54.

A.          Sheffield City Region Combined Authority held on 11th and 18th September, and 30th October, 2017.

B.     Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership Board held on 11th September, 2017.

C.         South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority held on 18th September and 16th October, 2017.

D.     Sheffield City Region Combined Authority/South Yorkshire Pensions Authority Joint Local Pension Board held on 5th October, 2017.

E.     South Yorkshire Pensions Authority held on 5th October, 2017.

F.     South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel held on 29th September and 9th November, 2017.

In noting the minutes of the Extraordinary Meeting of the Sheffield City Region (SCR) Combined Authority on 18th September, 2017, where the powers of a future SCR Mayor was discussed, Councillor Phil Cole commended Mayor Ros Jones and Councillor Sir Steve Houghton who had voted against some of the proposals put forward which had subsequently fallen at the meeting.  Councillor Cole noted that at that meeting and the minutes of 30th October, a majority of Councillors that were represented at those meetings had no vote.  He highlighted to Members that legally, they had no status and had no voting powers within the SCR.  Therefore, there were only four Council Leaders who had ‘any say’.

In view of the fragmentation of the SCR in the last six months and now with the overwhelming mandate from both Barnsley and Doncaster voters for a Yorkshire Wide Devolution process, Councillor Cole asked Mayor Ros Jones whether she would consider writing to the Minister asking him to scrap the scheduled elections for a South Yorkshire Mayor, which Councillor Cole believed was a pointless and futile exercise, given the overwhelming support from Authorities for a Yorkshire Wide Devolution deal.

Mayor Ros Jones referred to a question asked by an Elected Member earlier in the meeting and stated that she would welcome a letter from the Secretary of State.  She added that the Council would want to meet with the Secretary of State to take forward the Council’s mandate; the ultimate aim was to be part of the widest possible Sheffield Devolution deal.  The Mayor asked everyone in the Chamber to work together to bring this about.  However, she pointed out that she did not believe an open forum was the place for having a debate on what happened which would ‘tie the Council’s hands’.  The Mayor reiterated that the Council now needed to work with the Secretary of State to bring about the Council’s ultimate aim which was for the widest possible Devolution deal for Doncaster.

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the following Joint Authorities, be noted:-

A.        Sheffield City Region Combined Authority held on 11th and 18th September, and 30th October, 2017.

B.        Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership Board held on 11th September, 2017.

C.        South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority held on 18th September and 16th October, 2017.

D.        Sheffield City Region Combined Authority/South Yorkshire Pensions Authority Joint Local Pension Board held on 5th October, 2017.

E.        South Yorkshire Pensions Authority held on 5th October, 2017.

F.         South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel held on 29th September and 9th November, 2017.