Agenda and minutes

The Chair, Councillor George Derx welcomed Elected Members, Officers and members of the public to the meeting and asked that they remain standing whilst they were led in prayer by the Civic Chaplain, Reverend David Stevens.

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 death of Jeanette Fish, MBE, an Honorary Freeman of the Borough, who had passed away on 2nd May, 2018.

Members were informed that the funeral would take place on Friday 25th May, 2018 at 10.00 am at Doncaster Minster.

It was MOVED by Councillor Neil Gethin and SECONDED by Councillor Paul Wray that Councillor Majid Khan be elected as Chair of Council of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough for the 2018/19 Municipal Year.

RESOLVED that Councillor Majid Khan be hereby elected as Chair of Council of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough for the 2018/19 Municipal Year.

It was MOVED by Councillor Derek Smith and SECONDED by Councillor Duncan Anderson that Councillor Linda Curran be elected as Vice-Chair of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough for the 2018/19 Municipal Year.

RESOLVED that Councillor Linda Curran be hereby elected as Vice-Chair of Council of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough for the 2018/19 Municipal Year.

Following the election of the Vice-Chair of Council, the Chair announced that there would be a 15 minute recess for the exchanging of robes, and determined that the meeting would reconvene at 11.35 am.

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

The Chair of Council, Councillor Majid Khan, delivered his inaugural speech.

“Distinguished guests, colleagues, friends and family.

I would like to start by thanking my dear friend Councillor Gethin for proposing me as Civic Mayor and for the help and support he has provided, and also to my good friend Councillor Wray who has also always provided assistance and advice.  I would like to thank them both for supporting me in becoming Civic Mayor.  I would also like to offer my thanks to the outgoing Civic Mayor, Councillor Derx and Pauline Derx, for representing Doncaster in the best way possible.

It is a pleasure to have your company on such a special day and what makes it so special for me is that my parents are here to see this.  I can only imagine what they were thinking about when they left the valleys and rivers of Kashmir and came to England to build a better life for their family.

As the son of an immigrant mill worker, did I ever think this was possible?

That I would be embraced by my peers and chosen to be the Mayor of Doncaster?  Growing up, my parents always encouraged me to seek out opportunities and do whatever I wished, and they demonstrated a work ethic which has stuck with me.  Work hard and achieve. I firmly believe that the society we live in is wonderful and if you work hard, anything is achievable.

Often people have to work harder than others and they face barriers that others don’t.  Those barriers aren’t always their physical ability, race or religion, but can be how they talk, which schools they attended, where they live or what socio economic background they come from.  Some may not have had the opportunities that others take for granted.  But, with hard work and a positive mind set, we can achieve anything.

If you look around the room, there are people present today who I refer to as my uncles, aunties, brothers and sisters.  It’s not just that we’re related by blood, but also that these are people who have helped, supported and guided me through life and they are the people who I can rely on for anything.  It’s this sense of belonging and community which makes anything possible.  As one community, the people of Doncaster can achieve greatness, but it can only happen if we work together.

It is the erosion of community links and social isolation which leaves people in very difficult circumstances.  It is for this reason that I have chosen the Doncaster Samaritans as my chosen charity for this year.  The calls that they receive are often from people in dire situations, and that last call made to the Samaritans can be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.  I would encourage my Councillor colleagues to also support the Doncaster Samaritans in whichever way they can.

The Doncaster I see in the future is one where our community comes together  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

At the conclusion of item 5 above, the meeting will stand adjourned and reconvene at 2.00pm in the Council Chamber in the Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster.

It was MOVED by Councillor Charlie Hogarth and SECONDED by Councillor Ken Keegan, that the Council place on record its thanks and appreciation to Councillor George Derx for the manner in which he had fulfilled his role as Chair of Council for the 2017/18 Municipal Year.

Councillor Derx responded, thanking Members for their kind words and stated what an honour it had been to serve Doncaster as the Civic Mayor during the past year.

Councillor Derx recounted some of his highlights of the past year during his time as Civic Mayor and commented that it had been an interesting, varied and exciting, if not very busy time that both he and his wife Pauline had enjoyed immensely, with memories from this time that would last forever.

One of the key celebrations and events that he had the honour to attend, particularly in respect of being an ex-military serviceman, had been the Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day Observances, which had been particularly poignant.  Additionally, the celebration day in honour of the Armed Services had been magnificent which had been marked with a fly-past by the Red Arrows Display Team.

Charity work had played an important part in the past year and Councillor Derx paid thanks to everyone who had supported and contributed to the work of the two charities he had chosen to support; Firefly and the Partially Sighted Society.

Councillor Derx expressed his thanks to his wife and Mayoress, Pauline Derx, who had worked enthusiastically with him during the last twelve months as well as the officers of the Civic Office who had supported him throughout the year, ensuring he was where he needed to be, and who guided him through the role, providing advice and support in all aspects of the role.

In conclusion, he stated that he had enjoyed the past year immensely, and would look back on his time as Civic Mayor with great pride and fond memories.  Councillor Derx expressed his thanks to his fellow Councillors for giving him this opportunity and wished his successor Councillor Khan, all the very best for the year and thanked him for his support in his role as his Deputy Civic Mayor and hoped that he would enjoy the next twelve months as much as he had done himself.

There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Council Meeting held on Monday, 5th March, 2018, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member, be approved as a correct record, and signed by the Chair.

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

“I would like to reiterate to Members that the funeral of Jeannette Fish, MBE, will be held on Friday, 25th May at 10.00am, at Doncaster Minster.”

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 2018/19 Municipal Year and announced that the Cabinet 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.

The Council considered a report that sought approval for a number of proposed revisions to the Terms of Reference for Council appointed Committees and Sub-Committees.

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

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

Members noted that the changes made to the Chief Officers Appointments Committee were largely typographical in nature, and were simply made to ensure greater clarity. In terms of the Audit Committee, a number of changes had been made, but these were to reflect updates received in terms of guidance and wording and were largely to simplify the Terms of Reference. Finally, in terms of the Health and Well Being Board, these changes were purely to reflect the name change of the NHS Commissioning Board to read as NHS England, which had arisen as a result of the changes being embedded from the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

In terms of the Joint Safety Committee, it had been proposed within the report to replace this with a new Health and Safety Structure that would provide a more modern and strategic approach, which was in line with both Best Practice and HSE guidelines. However, it was MOVED and SECONDED, that this be deferred to obtain further information and advice in terms of a more formalised structure.

RESOLVED that

(1)       the proposed revisions to the Terms of Reference as set out in paragraphs 10-12 and in Appendix A of the report, be approved;

(2)       the introduction of the new Health and Safety Structure be deferred pending receipt of further advice in terms of a more formalised plan from the Corporate Health and Safety Team, HSE and Directorate H&S;

(3)       the existing Terms of Reference for all other Committees and Sub-Committee of the Council remain unchanged; and

(4)       the Constitution be updated to reflect the revisions to Terms of Reference as agreed.

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

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.

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:-

(ii)       Proportionality would not apply to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee or the four Overview & 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 2018/19 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;

(4)       it be noted that in appointing Members to the Audit Committee in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

The Council considered a list of Political nominations for the appointment of Members to serve as Chairs and Vice-Chairs on Committees, Sub-Committees and Scrutiny Panels for the 2018/19 Municipal Year.  The list of nominations had been tabled at the meeting, following the dispatch of agenda papers.

It was noted by Council that in line with Best Practice, Council had endorsed the principle that the Health and Wellbeing Board be chaired by the Portfolio Holder responsible for Adult Social Care, or the Portfolio Holder responsible for Public Health, and this was accordingly represented in the Appendix attached to the report.  Additionally, in accordance with Rule 3 of the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules, Council looked to ensure that not all Chairs and Vice-Chairs were drawn from the same Political Party.

RESOLVED that the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Committees and Sub-Committees for the 2018/19 Municipal Year, be as follows:-

Members considered the Diary of Meetings for 2018/20, which detailed the dates of all meetings, training and scheduled events for the 2018/19 and 2019/20 Municipal Years.

The draft diary had previously been considered at the Council Meeting on 25th January, 2018, and had allowed Members the opportunity to make any changes if necessary.

Since consideration of the draft diary in January, Council was informed of a number of changes which had been made to the Schedule of Meetings as detailed below:-

Elections and Democratic Structures Committee

In order to avoid a clash of Member commitments, the meeting previously arranged for Tuesday 12th February, 2019 had been rescheduled to take place on Tuesday 5th February, 2019 at 10.00 am.

Overview and Scrutiny

In response to recommendations agreed as part of the Overview and Scrutiny Evaluation Process, the following additional Panel Meetings had been scheduled:-

·         Communities and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Panel on 18th July, 2018 at 10.00 am;

·         Regeneration and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Panels on 19th September, 2018 at 10.00 am and 13th March 2019 at 10.00 am; and

In addition, the Health and Adult Social Care Panel on 5th July, 2018 had been rescheduled to take place on 2nd July, 2018 at 10.00 am.

RESOLVED that

(1)       the proposed Diary of Meetings for the 2018/19 and 2019/20 Municipal Years, as attached at Appendix A to the report, be approved; and

(2)       the schedule of Cabinet Meetings as determined by the Mayor of Doncaster, be noted.

The Council considered a report which determined the appointment of representatives to the schedule of Council Appointments to Outside Bodies for the 2018/19 Municipal Year, as set out in the revised list which had been tabled at the meeting.  The list of Outside Bodies detailed the nominations for those bodies, as well as a small number of bodies where no appointment was needed for this Municipal Year.

RESOLVED that Council agree the appointments to Outside Bodies as set out in the nomination lists circulated to Members.

Councillor Nuala Fennelly, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools, and Chair of the Corporate Parenting Board, presented the Corporate Parenting Board Annual Report to Council, and informed Members that this was the First Annual Report of Doncaster’s Corporate Parenting Board which set out the governance and membership arrangements for the Board and celebrated the achievements and improvements made.

As Chair of the Board, Councillor Fennelly stated that she was very pleased that all Members of the Board had agreed to remain on the Board for the coming Municipal Year, which would provide stability and enable further progress in the provision of the best services for Children in Care in Doncaster.

Members of the Council noted that during the last year, the Board had welcomed two young modern apprentices from the Children’s Trust, both of whom were representatives of the Doncaster Children in Care Council, having had experience of life in care.  These young people would ensure that the voice of children and young people was heard which was helping the Board to challenge and make informed decisions about the children the Council cared for and was responsible for.

The work of the Board had covered many areas throughout the past Municipal Year and had focussed on a number of areas that had an effect on children and young people in care which included:-

·         Health

·         Housing

·         Education

·         Care Leaving Services

It was reported that the Board followed a work plan throughout the year, but Members noted that the Board had requested a number of supplementary reports to provide more detailed information and clarification on certain issues.

Councillor Fennelly further reported that in November 2017, there had been an Ofsted inspection of Children’s Services which had resulted in a ‘Good’ outcome in all areas, with the Corporate Parenting Board being referred to within the feedback which demonstrated the positive and effective work the Board was undertaking.  In addition, the effective consideration of information, appropriate challenge and the voice of the child or young person, had proven to be very strong in all aspects of the Board’s work which was driving further service improvements.

In conclusion, Councillor Fennelly commented that she hoped that Ward Members, Officers of the Council, the Children’s Trust and other partners would continue to support and show a strong commitment to the Borough’s children and young people, and help them to fulfil their ambitions and provide them with the opportunities they needed to succeed in the future.  Councillor Fennelly stressed that it was extremely important that all Members in their capacity as a Corporate Parent, completed the mandatory training available.

RESOLVED that

(1)       the Corporate Parenting Board Annual Report be noted; and

(2)       Council recognised that the Corporate Parenting Board was fit for purpose, it firmly established governance and celebrated the achievements made along with recognition of the planned programme of continuous improvement.

The Cabinet Member for Customer and Corporate Services, Councillor Jane Nightingale, presented a report to Council that detailed the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) following its review of the Members’ Allowance Scheme.

Council noted that each Local Authority was required by law to agree a Members’ Allowance Scheme and in doing so it must have regard to the recommendations of the IRP.  The Council was not bound by the IRPs recommendations, but if it chose not to follow any of its proposals, it was required to give reasons.

Councillor Nightingale informed Council that the Panel was recommending an increase of 2% on the current Basic Allowance, with effect from 1st April, 2018 which would be in line with that paid by other similar Authorities.  A number of changes had been made to the Special Responsibility Allowances and in developing these recommendations, the Panel had taken account of the responsibility, accountability, time and effort involved with each position. Details of the proposed Special Responsibility Allowances were included at paragraph 16 of the cover report and the rationale for any changes to SRAs were detailed in the report of the IRP attached at Appendix 1.

Members noted that in reviewing the scheme, the IRP had benchmarked with a wide number of Local Authorities, met with Elected Members and Senior Officers, and had received written feedback from Members.Councillor Nightingale added that the Panel was satisfied that the recommended Scheme was in line with allowances of similar and neighbouring Authorities. 

Following the presentation of the report, Members of the Council were afforded the opportunity to comment, with a number of Councillors querying as to whether or not they would be obliged to accept the raise in allowances. The Monitoring Officer informed Council that whilst the scheme had been agreed by the IRP, Members did not have to accept the increased allowance and were entitled to take whatever amount of the recommended allowance they wished.

RESOLVED that

(1)       the level of the basic allowance (base) for Members (including the Elected Mayor) be increased by 2% to £12,610;

(2)       the payment of special responsibility allowances to Members be as shown below:-

Elected Mayor                                         - Base x 4             £50,440

Deputy to the Elected Mayor                - Base x 1.25       £15,762

Cabinet Member                                    - Base x 1             £12,610

Chair of Committee:-

Planning                                                 - Base x 0.64       £ 8,070

Elections & Democratic Structures     - Base x 0.1         £ 1,261

Audit                                                         - Base x 0.6         £ 7,566

Licensing                                                - Base x 0.6         £ 7,566

Overview & Scrutiny Management     - Base x 0.6         £ 7,566

Scrutiny Standing Panels                    - Base x 0.25       £ 3,153

Vice-Chairs:-

Planning                                                 - Base x 0.27       £ 3,405

Licensing                                                                      - Base x 0.3            £ 3,783

Overview and Scrutiny Management - Base x 0.25       £ 3,153

Audit                                                         - Base x 0.19       £ 2,396

Leader of a Political Group:-

                        Membership (30 or more)                   - Base x 0.5   £ 6,305

  (15 to 29 inclusive)         - Base x 0.2         £ 2,522

  (5 to 14 inclusive)           - Base x 0.1         £ 1,261  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

The Council considered a report presented by Councillor Jane Nightingale, Cabinet Member for Customer and Corporate Services, which provided Members with feedback on the 2017/18 Member training and development programme and also proposed a training programme for 2018/19.

It was reported that in the previous Municipal Year, the Council had endorsed an approach to training and development which would support Councillors during their current four year term.  It had been agreed that all Councillors would undertake mandatory training in their first year which would remain valid for the remainder of their term.  However, whilst the majority of Councillors had undertaken mandatory training, it was noted that there were still some Members who needed to complete training on important areas such as Safeguarding and Equalities.

In terms of mandatory training, Members were reminded that the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) would come into effect on 25th May, 2018 and Councillors were required to undertake annual mandatory training to ensure they understood their responsibilities in respect of holding personal data.  As a small number of Councillors were still to complete this requirement, Councillor Nightingale encouraged those Members to undertake the training as a matter of urgency.

Members were informed that Appendix A set out the training programme for the forthcoming year which would be regularly monitored and reviewed by the Member Development Working Group.  In addition to the GDPR course, this programme now recommended that courses on Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Awareness and Spam and Phishing, were included as mandatory training for all Members in order that greater awareness of issues were raised in order that Members fully understood their responsibilities.

It was also reported that in 2018/19, there would also be the opportunity for Members to attend briefings and seminars which would focus on developing themselves and their community leadership skills and that in conclusion, Councillor Nightingale urged all Councillors to participate in the training programme.

RESOLVED that

(1)       the update on Member Training and development undertaken during 2017/18, be noted;

(2)       the programme of Member Development for 2018/19 be endorsed; and

(3)       the annual completion of Data Protection Training and the inclusion of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Awareness and Spam and Phishing as mandatory training for all Members, be endorsed.