Agenda and minutes

Venue: Premier Suite, Doncaster Racecourse. View directions

Contact: David Taylor  01302 736712

Items
No. Item

20.

Declarations of Interest, if any

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.

21.

Minutes of the Annual Council Meeting held on 21st May, 2021 pdf icon PDF 369 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Annual Council Meeting held on Friday, 21st May, 2021, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

22.

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

Minutes:

The Chair of Council, Councillor Richard Allan Jones, made the following announcement:-

 

“I recently had the pleasure of meeting David Sullivan who is undertaking a  Charity Walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats, all while hitting a golf ball, in the hope of raising £60,000 for the British Heart Foundation. 

 

At each of the stops on his journey, David is training individuals on how to save lives with CPR. David himself saved the life of a young man who had a cardiac arrest by giving him CPR until he could be treated with a Defibrillator.  Thanks to David’s actions, the man made a full recovery.

 

David and the British Heart Foundation, have gifted a Defibrillator to the Authority and I have been talking to Rupert Suckling our Director of Public Health as to how we can best make use of this generous donation. If any members have any suggestions I would be most grateful if they could contact me after the meeting.  Thank you.”

 

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

 

“Since I became Mayor, we have made available free car parking for the festive season from 2pm in our large council car parks to support Doncaster Town Centre. This year, as the economy re-opens fully following the pandemic and to support our economic recovery, I am today announcing that from 1st August through until the end of October, we will be offering free parking from 2pm at our Markets Car Park and St George’s Car Park.

 

Chappell Drive will also provide free all day parking on Saturdays.  As a reminder, Council run car parks and on-street pay and display areas continue to be free on Sundays.

 

Whilst we undertake this 3-month trial, we will be fully reviewing all our parking arrangements and charges for the Town Centre.  Free parking is also available as a standard in other areas of our Borough, including Mexborough and Thorne, providing free car parking facilities for residents and businesses.

 

I would love to offer completely free car parking in Doncaster all year round, but unfortunately, the current state of Local Authority funding does not allow this.

 

Our high streets and Town Centres need all the support that we can provide.  It is up to us as elected officials to support and promote our local businesses, and our local high-streets.  I also encourage the people of Doncaster to shop local wherever possible. Spending locally supports local businesses, local people and local families.”

 

Councillor Nigel Ball made the following announcement:-

 

“We are well into the second year of the COVID pandemic and I want to once again express my condolences and deepest sympathies to those who have lost loved ones through this time, and express my thanks to all those keeping Doncaster going.

 

The number of new cases in Doncaster has been rising sharply since the beginning of June.  The rate of new cases is now over 500/100,000, which is the highest rate seen in Doncaster at any point of the pandemic so  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

23.

Questions from the public in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 13

None received for this meeting.

Minutes:

There were no questions from members of the public for this meeting.

24.

Youth Justice Plan 2021/22 pdf icon PDF 325 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council considered a report, introduced by Councillor Lani-Mae Ball, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Young People, which sought approval of the statutory Youth Justice Plan for 2021/22, which covered the work of the Youth Offending Service in Doncaster, where responsibility for the discharge of the Plan laid.  The Plan set out the resourcing and performance against last year’s plan, structure, governance and partnership arrangements, and risks to future delivery.  Actions and timescales were set to develop the service and ensure the best provision for the children and young people of Doncaster.

 

Councillor Ball stated that she was proud to report that the Youth Justice Plan highlighted some strong performance in relation to last year’s targets, all of which have been surpassed.  Members noted the binary re-offending rate which had an annualised rate of 25.7% which was a full 12% lower than the England average.  This placed Doncaster jointly 11th in terms of the lowest youth re-offending rates in England and Wales.  In addition to this, performance in reducing first time entrants into the criminal justice system remained stable, with a marginal reduction from last year, and the custody rate had once again remained very low, reducing further still in the past year.  This meant that when children entered the criminal justice system, they received the help they needed to lead pro-social, healthy lives in the future, and the vast majority did not go on to re-offend.

 

It was reported that the Youth Offending Service achieved these results through the delivery of its relationship based, trauma informed practice model, which recognised that these were children first and offenders second.  The service also benefited from a range of therapeutic services, including speech and language therapy, forensic psychology and family psychotherapy, amongst others.  This approach ensured children were provided with treatment for the underlying issues that contributed to their offending, rather than treating the offending itself as the problem which was good for Doncaster as this was an innovative approach, and bucked the trend nationally.

 

Members also noted that the Youth Offending Service continued seeing families face to face throughout the pandemic, ensuring that children and families had the support they needed.  The plan also highlighted the response to child criminal exploitation and the work of Team EPIC (Encouraging Potential Inspiring Change) to support these children, which had been achieved through a combination of one to one support and the work they undertook in communities to divert children from becoming involved in offending.  EPIC continued to be rolled out across the Borough and deliver engaging activities for the most at risk children and young people.  The Team also worked hard to engage with schools to keep this area of work at the top of everyone’s agenda.

 

In conclusion, Councillor Ball pointed out that the plan included direct feedback from over 90 children, both relating to the service they had received and also how they had coped with the pandemic more broadly.  This highlighted that the majority of children had greatly benefited  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

25.

Neighbourhood Planning - Adoption 'Making' of the Edenthorpe Neighbourhood Development Plan pdf icon PDF 346 KB

Minutes:

The Council considered a report, presented by Councillor Nigel Ball, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Leisure, Culture and Planning, which proposed the adoption of the Edenthorpe Neighbourhood Development Plan, as part of the Statutory Development Plan for the Borough following a successful Referendum result.

 

It was reported that the Localism Act introduced Neighbourhood Planning in 2011, which allowed Town/Parish Councils and local communities, to plan for their own areas which was a statutory process with a number of legally prescribed stages that needed to be undertaken in preparing a Plan.  The final stage of the Neighbourhood Plan process was the Referendum where anyone living in the designated Neighbourhood Plan area of the Edenthorpe parish boundary, had a right to vote on whether they wanted the Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area.

 

Members were informed that the total electorate in Edenthorpe was 3922 and that the turnout for the Referendum was 29.65%.  1163 votes had been cast with 950 voted in favour, 190 voted against, with 23 papers being rejected. 

 

Members noted that there was no alternative option to the recommendation, as the Council was required to adopt a Neighbourhood Plan following a successful Referendum and providing the Local Planning Authority was satisfied that EU and Human Rights obligations had been met.  Therefore, the Council was satisfied that the conditions had been met in both cases.

 

Following the presentation of the report, Members of the Council were afforded the opportunity to comment on the report.

 

As a Local Ward Member, Councillor Andrea Robinson thanked all the members of the community who had contributed to get the Edenthorpe Development Plan to fruition, particularly the Parish Clerk, Anne Flanagan, who had worked tirelessly, and also DMBC’s Jane, who has tragically passed away, but who had assisted hugely in the preparation of the Plan.

 

RESOLVED that the Edenthorpe Neighbourhood Development Plan be adopted as part of the Statutory Development Plan for the Borough.

26.

Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 325 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council considered the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report, which highlighted the progress of Doncaster Council’s Overview and Scrutiny function during 2020/21.  The report also provided a summary of the work undertaken by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee (OSMC) and its four Standing Panels, and highlighted some of the key achievements and the impacts that Overview and Scrutiny had made over the past year, and identified priorities for 2021/22.

 

In presenting the report, the Vice-Chair of the OSMC, Councillor John Healy, initially thanked Members, the Executive, Officers, Partners, Stakeholders, young advisers and the public, who had taken the time to participate and contribute to Overview and Scrutiny during the last Municipal Year.

 

It was reported that the period covered by the Annual Report was 1st April, 2020 to 31st March, 2021 and reflected a time when Members lives and those of local residents and communities, had been so profoundly affected by the COVID pandemic.

 

Councillor Healy pointed out that the report demonstrated how adaptable Overview and Scrutiny had been in responding to new working arrangements, and that whilst Councils throughout the country paused their meeting arrangements for some considerable time, Doncaster Council was quick to put measures in place that enabled Overview and Scrutiny to continue to operate safely, even during periods of lockdown.

 

It was noted that initially, regular online briefing meetings were held with Officers to ensure that Members were kept informed of how the Council was working with its partners to address important issues arising from the pandemic, such as the impact on the delivery of front line services, mental health, social isolation, home schooling and impacts on the economy.  As the Council’s systems matured, Overview and Scrutiny was once again able to invite the public and partners, and return to formal meetings albeit these continued to be held remotely.

 

Members were informed that the report provided a breakdown of issues considered by OSMC and each of the Panels, and as expected, Overview and Scrutiny’s work was very focussed on how the Pandemic was impacting on local communities.  Activities and achievements that were important to Overview and Scrutiny, were also highlighted in the report including how Scrutiny had engaged with the public and partners, held decision makers to account, contributed to policy development and provided an opportunity for Members to consider issues they felt were important to residents of the Borough.  As well as reflecting on 2020/21, the report set out key areas of work to be undertaken by OSMC and each of the Panels during 2021/22, and these issues would be regularly reviewed by OSMC during the course of the year.

 

In concluding his presentation, Councillor Healy conveyed his thanks once again to everyone who had contributed to the Overview and Scrutiny process last year, and he hoped that although the Council faced more uncertainty moving forward, Overview and Scrutiny could continue to contribute to effective decision making and improved service delivery, to benefit the residents of the Borough.

 

RESOLVED that the Overview and Scrutiny  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

27.

Freedom of Entry - Coldstream Guards pdf icon PDF 337 KB

Minutes:

The Council considered a report which sought approval to confer Freedom of Entry to the Borough to the Coldstream Guards which was Moved by the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, and Seconded by Councillor Mark Houlbrook.

 

In moving the proposal to grant Freedom of Entry to the Coldstream Guards, Mayor Jones stated that the Coldstream Guards, formed in 1650, was the oldest, continuously serving, regular regiment in the British Army, with origins that dated back to the English Civil War.  Since then, it had answered the call of duty at almost every conflict with British involvement, earning a well-deserved reputation for loyalty and courage.

 

Members were informed that on the 1st January, 1660 the Regiment crossed into England at the Village of Coldstream and marched to London in support of the Stuarts.  Arriving on the 2nd February, they helped in the restoration of the monarchy.  It was during this march that the regiment stopped in Doncaster, to rest and gather provisions.  Many men from the Town followed ‘the drum’ and so began the historic connection between the Coldstream Guards and Doncaster.  That strong bond, formed over 360 years ago, still existed to this day.

 

Mayor Jones also offered her thanks to all the service men and women who had lost their lives, and those who still risked their lives across the world ensuring every ones safety and freedom.

 

Mayor Jones stated that it was her honour to put forward the Coldstream Guards for the Freedom of Entry Award, which was a small token of the Council’s thanks, and continued commitment and recognition of the special bond that existed between the Town and the Coldstream Guards, by granting them the Freedom of Entry to the Borough; the highest honour that a Council, could bestow on a regimental unit.

 

In Seconding the proposal, Councillor Houlbrook, stated that it was also an honour for him, as Armed Forces Champion for Doncaster, to be able to second this nomination.  As the oldest continuously serving regiment in the British Army, the Coldstream Guards was well known for their discipline and courage, and for its high-profile ceremonial duties.  However, it was an infantry unit first and foremost, with a hard-won reputation as an elite fighting force, but they also had a ceremonial role as protectors of the royal palaces, including Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.

 

Members were informed that many generations of the same families had joined the Guards and served with great bravery and distinction.  In the First World War, two local men from the Regiment, George Harry Wyatt and Thomas Norman Jackson, were awarded the Victoria Cross for their bravery and so strong was the connection with the Town, that the Regimental colours of the 2nd Battalion had been placed in St Georges Minster for safe keeping; an honour which was only given by permission of Her Majesty the Queen.

 

Councillor Houlbrook pointed out that the Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards was one of the oldest and best-known military marching bands in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.

28.

Questions by Elected Members in accordance with Council Procedure Rules 15.2 and 15.3

 

(i)        Questions on Notice to the Executive:-

 

None received for this meeting.

 

(ii)          Questions without Notice to the Executive and the Chairs of Committees.

 

Minutes:

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 of Council sought questions from Elected Members during Question Time.

 

A.     Questions to the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones

 

There were no questions put to the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones.

 

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

 

There were no questions put to the Deputy Mayor, Cabinet Member for Housing and Equalities.

 

C.     Questions to Councillor Lani-Mae Ball, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Young People

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Lani-Mae Ball, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Young People.

 

D.     Questions to Councillor Nigel Ball, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Leisure, Culture and Planning

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Nigel Ball, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Leisure, Culture and Planning.

 

E.     Questions to Councillor Joe Blackham, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Enforcement

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Joe Blackham, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Enforcement.

 

F.     Questions to Councillor Rachael Blake, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, Communities and Equalities

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Rachael Blake, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, Communities and Equalities.

 

G.    Questions to Councillor Phil Cole, Cabinet Member for Finance

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Phil Cole, Cabinet Member for Finance.

 

H.     Questions to Councillor Mark Houlbrook, Cabinet Member for Sustainability and Waste

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Mark Houlbrook, Cabinet Member for Sustainability and Waste.

 

I.       Questions to Councillor Jane Nightingale, Cabinet Member for Customer and Corporate Resources

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Jane Nightingale, Cabinet Member for Customer and Corporate Resources.

 

J.    Questions to Councillor Andrea Robinson, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Andrea Robinson, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care.

 

K.     Questions to Councillor Austen White, Chair of the Audit Committee

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Austen White, Chair of the Audit Committee.

 

L.      Questions to Councillor Ian Pearson, Chair of the Elections and Democratic Structures Committee

 

In the absence of Councillor Ian Pearson, Chair of the Elections and Democratic Structures Committee, the Chair of Council informed Members that any questions for Councillor Pearson should be submitted in writing to the Elections Team after the meeting, and a response would be provided accordingly.

 

M.    Questions to Councillor Rachael Blake, Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Rachael Blake, Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board

 

N.     Questions to Councillor Jane Kidd, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee

 

In the absence of Councillor Jane Kidd, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee, the Chair of Council informed Members that any questions for Councillor Blake should be submitted in writing to the Governance Team after the meeting, and a response would be provided accordingly.

29.

To receive the minutes of the following Joint Authorities pdf icon PDF 262 KB

A.        Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority Board held on 22nd March and 7th June, 2021.

 

B.      Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership Board held on 11th March and 13th May, 2021.

 

C.      South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority held on 22nd February and 26th April, 2021.

 

D.      South Yorkshire Pensions Authority Local Pension Board held on 28th January, 2021.

 

E.      South Yorkshire Pensions Authority held on 18th March and 10th June, 2021.

 

F.      South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel held on 3rd February, 19th April and 7th June, 2021.

 

 

 

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

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

 

A.        Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority Board held on 22nd March and 7th June, 2021.

 

B.      Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership Board held on 11th March and 13th May, 2021.

 

C.      South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority held on 22nd February and 26th April, 2021.

 

D.      South Yorkshire Pensions Authority Local Pension Board held on 28th January, 2021.

 

E.      South Yorkshire Pensions Authority held on 18th March and 10th June, 2021.

 

F.      South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel held on 3rd February, 19th April and 7th June, 2021.