Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU. View directions

Contact: David Taylor  01302 736712

Items
No. Item

65.

Declarations of Interest, if any

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.

66.

Minutes of the Council Meeting held on 23rd January, 2020 pdf icon PDF 91 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Council Meeting held on Thursday, 23rd January, 2020, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

67.

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

Minutes:

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

 

The recent floods that devastated communities across Doncaster and up and down the country, highlight the urgency with which we need to address climate change.  In Doncaster, the waters have receded, the cameras have gone, communities are starting to rebuild and repair, and Doncaster Council will continue to support our residents and communities.  I recently hosted an event to thank communities, voluntary, faith and community sector groups.  It is humbling to see how communities have come together at a time of such challenge.  We will also continue to lobby Government for adequate funding for both flood defences and flood mitigation to support our communities.

 

These flooding events, plus the recent fires that have taken place across Europe, Australia and parts of the United States, all make the actions that we take in response to the declaration of the Climate and Bio-diversity Emergency more critical.  We really do need to think global and act locally.  This Council’s unanimous support for the declaration has helped to galvanise our collective efforts, bringing communities and organisations together.  Whilst these are relatively small steps, we are starting to make some real progress.

 

As part of Borough-wide consultation Doncaster Talks, the number one priority from all parts of the Borough was the desire to see a Cleaner, Greener Doncaster.  As part of the budget that we will discuss shortly, further resources have been proposed to support this priority, and Councillor Chris McGuinness will shortly be making an announcement about the Great Doncaster Spring Clean which will be bigger and better than ever in 2020.

 

Since declaring a climate and biodiversity emergency, this Council has approved investment in electric cars, charging infrastructure and is implementing energy efficiency schemes across Council buildings and housing stock, and major projects such as our new library and cinema development have solar panels.  As a Council, we have already invested in LED street lights and insulating our Council housing stock.  We will continue to work on initiatives that will reduce our emissions and ensure sustainable use of our resources.  All of this will of course have to be within our financial and budget constraints.

 

Doncaster’s Climate and Bio-Diversity Commission is in place and meets for the fifth time tomorrow.  It has considered a range of topics including land use, energy production and storage, waste, and green business opportunities.  The Commission will be publishing an interim statement by at the end of March.

 

A very successful Doncaster Nature Alliance Event was held on Tuesday night, which was well attended by a number of residents and community organisations including Doncaster Naturalists, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the Woodland Trust and some of our own Council staff.  The aim was a fantastic advert for the work that the many organisations do to support Doncaster’s natural environment.

 

The recent ‘Make Your Mark Survey’, highlighted climate change as the biggest issue for young people and our fantastic young people are planning an event which will take place next  ...  view the full minutes text for item 67.

68.

Questions from the public in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 13

 

(a)  Question from Mr. Michael Swain to Councillor Joe Blackham, Cabinet Member for Highways, Street Scene & Trading Services:-

 

“When will works commence on installing a 20mph speed restrictions on our estate in Athelstane Crescent, and in regards to new housing developments, can it be made a planning requirement for 20mph speed limits and/or adequate footpaths to be implemented as standard practice?”

Minutes:

(A)      Question from Mr. Michael Swain to Joe Blackham, Cabinet Member for Highways, Street Scene and Trading Services:-

 

“When will works commence on installing 20mph speed restrictions on our estate in Athelstane Crescent, and in regards to new housing developments, can it be made a planning requirement for 20mph speed limits and/or adequate footpaths to be implemented as standard practice?”

 

In the absence of Councillor Joe Blackham, Councillor Chris McGuinness, Cabinet Member for Communities, Voluntary Sector and Environment, gave the following reply:-

 

“I am pleased to confirm that the legal Traffic Order process required for the 20mph Speed Limit on Athelstane Crescent is well underway.  The Traffic Order requires legal documents, formal consultation with statutory bodies, and publishing the proposals on-site and in the press.  This gives anyone the opportunity to object to the proposals. Only then, after considering any objections received, can an order be made, which involves yet a further statutory advertising period.  This is not a local Doncaster Council procedure, but is laid out in national regulations and is a process that all Local Authorities must lawfully comply with.  Subject to completion of the due legal process as described, it is anticipated that the works on site will be undertaken early in the next financial year.

 

In regards to 20mph speed limits and footpaths on new housing developments, the emerging Doncaster Local Plan Policy 45 supports proposals for new housing where access points, street design, parking and operational highway requirements are safe, and provide adequate footpaths, encourage vehicle design speeds of 10-20 mph or less, and complement the character of the existing street scene and highway functions.”

69.

Appointment of Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service pdf icon PDF 172 KB

Minutes:

The Chair of the Chief Officers Appointments Committee, Councillor Glyn Jones, introduced the report which sought Council’s approval for the appointment of the Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service, and appointed Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer for Elections.

 

It was reported that interim arrangements were established in June, 2019 as agreed at Full Council, to appoint a replacement Head of Paid Service, as this was a statutory role, for a period of up to 12 months, to allow for a full recruitment process to take place, subject to a permanent appointment being made within the timeframe by the Council’s established and approved Chief Officer recruitment practice.

 

Members were informed that following an open recruitment process, final interviews were held on 19th February, 2020 by an established Panel from the Chief Officers Appointments Committee, with a recommended decision to Council that Damian Francis Allen be appointed as Doncaster Council’s Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service, and appointed Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer for Elections, with effect from 6th March, 2020.

 

RESOLVED that Damian Francis Allen be appointed as Doncaster Council’s Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service and appointed Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer for Elections, with effect from 6th March, 2020.

70.

Director of Public Health Annual Report 2019 pdf icon PDF 170 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council considered the 2019 Director of Public Health Annual Report, which was presented by Dr Rupert Suckling.

 

It was reported that this was the fifth annual report authored by Dr Suckling, which included an assessment of whether or not health was improving in Doncaster.  The report identified that there was a slowdown in health improvement and also showed how averages masked inequalities between different groups of people in Doncaster.  The report demonstrated how the public health grant was committed locally, how those commissioned services performed, and how the public health grant and the action of the Public Health Team and partners, combined to address the most pressing local health issues.

 

Members were informed that the comparison of the performance of public health commissioned services was included for the first time and that the ranking of tobacco control was based on the high rates of smoking in the adult population (19.6%), and smoking during pregnancy (15.9%).  This national indicator did not include any data in the effectiveness of local specialist smoking cessation services.  The annual report did include a ‘Call to Action’ on tobacco control as tobacco was still the leading cause of preventable ill health and premature deaths in the Borough.  Despite high quality specialised smoking cessation services in Doncaster, as many people were starting to smoke each year as quitting, resulting in no overall reduction in smoking numbers.

 

Members noted that the best start in life indicator was made up of 2 process measures; the percentage of new birth visits within 14 days and the percentage of children receiving an ‘Ages and Stages’ assessment between 2 and 2 1/2 years old.  It also included an assessment of School readiness that was improving and an assessment of breast-feeding at 6-8 weeks, which was 30%.

 

It was also reported that whilst alcohol and drug treatment indicators were good in this report, there would be changes as to how these indicators were calculated in future years, and it was likely that performance would deteriorate, as both indicators would include an assessment of unmet need.

 

In conclusion, the report provided a summary of progress on the recommendations from the Director of Public Health’s previous reports and made the following three new recommendations for 2020:-

 

      Doncaster partners should continue to embed a population health approach focussed on four related activities addressing:-

 

The wider determinants of health

 

Our health behaviours

 

The places and communities we live in and with

 

Integrating health and care services into an integrated health and care system

 

      Doncaster Council should consider an LGA Prevention Peer Review; and

 

      Doncaster Council Public Heath function should continue to take a sector led improvement approach to quality improvement

 

Following Members of the Council being afforded the opportunity to comment on the report, Councillor Rachel Hodson referred to the ‘Walking to School Initiative’ and childhood obesity, and from the perspective of the ‘Clean Air Initiative’, she enquired how the Council was going to measure and make sure they were replicated further, to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 70.

71.

Corporate Plan 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 295 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council considered a report, presented by the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, which sought approval of an updated Corporate Plan for 2020/21, which provided a clear direction for the work of the Council and priorities, for the forthcoming year.

 

The Mayor reported that over the past year, the Council had continued to drive change to improve Doncaster for all its residents and had observed:-

 

   Record levels of employment and investment with an increase of average wage rates by 10% over two years;

 

   The agreement of a South Yorkshire Devolution Deal which would unlock investment for Doncaster, whilst the Council pursued its ambition for a wider Yorkshire Devolution Deal;

 

   The continued integration of health and care services, and a co-commissioning agreement with the Council’s health partners;

 

   Improvement to early years education and GCSE results; and

 

   The Council undertook ‘Doncaster Talks’ which was a Borough wide consultation to understand the issues that mattered most to residents

 

The Mayor stressed that there were still many challenges to face as a Borough, none of which were as important as the need to tackle the Climate and Biodiversity crisis, which was why she was pleased that the Council had declared an emergency and set up a commission to help shape its work going forward.

 

It was reported that the Council had seen first-hand this year, the devastating impact the climate could have on its communities, and she was proud of the collective efforts of the Borough’s communities, staff and partners, to help those in need during the response and continued recovery.

 

Members noted that the updated Plan was still framed around:-

 

   The 4 Doncaster Growing Together priority themes; and

 

   The cross-cutting ‘Connected Council’ theme.

 

The Mayor emphasised that there was a clearer alignment between the work the Council would prioritise and its 6 Imperatives, which were the outcomes and ways of working that must shape the Council’s work going forward which included:-

 

   Embedding sustainability into all that the Council did for a cleaner and greener Borough;

 

   Advance inclusive growth to achieve good economic growth for all of Doncaster;

 

   Focus on early intervention and prevention, including supporting families and communities across the Borough;

 

   Develop lifelong learning and skills to ensure all residents had access to opportunities to advance their lives and careers;

 

   Ensure the Council was ‘Keeping it Real’ to understand its people and places, and building this into decision making; and

 

   Being intelligence led to work smarter and more efficiently.

 

Members noted that the upcoming year would also see a new Borough Strategy being developed to help drive Doncaster in the 2020’s.  The Council was still delivering on its priorities with the significant budgetary challenges it faced and the uncertainty around funding following 2020/21, but despite this, it was an exciting time for Doncaster, and with the challenges that faced the Borough, came exciting opportunities.

 

The Mayor concluded by stating that the Council would continue to work with its partners to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71.

72.

Capital Strategy and Capital Budget 2020/21 to 2023/24 pdf icon PDF 446 KB

Minutes:

Prior to Council’s consideration of the report, the Chair of Council, Councillor Linda Curran, reminded Members of the 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 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 would all be subject to a recorded vote and voting preferences would be documented in the minutes of this meeting.

 

Subsequently, the Council considered a report which was presented by the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, which outlined the Capital Strategy and Capital Programme Budget proposals for the next four years, 2020/21 to 2023/24.

 

The Mayor stated that the Council continued to invest in the future of the Borough despite the tough economic climate with over £300 million capital spend planned over the next four years.  Through this investment, residents across the Borough would benefit from projects to further improve education, housing, infrastructure, retail, leisure and culture, as well as attracting investors and visitors to the Borough.

 

It was reported that 2020 would see the completion of the new Central Library and Museum, and delivery of the new Cinema with six screens and five family restaurants.  The Cinema alone would provide 102 new jobs, adding to local employment opportunities for Doncaster and enhance the Civic and Cultural Quarter leisure offer.

 

Members were informed that £135 million would be invested in the Councils social housing stock over the next four years.  This would include maintenance, adaptations and the start of a 10 year new build programme which would see an estimated 560 new homes built over 10 years, with an overall budget of £100 million.  This investment would be the largest council house investment in Doncaster for many years.

 

The Mayor also reported that she would be bringing forward further capital schemes to invest in community facilities across Doncaster, which she would share once further details and funding had been agreed.

 

The Mayor hoped that the Prime Minister would stand by his words and level up the North because Doncaster was ready and waiting for the investment, and had schemes at the ready.  Doncaster had benefited over the years from the European Regional Development Fund, and the Council now awaited the detail around the proposed UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which it was hoped would favour Northern areas of the country.

 

Following the presentation of the Capital Strategy and Capital Programme 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 - 42

 

The Chair of Council, Councillor Linda Curran, the Vice-Chair of Council, Councillor Paul Wray, the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones, and Councillors Duncan Anderson, Lani-Mae Ball, Nigel Ball, Iris Beech, Rachael Blake, Phil Cole, Mick Cooper, George Derx, Susan Durant, Nuala Fennelly, Neil Gethin, Sean Gibbons, John Gilliver, Pat Haith, John Healy, Rachel Hodson,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72.

73.

The Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2020/21 to 2023/24 pdf icon PDF 500 KB

Minutes:

The Council Considered a report, presented by the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, which sought approval of the Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2020/21 to 2023/24, which provided details of the Strategy for the management of the Council’s finances, and provided a framework for the operation of the Treasury Management Strategy function within the Council.

 

The Mayor stated that the Council must ensure that it had access to money to pay its bills, and it was vital that the Council managed its finances effectively, in the best interests of local residents.

 

Members noted that Treasury Management sought to optimise the Council’s cash flow and secure the most effective arrangements to support the long term funding requirements, and that the key Prudential Indicators relating to borrowing limits, were detailed in the report.

 

Following the presentation of the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 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 - 42

 

The Chair of Council, Councillor Linda Curran, the Vice-Chair of Council, Councillor Paul Wray, the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones, and Councillors Duncan Anderson, Lani-Mae Ball, Nigel Ball, Iris Beech, Rachael Blake, Phil Cole, Mick Cooper, George Derx, Susan Durant, Nuala Fennelly, Neil Gethin, Sean Gibbons, John Gilliver, Pat Haith, John Healy, Rachel Hodson, Charlie Hogarth, Mark Houlbrook, David Hughes, R. Allan Jones, Ken Keegan, Jane Kidd, Majid Khan, Tosh McDonald, Chris McGuinness, Sue McGuinness, Bill Mordue, John Mounsey, David Nevett, Jane Nightingale, Ian Pearson, Tina Reid, Andrea Robinson, Kevin Rodgers, Dave Shaw, Derek Smith, Frank Tyas, Austen White and Sue Wilkinson.

 

Against - 5

 

Councillors Nick Allen, Steve Cox, Nigel Cannings, Martin Greenhalgh and Jonathan Wood.

 

Abstain - 1

 

Councillor Jane Cox.

 

On being put to the meeting, the recommendations contained within the report were declared CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED that

 

(1)      the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2020/21 to 2023/24 and the Prudential Indicators included, be approved; and

 

(2)      the Minimum Revenue Provision Policy, as detailed within paragraphs 27 to 28 and in Appendix B of the report, be approved.

 

 

 

 

74.

Revenue Budget 2020/21 to 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Minutes:

The Council considered a report, presented by the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, which sought approval of the Revenue Budget proposals for 2020/21 to 2022/23.

 

The Mayor stated that hard work, expertise and £7 million of unexpected one-off funding from Central Government for Social Care, had contributed towards addressing the budget gap for 2020/21.  Despite the improved financial position in the short term, the proposals indicated that the journey ahead was still a challenging one with ambitious savings that needed to be achieved to meet an overall budget gap of £17.7 million over a three year period.

 

The Mayor highlighted the enormity of the challenge that the Council has had to face over the past 10 years.  Since 2010, Government funding to Doncaster Council had been cut by 51% or £119 million per year, and that 64% of Council spending for 2020/21, was on Adult & Children’s Services.  Last year, ‘Centre for Cities’ classed Doncaster as the third hardest hit Council in the country from Austerity.  The Mayor pointed out that the 1% increase in Council Tax would bring in £1.1 million in Doncaster, which was considerably less than 1% would be in more affluent areas, and that that local taxpayers should not have ‘to foot the bill’ for the lack of Central Government Funding.

 

The Mayor emphasised that the Council would protect jobs and frontline services where it could, it would help the vulnerable and wherever possible, continue with the services that mattered most to its residents.  The Council’s recent community engagement exercise, through Doncaster Talks, identified that being a cleaner and greener Borough was a key priority for the people of Doncaster.  Therefore, as part of the budget for 2020/21, the Mayor had allocated further financial resources to cleansing, grounds maintenance and enforcement services, which would include investment in equipment, additional resources and improved methods of operation within services.

 

It was reported that the budget included an increase in Council Tax of 1.99% in 2020/21, and a further 2% increase through the Government’s Social Care Precept.  The overall increase equated to an additional 69p per week for Band A and £1.04 per week for Band D.  Doncaster would therefore continue to have one of the lowest Council Taxes in Local Authorities of its size in the country.  The Council was 11th lowest in 2019/20 and for 2020/21, and it would continue to be the lowest in South Yorkshire.

 

The Mayor stressed that the focus on finance was never ending and further work was still needed to meet the increasing budget gap for 2022/23.  This would require delivering on-going savings to bridge the gap between funding available and rising costs, as the use of one-off reserves was not a sustainable solution.

 

The Mayor pointed out that “Austerity is supposed to be over” and had put this statement to the Prime Minister and for the new Chancellor to prove it.  She asked that Local Government be given the financial resources to deliver the level of services that people needed and deserved,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 74.

75.

Housing Revenue Account Budget 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 252 KB

Minutes:

The Council considered a report, presented by the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones, Cabinet Member for Housing and Equalities, which detailed the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget proposals for the 2020/21 financial year, and the medium term financial forecast for the following three years, which had a budget to break even.

 

The Deputy Mayor reported that it was proposed that housing rents would be increased by 2.7% in 2020/21, which was in line with Government policy and followed four years of rent reductions.  He pointed out that the average rent in Doncaster would be the lowest of all South Yorkshire Councils at £71.63 per week.

 

The Deputy Mayor stated that he was proud of the low rents in Doncaster which made good quality homes affordable for over 20,000 households in the Borough, but pointed out that the Council needed to increase rents this year and future years, to enable the Council to continue to deliver excellent day to day services for tenants, to continue to collect more rent as the changes to universal credit continued to be rolled out, and to invest in properties to maintain them at the Doncaster Decency Standard.  The Council also wanted to invest over and above all of this, following the tragic fire at Grenfell, as there was an increased focus on health, safety and compliance, and the Council needed to invest to ensure that its properties were safe for its tenants. In addition, the Council also wanted to ensure that all its properties were as energy efficient as possible, to reduce fuel bills for tenants and also the carbon footprint of its homes.

 

It was reported that the increase in the charges for garage sites was above inflation; an increase of 6p per week from 94p to £1 per week, but these charges would be frozen for three years, and that there would be increases for the heating charges at two district heating schemes which was an increase is 6.6%.  It was noted that the Council had seen significant increases in its gas bills and an increase in its biomass charges, but investment in these schemes and other efficiencies, had enabled the Council to keep these proposed increases at 6.6% and these schemes continued to provide excellent value for money to the tenants that used them.

 

 

 

The Deputy Mayor also stated that the HRA continued to fund in excess of £30 million of investment a year into the Council stock each year over the next four years; the main areas of investment being energy efficiency improvements including replacement boilers, and other thermal efficiency works for hard to treat, non-traditional properties and external works such as new roofs including fascias, gutters and soffits.  He pointed out that the Council would complete the house new build programme which included properties in Toll Bar, Thorne, Blaxton, Edenthorpe and Intake, and that changes to the borrowing rules for the HRA and additional match funding which had been identified, gave the Council a real opportunity to accelerate its new  ...  view the full minutes text for item 75.

76.

Council Tax Setting and Statutory Resolutions 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 270 KB

Minutes:

The Council considered a report, presented by the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, which set out how the Council Tax was calculated and sought approval regarding Doncaster Council’s Council Tax requirement for 2020/21.

 

It was proposed that Doncaster Council’s element of the Band D Council Tax charge be increased by 3.99% for 2020/21 to £1,405.35.  The proposals included an increase in the core Council Tax of 1.99%, as detailed within the 2020/21 Revenue Budget report, and an increase in the Adult Social Care Precept of 2%.

 

The Mayor reported that just under 88% of domestic properties in Doncaster fell into Bands A, B and C, with 58% falling in Band A.  The proposals equated to a charge of £936.90 for a Band A property, which was an increase of 69p per week.

 

Members noted that the report included an increase in Council Taxes ofthe Joint Authorities (South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire), which represented an overall increase of 3.66% for Doncaster residents.

 

Following the presentation of the report, 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 - 39

 

The Chair of Council, Councillor Linda Curran, the Vice-Chair of Council, Councillor Paul Wray, the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones, and Councillors Duncan Anderson, Lani-Mae Ball, Nigel Ball, Iris Beech, Rachael Blake, Phil Cole, Mick Cooper, George Derx, Susan Durant, Nuala Fennelly, Neil Gethin, Sean Gibbons, John Gilliver, Pat Haith, John Healy, Rachel Hodson, Charlie Hogarth, Mark Houlbrook, David Hughes, Jane Kidd, Tosh McDonald, Chris McGuinness, Sue McGuinness, Bill Mordue, John Mounsey, Jane Nightingale, Ian Pearson, Andrea Robinson, Kevin Rodgers, Dave Shaw, Derek Smith, Frank Tyas, Austen White and Sue Wilkinson.

 

Against - 6

 

Councillors Nick Allen, Jane Cox, Steve Cox, Nigel Cannings, Martin Greenhalgh and R Allan Jones.

 

Abstain - 0

 

On being put to the meeting, the recommendations contained within the report were declared CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED that Council approved a Band D Council Tax for 2020/21 of £1,405.35 for Doncaster Council services and passed the appropriate Statutory Resolutions, as detailed within Appendix B of the report, which incorporated the Council Taxes of the Joint Authorities and which, taken together with Doncaster's 3.99% increase, represented a 3.66% increase from the 2019/20 Council Tax for Doncaster residents.

77.

Implementing the South Yorkshire Devolution Deal pdf icon PDF 224 KB

Minutes:

The Council considered a report, presented by the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, which outlined the current progress with regard to the implementation of the South Yorkshire Devolution Deal.

 

The Mayor stated that in 2017, Doncaster residents voted overwhelmingly in favour of a wider Yorkshire Devolution Deal.  Pursuing a Yorkshire wide deal was still the Council’s intention, but it was recognised that the South Yorkshire Devolution Deal was the necessary next step on its journey to a wider Devolution Deal.  The consultation on the South Yorkshire Deal was still open, and the Mayor encouraged all Councillors and residents of Doncaster, and South Yorkshire, to have their say.

 

It was reported that the current timetable for implementation would allow Doncaster and South Yorkshire, to gain access to the benefits of the Devolution Deal by the summer.  The gain share amounted to £30 million per year, which would be for the four South Yorkshire Authorities rather than the original nine, and would continue until the wider Devolution arrangements were agreed.

 

Members noted that the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, recently confirmed that subject to the positive conclusion of this deal, the Government had agreed to progress discussions on the role and functions of a Committee of Leaders from across Yorkshire, based on the existing Yorkshire Leaders Board, which was the compromise that Doncaster and Barnsley Councils had been pushing for since 2015.  This would unlock significant opportunities and investment for Doncaster and South Yorkshire, whilst enabling the Council to join a Yorkshire-Wide deal at a later date.

 

RESOLVED that

 

(1)      the progress on the 2015 South Yorkshire Devolution Deal, be noted;

 

(2)      the timetable for consultation on the Deal be acknowledged; and

 

(3)      the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Mayor and the Assistant Director of Legal and Democratic Services, be given delegated authority to take forward and conclude the legal steps necessary to implement the Devolution Agreement, including consenting on behalf of the Authority, to the Enabling Powers Order, provided that the Order corresponds to the proposals contained in the Governance Review and Scheme.

 

 

78.

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

(i)        Questions on Notice to the Executive:-

 

(a)  Question from Councillor Nick Allen to the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones:-

 

“How many officers from DMBC contributed to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s technical consultation on the assessment of local authorities' relative needs and resources?  Do you support the contributions of those officers and to what extent did they ensure the Fair Funding review: 'considers the type of adjustment that will be made to an authority’s relative needs assessment to take account of the relative resources available to them to fund local services'?  These are significant issues which have recently been misrepresented, for political gain, despite some clear economic benefits for Doncaster.”

 

(b)  Question from Councillor Jane Cox to the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones:-

 

“Doncaster Council correctly declared a climate emergency in September 2019.  Does the Mayor feel that the current Tree Policy is robust and sufficient to move the borough forward given the recent environmental damage in and around Doncaster.  The planting of trees is vital and with historic issues around the town such as Mill Lane in Warmsworth and Middlefield Road in Bessacarr are very much in the headlines.  As was the failure to plant trees properly in Finningley Ward.  Is our declaration of a climate emergency consistent with the town’s tree policy and what issues do you feel should be addressed in the near future?”

 

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

Minutes:

A.     Questions on Notice

 

Q.   The following Question on Notice, had been received from Councillor Nick Allen:-

 

“How many Officers from DMBC contributed to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s technical consultation on the assessment of Local Authorities' relative needs and resources? Do you support the contributions of those Officers and to what extent did they ensure the Fair Funding Review: 'considers the type of adjustment that will be made to an authority’s relative needs assessment to take account of the relative resources available to them to fund local services'?  These are significant issues which have recently been misrepresented, for political gain, despite some clear economic benefits for Doncaster.”

 

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

 

“The Council provided a full response to the Government consultation, ‘A review of local authorities’ relative needs and resources’, and also the ‘Business Rates Retention Reform’ consultation that ran alongside it.  I am happy to share the full response if needed.  Our response to the Adult Social Care section indicated that though we felt the proposed cost drivers were not unreasonable, there were changes that we would like to see.  We also said we would need to see a more detailed technical paper that the Government committed to publishing, which has yet to be published.  The full impact of the Government’s Fair Funding Review and Business Rates Retention Reforms, will not be known until the results are published in full.  At that point, we will assess the impact on Doncaster Council.

 

It was the Conservative led LGA that leaked the initial figures in regards to the ‘Fair Funding Review’ which identified that Doncaster could lose £5 million per year through the Adult Social Care Element of the review.  It is also worth bearing in mind that in 2019, ‘Centre for Cities’ reported that Doncaster was the third hardest hit area in the country from austerity.

 

I do support the contributions of Officers.  We share the views of the LGA, SIGOMA and many others that, unless there is an adequate level of funding available for the services that Local Authorities provide, then the Fair Funding Review and by extension, Local Authorities, will be doomed to failure.”

 

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

 

Q.   “With regard to the last paragraph in your response, did Officers make it clear at the time that they were contributing to the review, because their evidence became the whole library used in the review.  If they had made that point, then surely, it would have been taken in to account?”

 

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

 

“I will read out the first general comment that went back to the Government; ‘We welcome the opportunity to respond to this consultation and include some general comments in addition to responses to the specific questions asked in the consultation.  The most critical element to the success of the review of Local Authorities relative to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 78.

79.

Annual Report on Executive Decisions taken under Special Urgency Provisions pdf icon PDF 163 KB

Minutes:

The Council considered a report which informed Members of Key Decisions which had been taken by the Executive between the period 4th March, 2019 and 25th February, 2020, which were not included on the Forward Plan, under Special Urgency provisions of the Access to Information Procedure Rules.  It was stated within the Council’s Constitution that all decisions taken under Special Urgency provisions, be reported to Council on an annual basis, to ensure that the public be kept informed of all aspects of the democratic process.

 

There were three decisions taken in this period, as detailed below:-

 

·         Payment of Community Recovery and Business Recovery Grants taken by the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones on 13th November, 2019;

 

·         Council Tax and Business Rates Discounts for households and businesses affected by the Floods, taken by the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, on 20th November, 2019; and

 

·         Payment of Property Flood Resilience Recovery Support Scheme, taken by the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, on 17th January, 2020.

 

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

80.

To receive the minutes of the following Joint Authorities pdf icon PDF 266 KB

A.        Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority Board held on 27th January, 2020.

 

B.      Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership Board held on 16th January, 2020.

 

C.      South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority held on 13th January, 2020.

 

D.      South Yorkshire Pensions Authority Local Pension Board held on 11th December, 2019.

 

E.      Team Doncaster Strategic Partnership held on 26th November, 2019.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

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

 

A.        Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority Board held on 27th January, 2020.

 

B.        Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Board held on 16th January, 2020.

 

C.      South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority held on 13th January, 2020

 

D.      South Yorkshire Pensions Authority Local Pension Board held on 11th December, 2019.

 

E.      Team Doncaster Strategic Partnership held on 26th November, 2019.