Agenda item

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

“Councillors, we are living in unprecedented times, how and when we leave the European Union is still not clear and this issue remains a divisive one for our Country with no obvious solution in sight.  The spending review is not until late into our financial planning cycle, if indeed it is published at all in 2019, making it difficult to plan past 2020 with any real certainty.  All of this comes on top of a period of continued austerity, which has put increasing pressure on people and services over the last decade.

The challenges we face are here for the long-term and the latest report produced by the Committee on Climate Change, ‘Net Zero:  The UK’s contribution to stopping global warming’, provides a stark reminder that the actions we take now are not only part of a yearly cycle or a four year political term, but of a much bigger vision for our World, Country and Borough; what we do now matters for future generations.

Responding to the challenge of climate change is not just about reducing emissions, it is about our ambitions for the type of Borough we want to see in the future, how we protect and enhance the natural environment for future generations, the type of economy that is innovative and inclusive, built on clean growth and decent wages, the type of health and care system that is sustainable and responsive to future demands that will be placed upon it.  Indeed, as I said at the Doncaster Business Conference in May, going forwards we know we have more to do; the potential expansion in clean and green growth is one particular example of acting globally whilst protecting our borough for future generations.  I am extremely ambitious about our plans for Doncaster, but I require all your help.

The times we live in and the challenges we face demand that we come together as never before.  To do this, it is more important than ever that we understand each other, talk about the kind of Borough we want, our hopes and fears for the future, what we can improve and how we can all work together to play our part in making Doncaster the best place it can be.

That is why I am announcing today that we will have this conversation over the summer months and will use the wisdom of our young people, communities, businesses and voluntary organisations, to inform the long-term plans for our Borough.  Doncaster Talks 2019 will run throughout the summer.  A Members Seminar is scheduled for Monday 10th June, to discuss how we can work together to make it a success.

Everyone who cares about the future of our Borough will have an opportunity to have their say and I am proposing to bring a climate emergency Motion to the Full Council Meeting in September, capturing the early feedback from Doncaster Talks, about what more we can do to work towards becoming Carbon Neutral.  We will come together for the Team Doncaster Summit in November to discuss, debate and digest what our communities have told us.  We will use their stories, aspirations, hopes and fears to inform a refreshed version of Doncaster Growing Together which will be launched in Spring 2020. Doncaster Growing Together 2020 will set the direction for this Borough for the long term; I urge all our communities to have their say and all Members to come on this journey with us.”