Agenda item

Announcement from the Chair of Council, Councillor Paul Wray:-

“I am pleased to welcome the High Sheriff, Carole O’Neill, who is attending the Annual Meeting this evening, and I look forward to inviting her to future events over the course of the Municipal Year”

Announcements from Ros Jones, Mayor of Doncaster:-

“We continue to see a rise in coronavirus infection rates both nationally and locally. In Doncaster, up to the end of August we were averaging 3.2 cases per 100,000 population per week in Doncaster. This has now jumped to 44 cases per 100,000 and it is expected to increase further over the coming days and weeks.

I fully empathise with people who are struggling with the restrictions that have been placed on all our lives. The past 6 months have not been easy, and I fear that we could be at the brink of a potential second lockdown.

Our local track and trace team are working flat out, I am glad that the national government focus has shifted to a more localised approach to track and trace, but we need our allocation of resources in order to manage effectively.

I am pleased to see the NHS Covid-19 app has launched today, albeit 4 months later than promised. I hope it delivers all that has been promised. To ensure the effective tracking and tracing of those at risk of catching the virus.

Testing is still a problem, Doncaster residents are still struggling to get a test, being offered tests many miles away from Doncaster, which doesn’t take into consideration potential difficulties in travelling. What we need is local testing stations for local people.

Last week I joined with other leaders from Yorkshire in writing to Matt Hancock the Secretary of State offering local lab capacity in order to support the testing programme, we are yet to be taken up on this offer.

I make a plea to the residents of Doncaster, I do not want to scare people, but I need to stress the importance of following the guidelines especially social distancing. We had been doing so well in Doncaster, but the risk of a local or national lockdown is real. We must all do what we can to protect ourselves and others.

I would also like to make an announcement with regard to the Climate and Bio Diversity Emergency:

A little over a year ago, this council backed my motion to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency. Since then in Doncaster we have seen flooding devastate our communities, wildfires destroy thousands of acres of woodland in Australia and California, we are at a critical point in the life of planet earth. That's why I set up our climate commission led by Ed Milliband, with the report being launched in the coming weeks.

I want it to be bold, we have the opportunity to build back from coronavirus with a green recovery, to continue to reduce our carbon footprint, provide high skilled high paid jobs for our residents and to regenerate Doncaster and the North. The prime minister has promised to level up the North. I ask of him to give us the resources and we will do the job!