Agenda item

 

(i)        Questions on Notice to the Executive:-

 

None received for this meeting.

 

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

 

A.     Questions on Notice

 

No questions on Notice from Elected Members, had been received for this meeting.

 

2.  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.

 

In the absence of the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, Members were asked to submit their questions in writing to the Executive Office and a written response would be provided.

 

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

 

Q.   Councillor Steve Cox asked the following question:-

 

“A request was put in to Sheffield City Region (now known as South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority) for a £20 million loan some time ago.  Yourself, Mayor Ros Jones and the Chief Executive had been part of that Committee.  What happened to the loan application?  The decision was due to be made in March, but still nothing.  How long have Peel been in communication with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA)?  What has DMBC done to support the Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA)?  Finally, why have Finningley Ward Members had no contact from yourselves or the Chief Executive; what happened to working together?”

 

A.   The Chief Executive, Damian Allen, gave the following response:-

 

“It is under the jurisdiction of the SYMCA.  What I can report is the Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, has gone on public record in response to the announcement from Peel Airport indicating that the loan is still an active loan under consideration.  From commercial reasons, I am not in a position to add any further details, but I suggest if you have any concerns, that you write to the Mayor of South Yorkshire, but I will make him aware.”

 

A.   The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones, gave the following further response:-

 

“We have had no end of meetings between ourselves, legal briefings, conversations between the Chief Executive and Chair of DSA, Board Members of Peel Holdings, the SYMCA, the Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard and the Chief Executive of SYMCA, Martin Swales.  We have had a meeting today with the Members of Parliament to come to some sort of resolution and a way forward.

 

As for the Local Ward Members, I am sorry you were not included; it was an oversight on my part.  It is difficult to give you a full, frank and open appraisal of what has happened from a business perspective, but we are leaving no stone unturned on this matter.”

 

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

 

Q.   “The phone has been ringing constantly all day.  There are a lot of jobs to lose and the information you were not aware is on Twitter.  The minutes of the meetings cannot be found.  I will take this to Mayor Oliver Coppard.”

 

Q.   Councillor Thomas Noon asked the following question:-

 

“Following the terrible two years with crime in Doncaster, can the Deputy Mayor provide an update on the number of new Police Officers Doncaster will receive in October and do you think this goes far enough to make our streets safe again?”

 

A.      The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones, gave the following response:-

 

“This issue is not part of my Portfolio, but I will get you a full written response.  It is worrying when crime occurs in our communities, but we need the correct resources to combat crime.  As part of the number of Police Officers needed to fight this level of crime, as important is the intelligence that we are given.  I ask people to phone 101 or Crime Stoppers, which they can do so anonymously.  As for the actual number of new Police Officers, I have not got that information.  I believe that if we do not get the number of Police Officers we require, we will be fighting a losing battle.”

 

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15.7, Councillor Thomas Noon stated the following:-

 

Q.   “I will put my question in writing to the Mayor, but thank you for your reply.”

 

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

 

Q.   Councillor Cynthia Ransome asked the following question:-

 

“Do you have any influence on bad behaviour in Schools and the inability of some Schools to address it?  This impacts on education and public safety with pupils leaving School at 2.30 pm.”

 

A.      Councillor Lani-Mae Ball gave the following response:-

 

“Regarding behaviour within Schools, every School has a Behaviour Management Policy to manage this issue.  Most Schools have an escalation chart for that child or young person if they do not meet that expectation.  If there is a particular School you are concerned about, please contact me. 

 

In terms of outside of Schools, very little can be done by Schools.  The School will set expectations when young people are leaving School at 2.30 pm.  Some Schools take a ‘beyond the gate’ approach and are in the surrounding streets.  Sometimes the Communities Team plugs that gap to assist, but if there are any particular areas where you have any concerns, please let me know.”

 

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

 

In the absence of Councillor Nigel Ball who had left the meeting at this point in proceedings, Members were asked to submit their questions in writing to the Executive Office and a written response would be provided.

 

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

 

Q.   Councillor Glen Bluff asked the following question:-

 

“Do you agree with me that there should be a list of all the grass, tree and hedgerow assets that is distributed and communicated to all Members including a maintenance schedule of when they are going to be trimmed, cut or maintained?”

 

A.      Councillor Joe Blackham gave the following response:-

 

“My simple answer is yes I do.”

 

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

 

Q.   “Could you make ensure that it is distributed to all Members?”

 

A.      Councillor Joe Blackham gave the following response:-

 

“It should have already happened, but I will check to make sure it has because those schedules are in place.”

 

Q.   Councillor Cynthia Ransome asked the following question:-

 

“Our rural roads between villages are only cut twice a year; we accept that.  My complaint is the standard; litter is not picked up before cutting and the poor cut makes our verges look worse before they have started.  Do you see this improving or can you help?”

 

A.      Councillor Joe Blackham gave the following response:-

 

“I would like to be able to tell you that I can help and remedy the problem, but I would be lying.  We have difficulties at this point in time.  We still have high levels of sickness and vacancies in the service.  We will not be able to do what we wish to do.  The schedules you will get demonstrate what should be done, but I will not make a false promise.  I cannot promise that it will happen because whilst we are in these current circumstances, it will not happen.”

 

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

 

Q.   Councillor Cynthia Ransome asked the following question:-

 

“Many of the residents in the rural Wards have invested in gates, CCTV and alarms.  However, we are seeing a high rise in household burglaries in our Ward.  The statistics for solving these crimes are abysmal.  Do you see this improving?”

 

A.      Councillor Rachael Blake gave the following response:-

 

“It is the responsibility of the Police to solve those crimes.  Where the Community Safety Team can assist is around ‘target hardening’.  Unfortunately, I think we are in a time when things are not going to get any better for many reasons.  Our Teams do as much as they can, but they are incredibly stretched because we do not have the resources to be able to meet the needs of all our residents, rural or urban.  I think the collaborative working within the Community Safety Team is good.  There are a number of funds that are being applied for from Government.  In terms of the actual staff and resources on the ground, I do not see it improving, but we will continue to apply for funding.”

 

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

 

In the absence of Councillor Phil Cole, Members were asked to submit their questions in writing to the Executive Office and a written response would be provided.

 

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

 

In the absence of Councillor Mark Houlbrook, Members were asked to submit their questions in writing to the Executive Office and a written response would be provided.

 

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

 

Q.   Councillor Steve Cox asked the following question:-

 

“Is there an issue with recordings of meetings in the Chamber as there are three meetings that have just been missed in recent weeks; Planning Committee, Audit Committee and Overview and Scrutiny?”

 

A.     Councillor Jane Nightingale gave the following response:-

 

“Yes, there is an issue which is being looked into by Governance Services.”

 

Additionally, Scott Fawcus, the Assistant Director of Legal and Democratic Services, confirmed that there were issues with the system and plans were in place to purchase a new system, but that would take some time to achieve.

 

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 Julie Grace, Chair of the Elections and Democratic Structures Committee

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Julie Grace, Chair of the Elections and Democratic Structures Committee.

 

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

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Jane Kidd, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee.