This week in Doncaster:

• The Planning Committee meeting was scheduled, but no transcript or minutes are available.
• The Licensing Sub-Committee was scheduled to discuss a new premises licence application for The Old Weighing Room, Bennetthorpe.

Planning Committee - Tuesday 29 April 2025

The Planning Committee meeting was scheduled, but no transcript or minutes are available.

Licensing Sub-Committee - Wednesday 30 April 2025

The Licensing Sub-Committee was scheduled to convene to discuss a new premises licence application for The Old Weighing Room, Bennetthorpe.

The applicant is seeking permission to provide:

• Supply of alcohol for consumption both on and off the premises: Monday to Sunday 08:00 to 00:00
• Late Night Refreshment: Sunday to Thursday 23:00 to 00:00, Friday and Saturday 23:00 to 00:30
• Live Music: Friday and Saturday 18:00 to 23:30
• Recorded Music: Monday to Sunday 08:00 to 00:00

The report pack includes a copy of the application form, which details the steps the applicant proposes to take to promote the four licensing objectives¹.

The report pack includes representations received from other persons, and from responsible authorities² including:

• South Yorkshire Police
• Public Health

The Sub-Committee is asked to consider the application and representations, and then take such steps as it considers necessary for the promotion of the licensing objectives. The options available to the sub-committee include:

• Granting the application subject to conditions.
• Excluding a licensable activity from the scope of the licence.
• Rejecting the application.

The report pack also includes the council's statement of licensing policy, and the statutory guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003³.

This application is similar to the one discussed at the Licensing Sub-Committee meeting on 16 April 2025, where Barnby Retail Limited applied to vary the premises licence for Morrison's Daily, High Street, Barnby Dun, to extend the hours for the sale of alcohol to 24 hours daily. In that case, representations were received from responsible authorities and a member of the public, which related to one or more of the four licensing objectives.

This week in Doncaster:

• The Licensing Sub-Committee was scheduled to discuss Hackney Carriage and Private Hire licences, with the public and press potentially excluded from parts of the meeting.
• The Audit Committee was scheduled to discuss ethical governance, contract procedure rules, risk management, audit plans, and the Annual Governance Statement.

Licensing Sub-Committee - Tuesday 22 April 2025

The Licensing Sub-Committee of Doncaster Council scheduled a meeting to address several licensing matters. The agenda included the consideration of a new Hackney Carriage & Private Hire Drivers Licence¹, as well as several reviews of existing licences. Due to the confidential nature of the information, the public and press may have been excluded from parts of the meeting.

Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing

The committee was scheduled to discuss several applications and reviews related to Hackney Carriage and Private Hire licences. These were:

• An application for a new Hackney Carriage & Private Hire Drivers Licence.
• A review of an existing Hackney Carriage & Private Hire Drivers Licence and an existing Private Hire Vehicle Licence.
• A further review of an existing Hackney Carriage & Private Hire Drivers Licence and an existing Private Hire Vehicle Licence.
• Another application for a new Hackney Carriage & Private Hire Drivers Licence.
• A final review of an existing Hackney Carriage & Private Hire Drivers Licence and an existing Private Hire Vehicle Licence.

The agenda noted that the public and press may be excluded from these discussions, as they involved information relating to an individual.

Audit Committee - Thursday 24 April 2025

Here is a summary of the scheduled discussions for the Audit Committee meeting of Doncaster Council on 24 April 2025.

The Audit Committee was scheduled to discuss a range of reports covering ethical governance, contract procedure rules, risk management, and audit plans. The meeting was also to include the review and approval of the Audit Committee's annual report and the draft Annual Governance Statement.

Here's a more detailed breakdown of the key topics:

Annual Governance and Internal Control

The committee was scheduled to review the updated Local Code of Corporate Governance and the draft Annual Governance Statement (AGS) for 2024-25. The draft Annual Governance Statement Report identifies five key areas requiring attention:

• Assurance over future financial sustainability of the council
• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and inclusion, the impact on the Dedicated Schools Grant – High Needs Block & consequential financial risk
• Workforce recruitment and retention challenges
• Social care data quality
• Sufficiency of Doncaster children’s placement

The AGS is a statutory document that communicates the council's governance arrangements and how its controls manage risks. The report stated that the council had incorporated the Governance Addendum guidance from CIPFA/ Solace into the draft AGS.

External Audit

The committee was scheduled to discuss reports from the external auditor, Grant Thornton. This included the external auditor's plan for 2024/25, and their report on the audit findings (ISA 260) for the year ending 31 March 2024. The committee was also scheduled to consider Grant Thornton's Auditor's Annual Report 2023/24, which included the Value for Money (VfM) statement.

Internal Audit

The committee was scheduled to receive the Annual Report of the Head of Internal Audit for 2024/25, including an opinion on the adequacy and effectiveness of the council’s governance, risk management and control arrangements. The report noted that despite challenges and changes to work undertaken by the team, the Head of Internal Audit had confirmed that sufficient work had been carried out to be able to form such an opinion. The committee was also scheduled to discuss the Internal Audit Plan for 2025/26, which sets out the proposed audit activity for the coming year. The Internal Audit Plan 2526 cover report stated that the plan conforms to Global Internal Audit Standards for the UK Public Sector.

Counter Fraud

The committee was scheduled to review and approve the Counter Fraud Plan for 2025/26. The Counter Fraud Activity Report 2526 cover report stated that the plan has been constructed in line with the council’s Anti-Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Framework and the Fighting Fraud and Corruption Strategy 2020 for Local Government. The plan includes horizon scanning for new fraud risks, assessment of current fraud risks, information on counter fraud resource levels, and an assurance map mapping coverage of the plan and activities to the risks on the fraud risk register.

Contract Procedure Rules

The Audit Committee was scheduled to receive a report providing details of waivers and breaches to the council’s Contract Procedure Rules (CPRs) for the period 1 September 2024 to 28 February 2025. The report included details of waivers granted under the following categories:

• For goods, services or works which are either patented or unique that it is not possible to obtain competitive prices or are only available from one organisation.
• For the execution of works or services or the purchase of suppliers involving specialist or unique knowledge or skills
• A contract is already in place and where further work is required that could not have been identified when the contract was let or, it would not be value for money to run a competitive process or there is a need to allow safe exit or decommissioning of a contract. The award must be time limited.
• Reasons of urgency where it is otherwise not reasonably possible to comply with the appropriate CPR requirements (for example an emergency). Even in such circumstances officers must seek and obtain value for money wherever possible.
• The use of time-limited grant funding from an external body, where the time limitations will not allow a competitive process to be completed and where grant conditions allow this.

Ethical Governance

The committee was scheduled to receive the Monitoring Officer’s Annual Report, which covers matters relating to ethical governance. The report includes details of complaint handling activity in relation to allegations of Member misconduct, details of disclosures made under the council’s Whistleblowing Policy, and any reports under the Money Laundering Policy.

Audit Committee Annual Report

The committee was scheduled to consider and approve the Audit Committee Annual Report 2024/25. The report demonstrates how the committee has fulfilled its terms of reference and shares its achievements with the whole council.

This week in Doncaster:

• The Licensing Sub-Committee was scheduled to review Hackney Carriage and Private Hire licenses, and also to review the minutes from their previous meeting where they revoked the license for Donny Drink, 6 Hall Gate.
• The Licensing Sub-Committee was scheduled to discuss an application for a premises licence for Morrison's Daily, High Street, Barnby Dun, to extend the hours for the sale of alcohol to 24 hours daily.

Licensing Sub-Committee - Monday 14 April 2025

The Licensing Sub-Committee of Doncaster Council scheduled a meeting for Monday, 14th April 2025, to discuss several licensing matters. The agenda included a review of multiple Hackney Carriage and Private Hire licenses, as well as an application to renew an existing license. These discussions were scheduled to take place in private session.

The Licensing Sub-Committee was scheduled to review several existing Hackney Carriage and Private Hire licenses. The report pack indicates the following reviews were scheduled:

• Review of an Existing Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Drivers Licence and Review of an Existing Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence.
• Review of an Existing Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Drivers Licence and Review of an Existing Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence.
• Review of an Existing Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Drivers Licence and Review of an Existing Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence.
• Review of an Existing Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Drivers Licence and Review of an Existing Private Hire Vehicle Licence.
• Review of an Existing Private Hire Drivers Licence.
• Application to Renew an Existing Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Drivers Licence.

These reviews were scheduled to be conducted in private, as they involved information relating to an individual.

The minutes from the Licensing Sub-Committee meeting held on 10th February 2025 were included in the report pack for confirmation. At that meeting, with Councillor Leanne Hempshall in the Chair, the sub-committee revoked the license for Donny Drink, 6 Hall Gate because there was a disregard for the licensing objectives, specifically, public safety, the protection of children from harm and the prevention of crime and disorder. Karen O’Rouke, Trading Standards and Licensing (CDC) attended the meeting and made representations and answered questions.

Licensing Sub-Committee - Wednesday 16 April 2025

The Licensing Sub-Committee of Doncaster Council scheduled a meeting to discuss an application for a premises licence. The meeting was scheduled to take place at the Council Chamber, Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster on Wednesday, 16th April, 2025. The report pack for the meeting included one item for discussion, an application for a premises licence for Morrison's Daily, High Street, Barnby Dun, Doncaster, DN3 1DY.

Barnby Retail Limited applied to vary the premises licence, number LN/201900648, to:

• Extend the hours for the sale of alcohol to 24 hours daily.
• Allow for the provision of late night refreshment between the hours of 23:00 and 05:00 daily.
• Remove the conditions listed in Annex 2 of the licence.
• Include in Annex 2 the conditions in Section 16 of the application.

The report stated that the premises is currently an off licence.

The report included the following recommendation:

It is recommended that the Sub-Committee determine this application having regard to the representations made and the evidence before it.

The report stated that three relevant representations regarding the application had been received from responsible authorities and a member of the public, which relate to one or more of the four licensing objectives¹.

The application form included the steps Barnby Retail Limited intended to take to promote the four licensing objectives:

• General
  • A digital CCTV system will be installed, or the existing system maintained.
  • The CCTV system shall be capable of producing immediate copies on site.
  • Any recording will be retained and stored in a suitable and secure manner for a minimum of 31 days and shall be made available to the police for inspection on request.
  • The system will display, on any recording, the correct time and date of the recording.
  • The CCTV system will be maintained and fully operational throughout the hours that the premises are open for any licensable activity.
  • An incident book/register shall be maintained to record all incidents of crime and disorder occurring at the premises and details of occasions when the police are called to the premises.
• Public safety
  • There will at all times be adequate levels of staff maintained at the premises.
• The prevention of public nuisance
  • Adequate waste receptacles for use by customers shall be provided in and immediately outside the premises.
  • Notices shall be prominently displayed at all exits requesting patrons to respect the needs of local residents and businesses and leave the area quietly.
• The protection of children from harm
  • The premises licence holder will ensure that an age verification policy will apply to the premises whereby all cashiers will be trained to ask any customer attempting to purchase alcohol, who appears to be under the age of 25 years to produce identification.
  • Signage informing customers of the age verification policy adopted at the premises will be prominently displayed.
  • All staff engaged or to be engaged in the sale of alcohol on the premises shall receive training in age restricted sales.
  • All cashiers shall be trained to record refusals of sales of alcohol in a refusals book/register.
  • All sales tills shall prompt the cashier making a sale of alcohol to verify that the customer is aged 18 or over.

Fiona Boothroyd, Senior Environmental Health Practitioner, Andrea Suddes MSc MRTPI, Principal Planning Officer, and Mrs Jill Lowe, a local resident, all submitted objections to the application.

Fiona Boothroyd, Senior Environmental Health Practitioner, formally objected to the proposal to allow the sale of alcohol 24 hours per day, stating:

My experience of complaints received about similar venues has led me to believe that the associated noise and disturbance caused to a quiet residential area created by cars and people coming and going at all hours of the night to purchase late night refreshments and alcohol would be significant.

Andrea Suddes MSc MRTPI, Principal Planning Officer, stated that Doncaster LPA OBJECTS to this license application because the store is subject to a restrictive planning condition that limits opening hours so as to protect the amenity of local residents.

Mrs Jill Lowe objected on the grounds that she doesn't feel it is necessary to have a shop open 24 hours, and that it will encourage more anti-social behaviour by young people hanging round the shop all through the night.

This week, the Doncaster Council held two meetings. Below is a summary of the meetings and key decisions made.

Planning Committee - 25 June 2024

This meeting was cancelled. No further details were provided.

Licensing Committee - 26 June 2024

The Licensing Committee met to consider an application for a new Premises Licence from Yum Burger at 10 Herten Way, Doncaster DN5 7PW. After a short discussion, councillors resolved to grant the licence with conditions.

Application for a New Premises Licence - 10 Herten Way, Doncaster

The application sought permission for the sale of late-night refreshment, both on and off the premises, from Monday to Sunday between 11pm and 5am.

One member of the public submitted a representation expressing concerns about potential public nuisance and crime if the licence were granted. The concerns focused on noise and disturbance late at night from people visiting the premises:

I am concerned about the potential for noise and disturbance from customers using the external area of the premises late at night... I believe that the granting of this application would have a detrimental impact on the amenity of the area.

In response, the Licensing Manager reported that the applicant had agreed to several conditions to mitigate these concerns, including the installation of CCTV and the appointment of a designated premises supervisor.

After considering the application, the representation, and the proposed conditions, the Licensing Committee resolved to grant the licence. They noted that:

• The applicant had agreed to conditions to address the objector's concerns.
• There was no evidence to suggest that granting the licence would lead to an increase in crime and disorder in the area.
• The premises was located in a mixed-use area, and it was not unreasonable for a hot food takeaway to operate until 5am.

The meeting concluded at 10.17am.

For more details on the Licensing Committee meeting, please refer to the official transcript.

This concludes the summary of this week's council meetings.