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'Gridlock' exit on M18 will slow regional growth, business leaders tell minister

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Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 9h

TWO reports out with @doncasterfreepress.bsky.social

This below from yesterday

Business leaders from across South Yorkshire have written to the Transport Secretary calling for investment in the motorway junction set to serve Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 9h

The letter suggests there is a £50m solution, developed in partnership with National Highways - a step-down from the £80m figure provided by CDC sources earlier in the year

Regardless, £50m is a large sum to invest for any authority, so government support needed

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 9h

These developments have not yet arrived, yet J3 is regularly at "gridlock", the letter says

National Highways are issuing holding directions on planning applications in the area, due to capacity concerns at the junction

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 9h

3 will be the main motorway junction serving Doncaster Sheffield Airport, where freight flights could return as early as next year (per Mayor Jones)

Not only DSA, but Gateway East will bring 1,200 new homes, a business park and a leisure hub to the area

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 9h

Pressure from the private sector to upgrade J3 of the M18 as CEOs of local chambers of commerce have written to the Transport Secretary

Dan Fell MBE, Louisa Harrison-Walker OBE and Carrie Sudbury tell Heidi Alexander the junction is a "transport bottleneck"

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 4d

I have the best political patch in Britain 😂

Reform UK calls unplanned Doncaster Council meeting

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 6d

NEW: Reform UK have secured an unplanned meeting of #Doncaster Council to re-appoint chairs of council committees, it is understood

The meeting has been penned in for later this month

Reform UK have secured an extraordinary meeting of the City of Doncaster Council in attempts to regain control of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee (OSMC).

Council changes succession policy for family in event named council house tenant dies

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Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 7d

Clearly a lack of communication within Reform UK in response to this change

Leadership suggest this is "cruel", but seemingly did not wonder what their own councillors had said on the change during scrutiny stage

No objections from their members. Instead, the idea of a deadline for family to leave

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 7d

REPORT: Family members of a deceased council housing tenant will need to prove they have lived in the property for five years if they wish to inherit a tenancy, #Doncaster Council has decided

The previous requirement was 12-months

Key changes to the tenancy agreement for social housing tenants in Doncaster have been approved, limiting who can make a succession claim for a property in the event of a death.

Council changes succession policy for family in event named council house tenant dies

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Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 7d

REPORT: Family members of a deceased council housing tenant will need to prove they have lived in the property for five years if they wish to inherit a tenancy, #Doncaster Council has decided

The previous requirement was 12-months

Key changes to the tenancy agreement for social housing tenants in Doncaster have been approved, limiting who can make a succession claim for a property in the event of a death.

Doncaster Council introduces new "radical efficiency" programme

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 8d

REPORT: The Labour-run City of Doncaster Council will introduce a new "radical efficiency and innovation programme" aimed at improving service delivery and dealing with "financial pressures"

Reform UK call it a DOGE "rip-off"

The City of Doncaster Council is to introduce a new programme to boost efficiency in spending and improve service outcomes, the cabinet has agreed.

Sale of former Doncaster school ravaged by fire to be reinvested into sports

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 10d

£629,000 is to be invested in school sports in Doncaster after the sale of a former school site in 2020

#Doncaster Council will open a bidding process for local schools to apply for up to £50,000 each in capital grants

Money earned from the sale of a former Doncaster school building ravaged by fire will be reinvested in sports facilities.

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 13d

I’ve posted about football once or twice before now, but this is for getting involved

Sheffield Giants rookie (taster) sessions can now go in your calendar - come down

There’s a position for everybody 🩵🏈

Councillor says new Tory climate change policy a 'direct echo' of Reform UK position

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 14d

Do other glasses-needing people get as excited as I do when you have a new pair on the way?

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Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 14d

Reform UK have claimed Kemi Badenoch's new climate change policy is a "direct echo" of a Reform policy developed by Doncaster councillor Rachel Reed

Reed says it is further evidence the Tories are "scrambling" to keep up

Kemi Badenoch’s latest pledge to repeal the Climate Change Act was inspired by Doncaster Reform UK, a councillor has suggested.

Councillor leaves Reform UK for "personal reasons", will continue as an independent

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 15d

BREAKING 🚨: Councillor Christopher Marriott has left Reform UK and will sit as an independent

The Armthorpe ward councillor told me he resigned this morning for "personal reasons"

A City of Doncaster councillor has chosen to leave Reform UK and sit as an independent, the party has revealed.

"Deliberate" obstruction of culvert led to Doncaster flooding, investigation finds

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Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 15d

An unauthorised, man-made dam built with piles of soil helped lead to flooding in #Doncaster earlier this year, an investigation by the city council has found

Unexpected flooding in Doncaster earlier this year was caused by a combination of factors, including an unauthorised, man-made dam, a City of Doncaster Council investigation has found.

Reform UK deputy leader resigns over airport company controversy

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 16d

BREAKING: #Doncaster Reform UK councillor Rachel Reed has resigned as deputy group leader

It follows the controversy of Fly Doncaster (Auxiliary Services) Ltd - a business she was listed as co-director of

Cllr Karl Hughes will replace her

A Doncaster Reform UK councillor has stepped down as deputy leader over her involvement in the creation of a new company intended to do business with the city council.

'I do not accept it': Mayor denies misleading voters over Doncaster Sheffield Airport

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Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 21d

Yesterday, I finally got in front of Doncaster’s embattled Mayor to ask her directly if she had misled voters over #Doncaster Sheffield Airport

She adamantly denied the accusation floated by Reform UK - despite winding back her messaging before the elections

Read and watch via the link below

The Mayor of Doncaster has denied misleading local people over Doncaster Sheffield Airport, after it was announced passenger flights are unlikely to return until 2028.

Reform UK boot councillor from party over Doncaster Airport company controversy

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Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 22d

NEW 🚨: Reform UK have stripped Cllr Dave Knight of the party whip following his #Doncaster Airport company controversy

Cllr Rachel Reed, who was listed as a co-director of the business, has resigned as chair of the overview and scrutiny panel

Doncaster Reform UK have stripped a local councillor of the party whip, and another has resigned as scrutiny committee chair, after the creation of a new business intended to capture council contracts...

Conduct hearing condemns councillor's posts as 'clearly racist' & 'highly offensive'

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 22d

BREAKING: Councillor Mark Broadhurst's FB posts "clearly racist, islamophobic, anti-semitic and highly offensive", a Donny Council conduct hearing has concluded

Members determined Broadhurst is "not fit" to be deputy mayor of Hatfield Town Council

A conduct hearing for a sitting Doncaster councillor has deemed he is “not fit” to be deputy mayor of a town council after “clearly racist, islamophobic and anti-semitic” posts on Facebook.

Reform councillor creates copy of airport's managing company

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 24d

REPORT: Reform UK’s Cllr Dave Knight will lose his committee positions amid conflict of interest concerns

Knight was listed as a founding director of Fly #Doncaster (Auxiliary Services) Ltd - along with party deputy leader Rachel Reed

Dave Knight's Fly Doncaster-branded company copied the name of the company due to run the airport.

www.bbc.co.uk

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 24d

One of the two Reform UK councillors able to view the business case for reopening #Doncaster Sheffield Airport has slammed the plan in a statement to the LDRS

Jason Charity said the DSA business case "did not stand up to serious examination"

www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/politic...

DSA business case 'does not stand up to serious examination', councillor says

The business case for reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) does not “stand up to serious evaluation”, a Reform UK councillor has said.

Council motion solar farms should not be built on agricultural land is agreed

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 26d

Chess moves post-no confidence motion this week

Labour tried to commandeer an opposition motion with an amendment, but Reform saw through it

www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/politic...

A City of Doncaster Council motion calling for agricultural land to be spared from use for solar panel farms, in favour of using sites like car parks, has received cross-party support.

All council parties come together to oppose NHS proposals to cut local IVF cycles

Harry Harrison @hharrisonjourno.bsky.social · 27d

REPORT: Councillors come together to oppose NHS proposals to cut IVF cycles to one in South Yorkshire

Perhaps the best part of full council yesterday - some very meaningful and personal contributions from across the chamber

The City of Doncaster Council has passed a motion criticising proposals from local NHS decision-makers to reduce the number of IVF cycles patients are entitled to.