Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council

Political leaders have agreed to move forward with a South Yorkshire devolution deal more than four years after the deal was initially announced.

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In a statement the leaders of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield councils together with Sheffield City Region Mayor, Dan Jarvis, announced the deal had been agreed and would be put to public consultation later this year.

Under the original deal struck in October 2015 the Sheffield City Region deal would grant a directly elected mayor power over transport, strategic planning and skills, as well as £900m over 30 years.

Efforts to secure an agreement have been dogged by a rival plan for a pan-Yorkshire agreement, but, today's announcement suggests the South Yorkshire deal will now come to fruition, almost two years after Mr Jarvis was elected mayor.

Mr Jarvis and the four council leaders said: "This represents a significant step forward in securing additional powers and resources for our region.”

People living in Doncaster have been temporarily rehomed following flooding.

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So far, 16 people have been given accommodation, the council says.

It comes as the council says almost 2,000 people called their emergency helpline in the past week asking for help.

More than 40,000 sandbags have been handed out, with the Army also helping efforts.

A number of community hubs have been set up to help residents who have been forced from their homes following the floods in Doncaster.

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The nine council-run hubs offer help and advice when it comes to planning to return home.

Centres have been set up in Stainforth, Thorne, Askern, Bentley, Consibrough, Denaby Main and Swinton.

A council spokesperson said since the flooding began its teams have knocked on more than 700 doors to check on residents and helped with filling and handing out more than 31,000 sandbags.

Doncaster Council says its staff are working 24/7 to help those affected by flooding.

Doncaster Council

They've even been able to give one resident who's unable to get out themselves some bird seed to feed a pet parrot.

The authority says it owes a "massive thank you" to all its staff.

The Environment Agency (EA) "got it wrong" over the flooding of a Doncaster village, the council has claimed.

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Doncaster mayor Ros Jones said Fishlake wasn't identified as a risk area by the EA.

A severe flood warning, meaning there was a threat to life, was issued for the village by the EA after heavy rain last week.

Hundreds of homes in the village were later evacuated due to flooding.

Ms Jones admitted the council itself could have reacted quicker, but had to base it's response on information from the EA.

She said: "In some instances, at the very beginning, the Environment Agency didn't get it right.

"But after that, we got it and as soon as we got that advice we got out there with the sandbags."

The EA is being contacted by the BBC for its response to Ms Jones' claim.

Nearly £50m worth of government cash could be on its way to Doncaster in an effort to improve transport links across the borough.

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Doncaster Council has drawn up a list of potential schemes, including local railway station improvements, extra cycle routes, congestion alleviation projects and bus lane developments.

Councillors serving on the mayor’s cabinet are expected to give the go-ahead to the list of schemes soon.

Money will be passed from government to the Sheffield City Region from its bid for up £220m of Transforming Cities Fund cash for South Yorkshire.

If successful, Doncaster is likely to receive between £40m-£49m to improve transport links.

HS2 bosses should rethink the planned high-speed rail route through South Yorkshire or scrap it altogether, according to some of the county's council leaders.

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The original high-speed route through South Yorkshire was supposed to feature a station at Meadowhall.

But Sheffield City Council, unhappy about a lack of a city centre HS2 station, successfully lobbied the government to change its mind.

But now, both Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones and Rotherham Council leader Chris Read have met Douglas Oakervee who is leading the HS2 review.

They've restated their position to go back to the original Meadowhall plan, saying otherwise the idea should be scrapped altogether.

Ms Jones said changes to HS2 in South Yorkshire would be "all pain and no gain" and a “devastating blow” for communities, with mass demolitions but few benefits to residents or the local economy.

Mr Read said unless there was a stop at Meadowhall, the government should scrap the development and use the money to improve regional rail networks instead.

Doncaster Council could become the next local authority in Yorkshire to declare a "climate and biodiversity emergency".

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Mayor Ros Jones is set to table a motion on Thursday asking the council to take steps towards becoming carbon neutral and to invest in carbon reduction projects.

She said: "I am asking council to support key actions that will help our borough do what it can to reduce our carbon footprint and help us become a more sustainable place in which to live and work."

A senior councillor has called for a ban on smoking outside Doncaster pubs and cafes because "it’s not fair on other people".

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Councillors and health chiefs were discussing a new borough-wide strategy to reduce Doncaster’s smoking rates from 20% to 10% by 2030.

Balby South councillor Nuala Fennelly, who is also cabinet member for children and schools, called on owners of cafes and pubs to tell people to stop smoking directly outside their premises.

“I think that’s quite a big problem we have across Doncaster", she said.

“If we can get pubs and businesses to say to people you can sit outside but you’re not sitting there smoking – it should be a non-smoking area.”