Here’s a rundown of the top politics stories in Doncaster this week:
Grooming inquiry in turmoil as survivors quit
The government’s inquiry into grooming gangs has been thrown into disarray as several survivors quit the panel.
A survivor from Rotherham, Elizabeth (not her real name) quit the inquiry’s victims and survivors liaison panel on Tuesday.
Between the 1980s and 2013, an estimated 1,400 girls became victims of group-based child sexual exploitation in the town.
She followed fellow survivors Fiona Goddard and Ellie Reynolds in leaving the panel, who both quit on Monday.
In her resignation letter, Elizabeth said the process felt like “a cover-up” and had “created a toxic environment for survivors”.
She felt the process had been “scripted and predetermined”, “rather than emerging from honest, open dialogue with survivors”.
“This sense of control and stage-management has left many of us questioning whether our voices truly matter, or whether we are being used to legitimise decisions that have already been made,” she added.
The three women have accused officials of trying to water down the inquiry by widening the scope beyond grooming gangs into broader issues of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Survivors have also expressed frustration at how long it has taken to appoint a chairperson, with some seeing this as a delay tactic because of fears of what might be exposed.
A chair has not yet been selected, and two frontrunners to become the chair of the inquiry – Jim Gamble and Annie Hudson – have also withdrawn from the running.
Sir Keir Starmer announced in June that the government would hold a statutory inquiry, after initially resisting the idea.
MPs oppose plans for 3,500-acre solar farm
Plans for a 3,500-acre solar farm between Rotherham and Doncaster have been criticised by three local MPs.
Whitestone Solar Farm is proposed to stretch across a number of separate parcels of land and could power 250,000 homes.
The land includes farmland near the M18, south of Bramley and Wickersley, and large fields on both sides of the nearby M1.
The project also includes plans for areas around Ulley, Aston and Brampton.
The sites had been chosen by developers for its proximity to Brinsworth substation, which would connect the solar farm to the national grid.
However, MPs John Healey, Sarah Champion and Jake Richards have all raised concerns about the size and location of the scheme.
Healey, Labour MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, told project developer Green Nation in a letter that the scheme did not meet his expectations.
“In my view, every project must still meet three tests: it must be proportionate, it must be safe, and it must be fair – Whitestone fails all three,” he said.
He said it was “the wrong scale of scheme in the wrong place”.
A spokesperson for Whitestone told the BBC the size of the project had already been reduced by a quarter, and the solar farm would “support national energy goals”.
Council renews landlord licensing scheme
Rotherham Council has voted to renew a landlord licensing scheme aimed at tackling poor-quality housing and anti-social behaviour.
The five-year scheme will continue despite “limited public support” during a consultation.
It requires landlords to apply for licences costing £975 per property.
They must meet management standards and face higher fees if they fail to apply on time.
It will cover parts of the town centre, Eastwood, East Dene, Clifton, Masbrough, Kimberworth, Thurcroft, Dinnington, Brinsworth and Parkgate,
It replaces the current scheme that was introduced in 2020.
The council said the licences had already helped to improve housing standards and reduce anti-social behaviour, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Only about one in five respondents to the public consultation agreed with the proposed designations.
Councillor Linda Beresford said the consultation had been extensive, with 16,000 residents, landlords and letting agents contacted plus engagement with more than 60 organisations, faith groups and schools.
“It’s not a popularity contest, it’s not The X Factor.
“We need to do what is the right thing for our residents, which is to make sure they are all living in safe, decent homes.”
The licences will be reviewed again in five years.