City of Doncaster Council

Council Spending and Efficiency · drafted 2026-07-02 · accepted · 6 finding(s)

← council-level findings on this theme

22 Jan 2026In response to a Full Council question (22 Jan 2026) about the Council's reliance on agency staff, Mayor Ros Jones said the Council's workforce strategy aims to reduce agency spend, but this was framed as an ongoing aspiration rather than a decision with a stated target or cap; total agency spend nonetheless fell from £6.70m (2023/24) to £6.00m (2024/25) to £4.09m (2025/26 up to Q3). [1][2]

11 Feb 2026On 11 February 2026 Cabinet, on Mayor Ros Jones's recommendation, agreed to recommend to Full Council the Medium-Term Financial Strategy and Revenue Budget for 2026/27 to 2028/29, which set out pressures of £18.7m and savings of £3.7m (Appendices C and D). [3]

26 Feb 2026At Full Council on 26 February 2026 the Mayor's (Labour) 2026/27-2028/29 budget motion was voted down 13-39; Councillor Craig Ward, Leader of the Reform Party, then moved an amendment (seconded by Councillor Rachel Reed) cutting the Council Tax rise from 4.99% to 2% by removing the Adult Social Care precept and adding seven governance conditions, which carried 39-12 and became the substantive motion; the budget adopted as amended still records pressures of £18.7m and savings of £3.7m in Appendices C and D, 'and further savings detailed in the Reform UK budget amendment'. [4][5][6]

26 Mar 2026A Quarter 3 2025/26 Finance and Performance report to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee (26 March 2026) reported that, of the £7.3 million identified savings for 2025/26, 57% had been met as intended, 21% met through other means, 9% met on a one-off basis, and 13% (£954k) had been unachieved, with the unachieved 2026/27 target given as £567k. [7][8][9]

The Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee's Q3 2025/26 Finance and Performance report (5 Feb / 26 Mar 2026) noted that budget-pressured service areas had undertaken 'spend control and vacancy management' and that agency staff numbers had fallen from 120 to 95 in one area, but this was reported to Scrutiny as an operational outcome/monitoring item, not a formal Cabinet or Council decision setting a consultancy/agency spend cut or cap target. [10][11]

Doncaster's Full Council adopted the Medium-Term Financial Strategy and Revenue Budget for 2025/26 to 2027/28 (Mayor Ros Jones's proposals), carried 31-8 on a recorded vote; the adopted budget set out revenue budget proposals for 2025/26 with pressures of £15.1m and savings of £4.0m (Appendices C and D of the report). [12][13][14]

References (14)
  1. Minutes, 22 January 2026 “Within our workforce strategy we are aiming to reduce agency spend and the use of agency workers however there are times where it cannot be avoided.”
  2. Minutes “Total £6,703,917 £6,005,245 £4,090,477”
  3. Minutes, 11 February 2026 “1) recommend that Council approve the 2026/27 to 2028/29 Revenue Budget as set out in this report. This includes: - a) the Medium-term Financial Strategy (MTFS) including all proposals in the report as set out in Appendix A; b) a gross revenue expenditure budget of £742.64m and a net revenue expenditure budget of £368.81m, as detailed in Appendix A; c) Council Tax increasing by 4.99% to £1,801.15 for a band D property (£1,200.77 for a band A) for 2026/27. This includes:- i) 2.99% Council tax increase, equating to an increase of 99p for band D per week, £51.29 per annum (66p for band A per week, £34.20 per annum); ii) 2% Government Adult Social Care precept, equating to an increase of 66p for band D per week, £34.31 per annum (44p for band A per week, £22.87 per annum); d) the revenue budget proposals for 2026/27 detailed at Appendix B (pressures £18.7m) and Appendices C and D (savings £3.7m)”
  4. Minutes, 26 February 2026 “On being put to the meeting, the Motion was CARRIED, meaning this now became the substantive motion.”
  5. Minutes, 26 February 2026 “The motion to approve the Mayor’s budget proposals was declared LOST. At this point in the consideration of the item, Councillor Craig Ward, Leader of the Reform Party proposed a Motion to amend the Mayor’s Budget Proposals.”
  6. Minutes, 26 February 2026 “the revenue budget proposals for 2026/27 detailed at Appendix B (pressures £18.7m) and Appendices C and D (savings £3.7m), and further savings detailed in the Reform UK budget amendment”
  7. Minutes, 26 March 2026 “It was reported that of the £7.3 Million identified savings for 2025/26, that; • 57% had been met as intended.”
  8. Minutes, 26 March 2026 “21% had been met through other means and on an ongoing basis • 9% had been met on a one-off basis • 13% of savings totalling £954K had been unachieved.”
  9. Minutes, 26 March 2026 “the target for 2026/27 to be delivered was £567K (which included £200K as a result of the budget amendment)”
  10. Minutes “It was explained that a number of areas had undertaken spend control and vacancy management to achieve budget.”
  11. Minutes “It was explained the number of agency staff had reduced from 120 to 95 and this would be monitored and reviewed going forward.”
  12. Minutes “1) the Medium-term Financial Strategy (MTFS) including all proposals in the report as set out in Appendix A;”
  13. Minutes “4) the revenue budget proposals for 2025/26 detailed at Appendix B (pressures £15.1m) and Appendices C and D of the report (savings £4.0m)”
  14. Minutes “On being put to the meeting, the Motion was declared CARRIED. RESOLVED that Council approve 2025/26 to 2027/28 Revenue Budget as set out in the report.”