Council approves Doncaster safety plan to build on falling crime rates
It hopes it'll tackle anti-social behaviour, alcohol and substance misuse and organised crime
A new strategy to “help people feel safer” in Doncaster by tackling anti-social behaviour, alcohol and substance misuse and organised crime has been approved with cross-party support.
The Community Safety Strategy looks to build on falling crime rates in Doncaster over recent years, with a 15 per cent drop overall since 2021, along with a 44 per cent reduction in the most serious violent crime, and residential burglary reducing by half.
Councillors on the City of Doncaster Council were recommended to approve the strategy at a council meeting on May 22, 2026, following input from Reform UK-led scrutiny panels and Mayor Ros Jones’ cabinet.
Deputy mayor of Doncaster, Councillor Glyn Jones, told the meeting: “Consultation shows that most residents feel safe, however, key concerns remain around antisocial behaviour, substance and alcohol misuse, and crime and reoffending.
“Residents told us they want more visible action, better communication, and stronger partnership working at neighbourhood level.”
Cllr Jones said falling crime rates showed the Safer Stronger Doncaster Partnership (SSDP), which puts together the Community Safety Strategy, “is delivering a positive impact”.
The strategy looks to address its key priorities in a variety of ways, including “target action” at anti-social behaviour (ASB) “hotspots” and work to address noise nuisance and off-road bikes.
Action will also include a “strong emphasis on protecting children and families” from alcohol and substance misuse, Cllr Jones said, and will tackle domestic and sexual abuse through “prevention, early help, strengthened survivor support and holding perpetrators to account”.
Mayor Ros Jones, whose cabinet endorsed the strategy on April 15, 2026, thanked the council’s overview and scrutiny management committee for its “constructive and supportive feedback”.
She said: “Productive and constructive feedback through scrutiny is vital, the delivery of results and improvements for people’s lives will be much easier where we can put party politics aside and work together to deliver safer and stronger communities across Doncaster.”
The discussion in the chamber was not without political jabs, with Councillor Neil Wood, who represents Stainforth and Barnby Dun for Reform UK, urging the cabinet to invest in youth services in his ward.
He told the meeting: “I welcome the fact that we are trying to reduce crime in Doncaster and keep busy minds, like kid’s minds, on the right track.
“Yesterday, I went on a community engagement to patrol with Doncaster East Police and council operatives and no more than 10 minutes into the walk a friend of mine pulled up and said somebody’s just had their motorbike pinched by somebody.”
Cllr Wood said the patrol managed to recover the bike shortly afterwards, but the thief got away.
He said: “We never caught the person who did it, who was actually a young kid, and we were able to return this motorbike back to the guy.
“He’d just lost his grandparent the day before and he wasn’t bothered about his bike, but in the boot of the bike were all the photographs of his grandad who used to work at Stainy pit.”
Cllr Wood said that cabinet members Cllr Sue Farmer and Cllr Glyn Jones, whose portfolios covered children and safer communities, were aware that some youth provision had been withdrawn from his ward in March 2026 and there were still no alternatives eight weeks later.
He said: “This is the same place where kids are pinching motorbikes to keep busy because they’ve got nothing to keep their heads busy.
“I urge the cabinet… to get on board and support Stainforth.”
Cllr Wood’s attack followed a speech from Cllr Farmer in support of the strategy, in which she said £300,000 of additional funding for youth services had been “cancelled” in the Reform UK budget amendment forced through in February 2026.
Cllr Farmer said: “This has meant that we cannot expand the Youth Service as much as we would like, but we will continue to do all we can to grow our youth services across the City of Doncaster.”
Cllr Wood said in the meeting that Cllr Farmer’s suggestion that his party “cancelled” £300,000 in youth funding was “probably a load of rubbish”.
Reform UK’s amendment to the 2026/27 revenue budget included the deferral of £1.2million in target investment in a number of areas. This included the council’s “youth offer” which would have included three additional youth officers.
This money was pushed back to at least 2027/28 in order to fund Reform UK’s lower two per cent council tax hike and set a balanced 2026/27 budget. However, it is not suggested this investment has been “cancelled” completely.
Doncaster’s new Community Safety Strategy was approved in the meeting with 34 votes in favour, to four votes against.