Doncaster Council ‘expecting’ to make cuts in the future as financial outlook worsens
“I think we are expecting that we’ll need to look at savings”
The City of Doncaster Council is ‘expecting’ to have to make cuts to services in the future, the authority’s chief financial officer has said, amid concerns over savings imposed in Reform UK’s amended budget.
Faye Tyas, service director for finance and technology and the statutory finance officer at the council, made the admission in a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee (OSMC).
Councillor Jane Kidd, a Labour and Co-operative member for Wheatley Hills and Intake, asked officials if there is ‘going to be a stage where services are reduced’, if ambitious savings targets set in the 2026/27 budget are not achieved.
“I think we are expecting that we’ll need to look at savings,” Ms Tyas responded.
She assured the panel that elected members will be involved, with either cabinet or full council taking the decisions depending on the circumstances.
Councillors on the committee were told that any initial cuts would have to come from non-statutory services first, such as leisure centres or garden waste collection.
Discussions surrounded a recent financial report for quarter one of 2026/27, which projects Doncaster Council will overspend its budget by £7million by year-end.
The report laid bare the difficulties officials were experiencing in meeting the savings set in February 2026, when Reform UK added a number of requirements in order to fund a lower council tax increase of just two per cent.
Despite branding Reform UK’s amendment as ‘robust’ at the time, Ms Tyas also warned it posed a risk to the council’s future finances.
In a statement, the Reform UK Doncaster leader, Coun Howard Rimmer, sought to attack the Labour administration in charge.
He said: “This is an executive that has run out of ideas. Its answer to a tough financial position is the same one Labour always reaches for: cut services or put up council tax.
“Reform councillors held the council tax rise to 2% instead of 4.99%, and we stand by that decision. Setting the budget was our job delivering it is the Mayor’s responsibility and she is failing to do so.
“When delivering savings becomes difficult, the administration simply throws up its hands.”
Coun Rimmer said his party would ‘fight’ any service cuts proposed before the council ‘properly addresses its own inefficiencies’.
Debbie Hogg, executive director of corporate resources at the council, said that Mayor Ros Jones’ cabinet has ‘authority’ over the budget after it’s approved.
The mayoral system used in Doncaster means the annual budget setting process is one of the only key decisions the Reform UK majority in the council chamber has any impact over.
Sources have said the medium-term financial position the council now finds itself in is more difficult and a maximum council tax increase in 2027/28 is likely, as well as service reductions.
However, sources have insisted the council is not facing ‘bankruptcy’.