The City of Doncaster Council’s projected overspend at the end of the current financial year has been slashed by over 20 per cent, but remains “clearly a significant issue”, papers show.

In a report outlining the authority’s financial performance over the second quarter of 2025/26, officials said the projected overspend, which now stands at £5.2m, “needs to be addressed”.

Projected spending on adult social care remains high and is £6.3m over budget, the report reveals. The departmental overspends are off-set by underspends in other areas, to reach the £5.2m overall projection.

Children, young people and families is projected to spend £1.5m more than budgeted, including £1.1m on children’s social care.

Doncaster Council is projected to spend £5.4m more than budgeted this year. | LDRS

placeholder image — Doncaster Council is projected to spend £5.4m more than budgeted this year. | LDRS

The report also reveals that the 2025/26 pay award for council staff has cost £2.6m more than had been budgeted. However, this has been “offset non recurrently against Council Wide budgets leaving £2.8m to support other service pressures”, the report says.

Trade unions representing council staff are seeking further pay remuneration to their members for the next financial year (2026/27) to reverse a pay cut implemented in 2012.

The cut, which was implemented by the former Mayor of Doncaster Peter Davies, was intended to protect against job losses, but has meant council employees remain underpaid compared to neighbouring authorities reportedly leading to problems with retaining top staff.

Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones speaking at Doncaster Chamber hustings before the 2025 local elections. Photo courtesy of Doncaster Labour.

Mayor Jones was quizzed by Reform UK councillor Chris Kidger for a timeline around pay remuneration for staff at November 2025’s meeting of full council.

She made it clear she could not make any promises regarding pay remuneration, but thanked staff for their hard work and effort.

She added: “As you will be aware there is currently uncertainty in relation to local government funding and many budgetary pressures facing this Council and local authorities across the country.

“However, I have heard the feedback from both staff and unions and acknowledge the recruitment and retention challenges that we are facing in a number of service areas.”

The £5.2m projected overspend at the end of the current financial year is a £1.4m reduction – or 21 per cent – to the £6.6m project at the end of quarter one.

Officials continue to warn about income shortfalls compounding the projected overspend, which Mayor Jones told cabinet in September were being off-set by “one-off contingency budgets”.